EGFR+ UK Does the Tour de 4

Sunday 7th September 2025

In 2024, Olympic cyclist, Sir Chris Hoy announced to the world’s media that he had been diagnosed with Stage 4 prostate cancer and that he had been given between 2 and 4 years to live. Since then, he has appeared numerous times on TV and elsewhere to promote prostate screening programmes and a new cycling event for all – the Tour De 4.

The Tour De 4 set out to demonstrate that ‘a Stage 4 diagnosis’, while devastating, doesn’t have to define the limits of what is possible’. The organisers hoped to also raise some funds for cancer charities along the way. In the end it was so much more than that…

A group of members of EGFR+ UK heard about the Tour De and recognised the impact that such an event could have on participants and the public at large. We decided that we were going to Glasgow to represent the charity and would take our place alongside the rainbow of inspiring cyclists both with Stage 4 cancer and without.

After months of training prior to 7th September, five EGFR+ members and nine supporting riders arrived at the Glasgow Velodrome on a grey and drizzly day. Every one of those five had been faced with health-setbacks of one sort or another since first signing up for the ride, one of our number was only able to take part because her chemotherapy had been delayed. The positivity of the crowds and our own team spirit soon dissipated any anxiety or self-doubt as we set out on the Blue Ride – a 38 miles round trip towards the Campsie Fells and back. We all had supporters riding with us, friends, relatives and partners. One of our riders had already set off on the longer, more arduous red ride and we later learned that we also had a rider riding for us on the static bikes in the Velodrome – the idea was that there would be something for nearly everyone. Sadly, one of our team was too unwell to take part, but we knew she was with us in spirit.

The atmosphere fizzed despite the rain. Fellow riders were full of good humour and spectators lined the route to provide encouragement. In one village, scouts turned out at the traffic lights to hand over Tunnocks Wafers and bananas. They did their village proud. In the middle of nowhere, the haunting sound of bagpipes drew us towards a lone piper stood outside his isolated property saluting and strengthening us as we passed.

As we headed back into the outskirts of Glasgow my energy started to dissipate and suddenly that banana I’d been given and was saving for after the finish line became the very thing I most needed. Eating a banana with one hand whilst cycling is not to be recommended but boy did it taste good.

Gradually the first of us back joined with those who had started out later and we assembled for photos and to compare stories, buoyed by our communal efforts and encounters with the plethora of sporting royalty some of us had caught glimpses of – Sir Andy Murray, Rebecca Adlington, Dame Sarah Storey and Sir Mark Cavendish to name-drop just a few.

The day finished with Chris Hoy and his wife on stage celebrating the day’s events and suggesting a repeat in 2026 (book early!). The mystery guests were finally revealed as the Chemical Brothers (apparently Chris Hoy is a Super-fan). The rain which had seemingly been holding itself back throughout the day finally gave us the drenching it had been promising, but nobody seemed to mind.