Sir Chris Hoy was warned his right leg might have to be amputated after he broke it in a horrific bike crash.
The cyclist, who won six Olympic gold medals, disclosed in October 2024 that he had stage four prostate cancer. A tumour was discovered after he went to the doctor with shoulder pain.
He then suffered the worst injury of his life when he was mountain biking in Wales last November.
After being taken to hospital Hoy, 50, was informed he was at risk of compartment syndrome — a sudden increase in pressure inside a muscle that restricts blood flow — and that he could lose his leg.
“There is a risk of amputation for anybody in that situation, the doctors tell you that,” he said, speaking on his Sporting Misadventures podcast.
“Compartment syndrome is the risk and I was given the warning. It is quite a sobering thought when you are lying there in this strange hospital ward and you are about to go for your operation.
“To be fair the doctors are very aware of compartment syndrome and that’s one of the things that they are hyper-vigilant about.”
Hoy’s treatment was successful and he worked with a physiotherapist and a soft tissue expert to speed up his recovery.
Hoy 12 weeks after his bike crash
He shared a video of his treatment, which showed the gruesome nature of his tibial plateau fracture injury. Hoy also disclosed that he has video footage of the accident itself but has been too traumatised to watch it.
He said: “I launched off this jump and overshot it and my leg and knee just exploded. There will always be some compromise in [the leg]. It’s been a tough few months but I feel like I’m out the worst of it now.
“I had a camera on my chest so I have full footage of the run but I still haven’t downloaded it.
“I don’t think I really need to or want to see it because it was such a painful experience that the less I remember about it the better.
“I can still ride my bike but I think the days of me sending it over big jumps and doing stupid stuff that would have been appropriate when I was about 15 are gone.”
An x-ray of Hoy’s leg after the crash
He added: “I always felt like I had a good perspective on life, certainly with the last couple of years and all the issues I have had, but this has just given me another layer of appreciation for being able to stand up and get out of bed.”
Hoy, who was born in Edinburgh, had initially been given between two and four years to live but said in May that his condition had entered a period of stability.
He will host a second Tour de 4 cycle ride to raise money for cancer charities after the inaugural ride last year proved a success. The former Olympian and his wife, Sarra Kemp, have a son, Callum, twelve, and a daughter, Chloe, nine.
Shortly after Hoy’s diagnosis, his wife was told she had multiple sclerosis.