Sir Chris Hoy helps Santa - and Evans Cycles - in Christmas ad campaign

Sir Chris Hoy is giving Santa a bit of seasonal help as Evans Cycles launches its Christmas advertising campaign alongside a competition with prizes worth more than £3,600 to be won.

Britain’s most successful Olympian, whose Hoy Bikes range is sold exclusively through the retailer’s stores, appears in the ad wearing reindeer slippers and a Christmas jumper as he finishes wrapping presents – and it’s hard to disguise the fact that one of them is a bike.

The release of the advert coincides with Evans Cycles launching a competition in which its followers on social media are asked to submit letters or pictures with the hashtag #FATHERCHRIS.

Among the prizes for the “best, most charming letters” are a child’s Hoy bike of the winner’s choice, plus for adults, they include are Garmin Edge 1000 units, GoPro cameras.

More information about the competition, including terms and conditions and how to enter, can be found on the Evans Cycles website.

According to trade website BikeBiz, the advert heralds a broader campaign focused on children ahead of Christmas under the strapline, ‘Real Bikes For Real Riders.’

The company’s marketing manager, Gareth Evans, said: “Everyone remembers their first bike, so it’s pretty important to make that memory a good one.

"Our Christmas campaign is all about kid’s on ‘proper’ bikes in ‘real riding’ grown-up situations on bikes that really enable them to get the most joy from their riding.

“Evans Cycles is the number one place to go for children’s bikes this Christmas, with a great range of top-quality kid’s bikes from the likes of HOY, Pinnacle, Specialized, Early Rider and Norco,” he added.