'Sir Chris Hoy talking about cancer saved my life'

A keen cyclist who was diagnosed with prostate cancer after seeing Sir Chris Hoy talk about his own terminal diagnosis has joined a charity ride organised by the six-time Olympic champion.

Dave Maybrick, from Oxford, was diagnosed with the disease two years ago following a PSA test he requested after being moved by hearing Sir Chris's story.

In October 2024, the Team GB icon revealed he had been told by doctors that his prostate cancer had spread to his bones, giving him between two and four years to live.

Maybrick, 55, recently joined his cycling hero at his Tour de 4 event, which aims to change perspectives on stage four cancer and raise money for cancer charities.

"Sir Chris Hoy talking about it saved my life," Maybrick said.

"The fact that I caught this was based around somebody talking about it in the most incredible and brave way to raise that consciousness.

"With no reason to do it, I went and got a test."

Having requested a PSA test after seeing Sir Chris talk about his diagnosis, Maybrick was himself diagnosed with prostate cancer in January 2025.

"The word cancer is absolutely monumentally terrifying, not just for me, for lots of people, for lots of reasons," he said.

"The lack of knowledge and information I had at that point was absolutely terrifying."

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men and kills 12,000 people across the UK each year, but routine PSA testing is not currently available for most men on the NHS.

Earlier this year, the UK' National Screening Committee said the harms of screening outweighed the benefits, except for "a few thousand" men who have a dangerous genetic variant and a family history of cancer

Maybrick said he struggled to talk about his condition until he himself had been treated "partly to protect myself, but also I think to protect other people".

But following his treatment, the 55-year-old said: "I knew I had to talk about it."

Among the first people he spoke to were his brothers, who then requested PSA tests for themselves.

For his eldest brother, it "played out almost exactly a year later for him in the same way".

"He was diagnosed and it's really triggering just to see someone close to you go through that.

"It's harder in a way, because you know what they're going through and the fear they must be facing."

To raise awareness of prostate cancer and the risk it poses to men, Maybrick recently took part in the Sir Chris's Tour de 4 fundraiser.

"It was something that early on I was aware of and I wanted to do it, so when the chance came up [to do it] this year I jumped on it.

Participants are given a choice on how far they wish to cycle during the event, with Maybrick opting to ride 100km (62 miles) around Glasgow.

"It was amazing - absolutely fantastic," he said.

"It was like a birthday party for 4,000 people, and every single one of them is a special guest."

Maybrick used the challenge to raise funds for Maggie's - a national network of drop-in cancer centres that help anyone affected by the disease.

"You walk in and you're greeted instantly by people who have some experience of cancer either directly or indirectly," said Maybrick, who visited the centre at Oxford's Churchill Hospital during his treatment.

"They treat you with tremendous compassion, warmth and empathy - and I could go in there today and it would be the same."