Peterborough cycling instructor bounces back from cardiac arrest to complete charity bike ride for British Heart Foundation

Children’s cycling instructor Chris from Peterborough has completed a 54-mile charity bike ride from London to Brighton; all after recovering from a cardiac arrest he suffered in 2019.

Chris completed the ride on Sunday (June 16) in support of the British Heart Foundation with his wife Jo waiting in Brighton to cheer him on.

The father of three’s cardiac arrest was a complete shock as he had no previous heart issues.

Chris was on a group bike ride on remote country lanes on the outskirts of Leicester when he went it happened. He had reached the top of a hill and then collapsed. Fortunately, fellow cyclist, Lorraine Turnell saw what had happened and started CPR. Due to the remote location of the incident, quick medical help seemed unlikely.

Fortunately, as Chris was blocking the road and cars were stopped, the two cars closest to the front of the growing queue, were an A&E doctor and a paramedic with a defibrillator.

Chris said: “They performed CPR on me for over half an hour and used the defibrillator to shock my heart back into beating. An ambulance arrived but took me to hospital where they were told to take me to another one as I was so unwell. I had a second cardiac arrest whilst in the ambulance during this transfer.

“When I arrived at Glenfield Hospital, I was rushed in for an emergency heart bypass surgery. The hospital was preparing my wife for the worst and she was signing all the papers, fully expecting to not see me again.”

Thanks to the expertise of his medical team, Chris survived and was discharged home after only a week. It transpired that he had three blocked arteries which stopped the blood flow to his heart.

Chris made his return to cycling this year by taking on the BHF’s flagship fundraising event, the London to Brighton Bike Ride.

Each year, around 13,000 riders take on the challenging 54-mile route to help raise lifesaving funds for the charity’s research into cures and new treatments for heart and circulatory conditions. It often raises around £2 million a year through fundraisers, such as Chris.

Chris added: “Before my cardiac arrest, I was cycling up to 200 miles a week but since my cardiac arrest, I’ve been unable to do as much, however, I’ve been working up my fitness so I could take on the London to Brighton Bike Ride for the British Heart Foundation and give back to the charity that funds so much lifesaving research into heart and circulatory conditions.

“I have a huge passion for cycling. After I left the army to marry my sweetheart and now wife of 31 years, I found a love for cycling after years of never touching a bike.

"I became a children’s cycling instructor which is hugely rewarding as I get to give children a life-long skill! I even taught my 18-month-old grandson how to ride his little push bike.

"I love teaching primary school aged children and showing them what fun and freedom can come with cycling. I also teach police officers and am often travelling around the country.

Roisin Atkinson, Senior Events Manager at the BHF said: “We’re so grateful to Chris for taking on this momentous challenge to help fund our lifesaving research into heart and circulatory conditions after having two cardiac arrests.

“There are around 7.6 million people in the UK currently living with heart or circulatory conditions. The money raised by our London to Brighton Bike Ride, goes into helping fund the next medical breakthroughs.

"Without supporters like Chris, we wouldn’t be able to continue funding the research which finds cures and new treatments into the world’s biggest killer. Huge congratulations to him on his finish!”