'It's the worst crash I've ever had' – Chris Hoy suffers broken leg in mountain bike incident

Olympic legend says he's 'hobbling about' on crutches

Chris Hoy with two gold medals
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Sir Chris Hoy has revealed he recently broke his leg in what he described as “the worst crash I’ve ever had”.

The 49-year-old former track sprinter, a six-time Olympic gold medallist, said the incident happened while riding his mountain bike. He did not specify when or how the crash happened, but said it was an “unfortunate spill”, and that he’s “doing alright now”.

“I've smashed my leg up on the mountain bike, that's the worst thing that's happened recently. You just don't bounce like you do when you're younger,” Hoy told Sky Sports.

"Worse things happen. I've been riding bikes for 43 years and it's the worst crash I've ever had. I'm pretty lucky that's the worst one I've had in all those years of riding.”

"I'm not a massive risk taker, but I want to live my life and I want to make the most of it,” Hoy told Sky Sports in light of his recent crash. “None of us are here forever so you want to make the most of the time you have and do the things you enjoy.”

Hoy was one of 5,000 participants who took part in the ride, which raised £2.13 million – more than double its target.

A former BMXer turned track sprinter, Hoy is considered to be one of Great Britain’s greatest ever Olympians, having won six Olympic titles between 2004 and 2012. During his career, he also won 11 world titles, shared across the kilometre time trial, team sprint, individual sprint, and keirin.

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Tom Davidson
Senior News and Features Writer

Tom joined Cycling Weekly as a news and features writer in the summer of 2022, having previously contributed as a freelancer. He is fluent in French and Spanish, and holds a master's degree in International Journalism. Since 2020, he has been the host of The TT Podcast, offering race analysis and rider interviews.

An enthusiastic cyclist himself, Tom likes it most when the road goes uphill, and actively seeks out double-figure gradients on his rides. His best result is 28th in a hill-climb competition, albeit out of 40 entrants.

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