Pedal power: Sir Chris Hoy’s Tour de 4 cycle challenge raises over £600,000

More than 3,000 cyclists of all ages and abilities joined six-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy to take part in the first Tour de 4 cycle challenge in Glasgow, raising over £600,000 towards our lifesaving work.

The riders used some serious pedal power to make their way around the city – big smiles on their faces as the crowds cheered them on – to support Prostate Cancer UK and a number of other national cancer charities.

Not even the autumn rain could dampen their enthusiasm for the 56.2-mile red ride and the 37.9-mile blue ride, with some red ride participants conquering the famous Tak Ma Doon climb.

The green ride in and around the grounds of the Chris Hoy Velodrome was particularly popular with families, who flocked to the event to take part. There was also a yellow ride on static bikes inside the famous arena, where some affected by Stage 4 prostate cancer but unable to ride on roads, saddled up for up to 20 minutes.

More than 650 of the cyclists were pedalling to support our work, raising a magnificent total of over £600,000 to help save men’s lives.

The Tour de 4 was a star-studded affair. A cast of celebrities and sporting heroes joined Sir Chris to lend their support, and cyclists travelled from all around the country to take part. BBC Breakfast were also there to celebrate the event with live coverage.

Sir Chris Hoy had no symptoms when he found out he had prostate cancer

When Sir Chris was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer in September 2023, he had no symptoms and it came as a complete shock. Sadly, it’s a familiar story.

Since then, he’s helped raise awareness of the disease and encouraged hundreds of thousands of men to take our quick and easy online Risk Checker.

Sir Chris founded and launched the Tour de 4 event earlier this year, to help raise vital funds and inspire hope for everyone affected by cancer. Over £2.3 million has already been raised for cancer charities – more than twice his original target.

In the UK, 1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer. And if you’re over 50, if you’re Black or if you have a family history of the disease, your risk is even higher.

But the earlier you find it, the easier it is to treat. And it only takes 30 seconds to check your risk.

CHESK MY RISK

Cyclists share stories with sporting heroes at star-studded event

Broadcaster Dermot Murnaghan and former Scotland rugby star Craig Chalmers, both of whom have prostate cancer, were among those who saddled up for the ride.

They were joined by Louise Minchin, riding in honour of the late Bill Turnbull who died from prostate cancer in 2022, and fellow broadcaster Dan Walker, whose dad also has the disease.

Sir Andy Murray, Sir Ben Ainslee and Sir Steve Redgrave also came to support Sir Chris, along with cycling icons Sir Jason Kenny, Dame Sarah Storey and Sir Mark Cavendish – forming a remarkable team of legendary sportspeople, with more than 100 Olympic and Paralympic medals between them.

David Ballie, 66, from Pitlochry, rode alongside his friends Derek McMenamin and Alastair Crawford. All three have been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

"Derek and Alistair are stars in the sense that they managed to catch their cancer very early and have a very good life expectancy as a result," said David.

"I'm an example of someone who didn't do that and am stage four, incurable. We all want to raise awareness of this silent killer and encourage men to check their risk. You can do that in 30 seconds with Prostate Cancer UK's Risk Checker."

Danny McKay, 73, who also has stage four prostate cancer, travelled to Glasgow from County Down in Northern Ireland with his family.

"The journey since diagnosis has been incredibly tough," he said. "But I've been motivated and uplifted by Sir Chris Hoy's determination and optimism through his own cancer journey. I’m choosing to fight back – I won't let my diagnosis define me – so that's why I rode.

It’s about time we had a nationwide screening programme to save men’s lives

When it comes to prostate cancer, early diagnosis is crucial. And that's why a screening programme is so important. For men, it could be the difference between finding the disease early when it's easier to treat – or finding out late, when it's already too late for a cure.

"Prostate cancer remains the most common cancer in men but it's still the only major cancer without a screening programme,” said our Chief Executive Laura Kerby, who also took part in the Tour de 4 event alongside Sir Chris.

"It doesn't give you signs or symptoms in its earlier stages when it's more treatable, so awareness is everything.

"I want to once again thank Sir Chris for speaking so openly about his diagnosis, and for hosting this brilliant event.

"We believe no man should die of prostate cancer. And our riders are a brilliant demonstration of people coming together, doing something great to fund more ground-breaking research and work towards a screening programme, to find prostate cancer early and save lives."

Are you ready for a new challenge?

Start organising your own cycling challenge today. Saddle up, and pedal for a future where no man dies from prostate cancer.

RIDE TO SAVE LIVES