Moray Cycle Champ Eyes Brit Crown

A Forres cycling champion is launching a fundraising campaign to compete for the British title.

Callum Finlayson battled a rare illness to win the Scottish 100 mile competition.

Now he's appealing for support to help him race for the UK time trial crown.

In 2010, he suffered a stroke caused by a rare condition called neurosarcoidosis and was told he would never ride his bike again.

Since then he's been working to set up a charity to help people with the same condition.

The 41 year old is raising funds to take part in the UK 100 mile time trial championship next July.

Callum said: “I won this year’s race on a bike which was all put together from second hand equipment. I got the frame off eBay, someone lent me handle bars.

"I can use that bike again if I have to, but I know I can do so much better if I have a new bike.

"All of the pieces of kit I need come from different manufactures. I need the frame, handle bars, gears, wheels for example.”

Callum ballooned to over 21 stone after his stroke and was left devastated when he was told by a consultant he would never ride his bike again.

“I couldn’t believe it: I didn’t want to believe it.

"I was told I wouldn’t be back to ‘normal’ for about three years and that I couldn’t go anywhere on my own.

"I turned to the internet and did some research and got a second opinion and he backed me and said I had a better chance of beating this, if I got fit, so I took a chance and went back on my bike.

"Initially I had to have someone cycle with me as I was not allowed out alone.

"The hardest thing was putting my cycling gear on due to my size. Once I actually broke a rib putting a shoe on.”

And the chance paid off and now he is determined to help others.

“There is not a lot of information out there about neuroscarcoidosis apart from gloom and doom.

"Stephanie had to stop me from looking on the internet as she found me crying at what I had read.

"There is no help group for people who have the condition or their families, so as well as winning the race in record time, I am also setting up the charity PedalStrokes for Scarcoidosis.

"I know I can be a good mentor for people and I can inspire people who have been through the same or similar.

"The charity will be aimed at those who have what I have, have suffered a stroke or have epilepsy, but I also want to helped those who have served in the armed forces.

"Nobody should have to go through what my family and I did alone, so as well as knocking the record out of the park, I plan to dedicate myself to helping others.”

To help Callum visit www.callumfinlayson.co.uk.