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Sir Chris Hoy has shed light on what it was like to retire from cycling. The six-time Olympic champion was on punditry duties for the BBC during the Track Cycling World Championships. Hoy is one of Team GB's most decorated athletes and his 11 world titles and six Olympic medals created a national hero. But two years ago he made the devastating announcement that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. The 49-year-old had been given a prognosis of two to four years left to live but has met the diagnosis with bravery. Fans were taken aback by Hoy and his laid-back manner as a pundit as he shared a story about his retirement. Hoy announced that he would stop competitive cycling in 2013, just one year after winning his sixth Olympic gold at London 2012. Team GB's Jack Carlin announced his retirement this month and when probed about what it was like to leave the sport behind, Hoy recalled a telling incident. "The bit I remember, I was going into America and you know when you go through passport control and immigration, you fill out the form and it says 'Occupation,'" he began. "Well for 20 years I put down 'cyclist' and then all of a sudden it was like, 'What am I going to write down here?' You have to find something to look forward to. "You have to start again. You can't always look back. It's nice to reflect and remember the good times but equally you have to remember it's a big world and there's a lot of things to do out there. "You have to have a plan because your identity has been tied to what you do for so many years and it should be an exciting time. There are so many things to go out there and get involved with." Hoy seemed to be in great spirits on the broadcast and back in May, he told Sky Sports that he has been doing well since going public with his cancer diagnosis. "I feel good, you know, I'm on constant medications, constant treatment, but it's not interfering too much with my life. And the most important thing is it's working, so I'm stable at the moment, everything's good. So making hay while the sun shines," said Hoy. "I didn't think about what the potential outcomes of going public with my diagnosis might be. But when you hear from people, when you speak to people who tell you that they have gone and had a PSA test off the back of your diagnosis. "They have gone and they've found that they had no symptoms, no problems at all, but they had a check and it turns out they've got cancer too, but they've caught it early enough to treat it and to cure it. It makes sense of the situation, it makes sense of my situation. "That lifts you up a huge amount. I can't believe the position I'm in now compared to 18 months ago. I never imagined that I'd be able to get to this point where I'm actually just living life and not just living life, but actually appreciating it more than ever. Able to enjoy the little things. "It's not just about doing bucket list stuff and doing massive things, it's just about appreciating the mundane fun of life, the mundane elements of life which can be wonderful that you don't necessarily appreciate when you're on this treadmill of next, next, next, what we're doing tomorrow? Never mind tomorrow, enjoy today!"
