Sir Chris Hoy shares he nearly had his leg amputated after horror bike crash

Lewis Henderson
Wed, 22 Apr 2026 20:10:04 +0000

Sir Chris Hoy shared he nearly lost his leg after a horror bike crash last November.

The cyclist revealed medical professionals warned him amputation of his right leg was a possibility.

The 50-year-old, who publicly announced his terminal stage four prostate cancer diagnosis in October 2024, described the incident as the worst crash of his career, resulting in multiple fractures that required admission to a major trauma ward.

The Scottish cycling legend, who has six Olympic gold medals, made the revelation on his Sporting Misadventures podcast.

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Surgeons performed extensive operations on Sir Chris' lower leg, inserting metal rods and screws to repair the damage.

The Olympic champion was warned about the danger of compartment syndrome, a serious medical condition where pressure builds rapidly within muscle tissue, cutting off blood supply.

Sir Chris was treated in hospital and ultimately avoided any permanent damage, although the experience left a lasting impression on the cycling great.

Reflecting on his frightening moments before surgery, Sir Chris said: "There is a risk of amputation for anybody in that situation, the doctors tell you that.

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"Compartment syndrome is the risk, and I was given the warning.

"It is quite a sobering thought when you are lying there in this strange hospital ward, and you are about to go for your operation.

"To be fair, the doctors are very aware of compartment syndrome, and that's one of the things that they are hyper-vigilant about.

"I launched off this jump and overshot it, and my leg and knee just exploded."

He continued: "There will always be some compromise in [the leg].

"It's been a tough few months, but I feel like I'm out the worst of it now."

Despite having chest-mounted camera footage of the entire incident, Sir Chris has chosen not to view it.

The Olympic legend said: "I don't think I really need to or want to see it because it was such a painful experience that the less I remember about it the better."

While acknowledging his cycling days of attempting daring jumps are behind him, Sir Chris remains positive about his health situation.

Initially given a prognosis of two to four years following his cancer diagnosis, he reported in May his condition had stabilised.

He said in December: "It's putting faith in science and knowing that right today, there are countless people all around the world working on new medications, new treatments, and with the hope that one day it won't be a terminal diagnosis, but I'm doing fine."