A New lease of Life for Peter Gardner
80 Miles at 80
Peter Gardner is neither a cradle cyclist nor an elite racing man, but he is a notable addition to the world of cycle sport and to the 80/80 register.
Peter only took up cycling at the age of 37 when he joined the Chester Road Club,
following in the footsteps of his two sons who were already members. Once bitten, cycling became a big part of his life, with many club runs in Cheshire and into Wales. Fitness came slowly but when it did arrive he rode weekly club time trials, followed by open events up to fifty miles. There have also been many Audaxes and mountain biking in North Wales.This included a climb of an actual mountain when he was in a small group who, one misty November day, made an ascent of Snowdon by the Rhyd Ddu bridle path, quite possibly the first time this had been done.
However, perhaps the most striking feature of Peter’s cycling story is that he was
diagnosed with with acute myeloid leukaemia in 2015. This is a severe form of cancer with a five tear survival rate (for the over sixties) as low as 10 – 20%. He received a bone marrow transplant which has been spectacularly successful, enabling him to do this 80/80 ride eleven years after his diagnosis.
