Olympic cyclist Chris Hoy praises cancer charity campaign
Dr Roger Cliffe is taking part in this year's Tour de 4 cycling event to raise funds for cancer charity Maggie's.
Sir Chris Hoy has said he feels "very proud" when he hears of people taking part in the charity cycling event he set up last year to change perceptions of stage 4 cancer.
The six-time Olympic gold medallist, who was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer in 2023 and has been battling the disease ever since, launched the Tour de 4 event to support national cancer charity Maggie's and to show that "a stage 4 diagnosis, while devastating, doesn't define the limits of what's possible."
The event, which starts and finishes at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow, features multiple routes designed to accommodate everyone, regardless of their physical abilities, from static cycling challenges to a 56-mile circuit.
His words and example have inspired people with stage 4 cancer, like Dr Roger Cliffe (78) from Worcestershire, Stuart Petty (57) from Cumbernauld, near Glasgow, and James Doherty (43) from London, to take part in this year's event on 6th September.
Cliffe, who cycled briefly alongside Sir Chris Hoy in a stage of the Tour de France in 2006, was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in late 2024. Despite not having cycled for a year, he decided to sign up for Tour de 4 to support Maggie's and Sir Chris Hoy's efforts to provide hope for others living with late-stage cancer.
"I absolutely agree with Sir Chris' ethos of showing that people can continue to live a life with stage 4 cancer," he said. "Before Sir Chris, anyone with stage 4 thought all they could do was sit back and wait to die, when actually there's no reason why you can't still keep on living a very full life."
Initially diagnosed with kidney cancer, he had surgery to remove the organ, but it had already spread, with nodules found on his lungs and adrenal glands.
Faced with a devastating diagnosis that turned their lives upside down, Cliffe's family received crucial support from Maggie's, which runs 27 centres across the UK and has helped more than 4 million people facing cancer over the last 30 years.
The Tour de 4 provides important funding for the charity as it works towards an objective of opening 60 centres across the UK.
"Maggie's focus on empowering people to live well with cancer and 'not to lose the joy of living in the fear of dying' completely aligns with Tour de 4's vision," said Sir Chris. "The expert support Maggie’s provides at their 27 centres across the UK is transformative."
Readers can learn more about the Tour de 4, which still has some places available, here.
