Pro Cyclist Turned Sports Car Racer Chris Hoy Has Terminal Cancer

Chris Hoy, the multiple Olympic track cycling champion, has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

The 48-year-old first announced in February that he was undergoing cancer treatment after a tumour was discovered in his shoulder, and he’s since told The Sunday Times that a second scan showed cancer in his prostate, which has spread to other parts of his body.

Speaking to The Sunday Times, he said:

“As unnatural as it feels, this is nature. You know, we were all born and we all die, and this is just part of the process. “You remind yourself, ‘aren’t I lucky that there is medicine I can take that will fend this off for as long as possible’.

“Hand on heart, I’m pretty positive most of the time and I have genuine happiness. This is bigger than the Olympics. It’s bigger than anything. This is about appreciating life and finding joy.”

Meanwhile, on Instagram, he posted:

“You may see in the news this weekend some articles about my health, so I just wanted to reassure you all that I’m feeling fit, strong and positive, and overwhelmed by all the love and support shown to my family and me. Onwards!”

The diagnosis was kept private for a year. Meanwhile, Hoy’s wife Sarra received the news that she had a “very active and aggressive” form of multiple sclerosis last year.

While Chris Hoy’s two-wheeled, including six Olympic Gold medals, he was also a keen driver who turned his attention to motorsport after retiring from professional cycling. After achieving success in various Radical championships, Hoy embarked on a journey to the 24 Hours of Le Mans starting by competing in the 2014 British GT championship with Nissan.

In 2015 he secured several class wins behind the wheel of a Ginetta LMP3 car in the European Le Mans series, finishing 12th in class the following year aboard a Ligier JS P2 shared with Michael Munemann and Andrea Pizzitola.

More recently, he’s been racing in the Sports Prototype Cup with a Revolution 500C.

Chris Hoy’s memoir My Toughest Race Yet is released on 7 November 2024.