More than 5,000 cyclists raise £2.5m at Sir Chris Hoy’s Tour de 4 event
TV stars pay tribute to late colleagues at Sir Chris Hoy's £2.5m charity cycle
More than 5,000 cyclists have helped raise over £2.5m for five leading cancer charities at Sir Chris Hoy’s Tour de 4 event in Glasgow.
The Edinburgh-born Olympic cycling legend, who was diagnosed with terminal stage four prostate cancer, led the mass ride from the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome on Sunday.
The total raised on the day was around £400,000 higher than last year, with donations powering through GoFundMe to support Breast Cancer Now, Cure Leukaemia, Macmillan Cancer Support, Maggie’s and Prostate Cancer UK.
Among the riders were journalists Matt Barbet and Louise Minchin, who took part to remember their late friends and former colleagues Dermot Murnaghan and Bill Turnbull.
Former BBC Breakfast presenter Minchin, who was joined by current hosts Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty, said Turnbull’s decision to publicly share his prostate cancer diagnosis had "saved lives".
Sky News presenter Barbet rode in honour of former anchor Murnaghan, who took part in the ride last year before his death from the disease in July.
Other notable participants included Olympian Sir Steve Redgrave, former Scotland rugby star Kenny Logan and astronaut Tim Peake.
Sir Chris said: “Our mission with Tour de 4 is simple: to show that you can live well with stage four cancer and still lead a happy, fulfilling life.
“We’re coming together to prove that, and to raise vital funds for people facing cancer. Every pedal stroke at the Tour de 4 will make a huge difference to men and their loved ones.”