I lost both my parents to cancer and now I'm taking on Chris Hoy's 56 mile cycle to raise funds for charity

I’m looking forward to taking on this charity cycle for a man I have so much respect for. It starts and finishes at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow, going on a 56 mile loop of the city. There are several other events on the day, but this is the longest distance.

Chris Hoy is such an incredible figure. I’m heavily into cycling, and for him to be diagnosed at such a young age with stage 4 prostate cancer, it’s a wake-up call for any guy. I think this event is such a great opportunity to put the message out there for any cancer, but also it’s an opportunity to raise funds for research and providing care for cancer patients, it’s all worthwhile.

Former policeman Stuart MacMillan, right, is taking on a 56 mile cycle for Prostate Cancer UK in September. | Stuart MacMillan

He was one of the world’s most inspirational athletes, I have watched him for years, and when you see what he does and continues to do to a lesser extent, but back in his day - to push yourself beyond normal human limits - it beggars belief just what he put himself through, and he is such a nice guy.

I have not met him personally, but I know a few guys who have cycled with Chris that know him well. Nobody has a bad word to say about him. And then you factor in his wife’s situation with her MS diagnosis, it’s a very sad and difficult time for them as a family.

Obviously being a man, prostate cancer is something you are aware of and anything that pushes the seriousness of any kind of cancer out there is worthwhile. It’s only in the last wee while that prostate cancer has become more prevalent and talked about more. We need to keep banging the drum for it, spreading awareness and raising money, for any cancer really.

It’s a horrible disease. I have thankfully not been affected myself, but both my parents and my mother in law lost their lives to cancer. It’s an illness that everybody is so badly affected by, during treatment and then after someone passes away from it. It has a devastating effect on friends and family. What cancer does to a person and their loved ones is so horrible.

Stuart MacMillan, left, pictured out on a cycle with friends. | Stuart MacMillan

I have cycled all my life, it was very much for commuting to work to begin with, when I still worked. I was a policeman for 30 years, starting in Midlothian before spending most of my career in Edinburgh, in uniform mostly, with a bit of time in CID, and the support unit at Fettes, it was a pretty varied career in the police for me.

I was also a keen runner and rugby player, but then when the aches and pains meant I could’t play rugby anymore I got more into cycling, in the last 15 years.

So it’s a sport and hobby I love now, but before I retired in 2013 I just cycled really to commute into work in Edinburgh from my home in Penicuik. Since getting into it more I have done lots of cycling events, I was down in Dumfries and Galloway for a 300 mile four-day cycle recently. I have been to Belgium recently also for a cycling event.

Having the time to do more cycling since retirement has been great for me, I’m very enthusiastic about cycling now.

Any fundraising I have ever done, I never set a target of how much I hope to raise. I just put the message out to friends and family and I just always want to raise as much money as I can.

Stuart, right, is looking forward to taking on the challenge in Glasgow later this year. | Stuart MacMillan

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All money raised will be well received by the charity. Having donated to McMillan and Marie Curie over the years, I know how thankful they are. It’s sad in a way that charities rely on people doing fundraising events but I’m very happy to do what I can.

There are several different cancer charities you can subscribe to for this event in Glasgow in September, but I chose Prostate Cancer UK as it’s most relevant to the person organising the thing.

Training is going really well, fingers crossed we continue to get some reasonable weather, otherwise I’m on the training bike in the garage watching rubbish on Netflix.

I’m doing this charity cycle with two or three guys, so we have been training together and pushing each other along. We are all out together every Sunday, and there is always the carrot and stick of the bacon rolls, cake, coffee, anything at the end to reward us for a hard cycle, as every route we go out on has a nice wee cafe at the end!

You can donate here to Stuart MacMillan’s fundraiser cycling challenge on behalf of Prostate Cancer UK.