Sir Bradley Wiggins has paid an emotional tribute to fellow multiple medal-winning cyclist Chris Hoy – saying the way he’s handled his terminal cancer will help a lot of people.
Wiggins also hailed Sir Chris as « one of the greatest » – both as a person and as a sportsman.
Father-of-two Hoy, who received a prognosis of two to four years, revealed his prostate cancer diagnosis this year, and has put on a positive outlook as he sees it as a time to adapt and look for opportunity.
The six times gold medalist, 48, urged people to « find positivity in each day without worrying about stuff that hasn’t happened yet », adding « if you can spread the word and sort of get people to apply it to their own lives, hopefully you can help some people. »
Now five times Olympic gold winner Wiggins, 44, has described how the news hit him and the cycling world in a glowing tribute.
He said: « That hit everyone quite hard that, and those of us that know Chris know what an absolute gentleman he is, what a heart of gold.
« The worst things happen to the best people – and he truly is a great, great person.
« I spent all my Olympic career with Chris. When we were young, I remember sitting in dope control in Athens, where we both won gold – he won the first night, I won the second night – and he was sat there in dope control having just won the kilometre and he was going ‘Do you want to touch my medal?’
« And I said ‘No, Chris, I’m going to try and win mine tomorrow night’. I thought it would give me bad luck.
« And he was the first person who congratulated me when I won mine in Athens – came across the pen – and when I won my fifth in Rio he was there with Steve Redgrave at a BBC interview. »
Wiggins added in an interview released tomorrow (Mon, Dec 2) on the High Performance podcast: « It’s tragic, it really is.
« He’s one of our greatest in many ways, not just on the bike. Because what I think he’s doing, and the way he’s handled it, is going to help a lot of people.
« And his lasting legacy is going to be infinite. »
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