Sir Chris Hoy is one of Team GB’s most successful Olympians and he has shed some light on what it was like to leave the sport of cycling behind when he retired in 2013
Sir Chris Hoy has opened up about what retirement from cycling felt like. The six-time Olympic champion was working as a pundit for the BBC during the Track Cycling World Championships.
Hoy is amongst Team GB’s most decorated athletes, with his 11 world titles and six Olympic medals cementing his status as a national hero. However, two years ago he delivered the heartbreaking news that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
The 49-year-old was told he had between two and four years to live, but has faced the diagnosis with remarkable courage. Fans were struck by Hoy’s relaxed demeanour as a pundit when he shared an anecdote about his retirement.
Hoy revealed he would be stepping away from competitive cycling in 2013, merely one year after claiming his sixth Olympic gold at London 2012. Team GB’s Jack Carlin announced his retirement this month and when asked about leaving the sport behind, Hoy remembered a significant moment.
“The bit I remember, I was going into America and you know when you go through passport control and immigration, you fill out the form and it says ‘Occupation,'” he began. “Well for 20 years I put down ‘cyclist’ and then all of a sudden it was like, ‘What am I going to write down here?’ You have to find something to look forward to.
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“You have to start again. You can’t always look back. It’s nice to reflect and remember the good times but equally you have to remember it’s a big world and there’s a lot of things to do out there.
“You have to have a plan because your identity has been tied to what you do for so many years and it should be an exciting time. There are so many things to go out there and get involved with.”
Hoy appeared in high spirits during the broadcast, and back in May, he told Sky Sports that he’s been doing well since revealing his cancer diagnosis.
“I feel good, you know, I’m on constant medications, constant treatment, but it’s not interfering too much with my life. And the most important thing is it’s working, so I’m stable at the moment, everything’s good. So making hay while the sun shines,” Hoy expressed.
“I didn’t think about what the potential outcomes of going public with my diagnosis might be. But when you hear from people, when you speak to people who tell you that they have gone and had a PSA test off the back of your diagnosis.
“They have gone and they’ve found that they had no symptoms, no problems at all, but they had a check and it turns out they’ve got cancer too, but they’ve caught it early enough to treat it and to cure it. It makes sense of the situation, it makes sense of my situation.
“That lifts you up a huge amount. I can’t believe the position I’m in now compared to 18 months ago. I never imagined that I’d be able to get to this point where I’m actually just living life and not just living life, but actually appreciating it more than ever. Able to enjoy the little things.
“It’s not just about doing bucket list stuff and doing massive things, it’s just about appreciating the mundane fun of life, the mundane elements of life which can be wonderful that you don’t necessarily appreciate when you’re on this treadmill of next, next, next, what we’re doing tomorrow? Never mind tomorrow, enjoy today!”