Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

My name is Gary Brennan. I took up cycling in the summer of 2008. At that point in my life I was having an epiphany – six months before I was weighing in at 39 stone and had been approved for a gastric bypass. I had Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and sleep apnea, and I was hurtling towards a very, very early grave. At the age of just 27 my life was teetering on a knife edge in so many ways.

Being married and a father of two, I knew I had to change; I had to stand up and be counted. So I purchased a bike with the view of making myself stronger for the operation. But it never happened, as six months later the operation was cancelled. I had lost too much weight to qualify, so now I was in this for the long haul and I was in it alone –  no pills, no operations, just blood, sweat and gears. :D

http://theamazing39stonecyclist.wordpress.com/about/

Last year I rode this event in five hours and eleven minutes. I was around  25/26 stone at the time and it was hard REAL HARD. I'm now down to around 20 stone and hoping to be 19 by July. I have got my life back by losing over 20 stone, and I have made sure that my kids will have a dad for years to come, and my wife a fit, healthy husband.

At the time of writing I have cycled over 8,000 miles. I ride around twenty-five to thirty miles a day to work (going the long way round!) and have my zest for life back. I have got a second chance, and I decided to ride this event again and attempt to raise more than the £670 I raised in 2009. I am doing this in memory of those I have lost to cancer and to give someone else a second chance at life – in the same way I was lucky enough to be able to fight for a second chance.

PLEASE PLEASE dig deep, show your support, and ALWAYS LIVESTRONG!

Gaz