Meeting and riding with Sir Chris Hoy

A year in 20 photographs 3/20 – Sir Chris Hoy

One of the great perks of my job is some of the amazing charity events I get to work on. Over the last 12 years, I have ridden across the UK and even cycled through the Channel Tunnel as part of televised events for BBC Children in Need and Comic Relief. Over these events as a chaperone rider, I have also had the pleasure of cycling with many celebrities including Zoe Ball, Matt Baker, Greg James, and Tom Daley. However, the greatest moment of my cycling career came this November as part of the Paddy McGuinness Ultra Endurance Cycle Challenge. Paddy was cycling from Wales to Scotland on a Raleigh Chopper and in the process raised an incredible £10 million for BBC Children in Need.

On Day 4 of this five-day ride, we had a special guest join us. Sir Chris Hoy is friends with Paddy McGuinness and he surprised Paddy by joining us to ride 20 miles of that day’s stage through the Scottish Borders.

Sir Chris Hoy is as humble and incredibly kind and generous as you would expect. I don’t have heroes, but Sir Chris is an inspiration to me as a cyclist and even more so as a role model with his amazing outlook on life. Having an opportunity to chat and ride with him on this day is a memory I am incredibly proud to have. This photo was taken by Dave Rollins who was working with the Behind the Scenes crew that week. Thank you Dave as it is one of my favourite images of this year.