Having won the battle to even walk again, this Irish cyclist finished with the leaders in Belfast on Sunday just eight weeks after a double stroke.
There are many stories of great personal achievement hidden away in almost every sportive in Ireland.
Some riders enter the challenging events having lost huge amounts of weight or having overcome serious illness or injury.
And others raise vast sums of money for their favourite charity.
But for one local man who completed Sunday’s Gran Fondo Giro d’Italia Northern Ireland had a very special reason for being delighted with his 5th place in shorter Strangford route event.
Jeremy Gardiner played a blinder in riding the event just eight weeks after suffering a stroke.
The Belfast man was struck down in April and his balance was so badly affected after the stroke he had to learn how to cycle again and even had to re-learn how to walk.
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But from his hospital bed to the elation of his personal achievement in the shorter Strangford route on Sunday, his story would be hard to top.
He suffered two strokes; at his visual cortex and at his cerebellum and said he was “elated” with completing the Gran Fondo.
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"I am just on cloud nine,” a delighted Gardiner told The Belfast Telegraph after the event.
He described his double stroke as “the most scary experience” of his life.
"I wasn't feeling too well and was deciding to go off on a run and stood up and just lost my balance,” he explained.
He was in hospital for three days after which an intense period of physical therapy was to follow so he could re-learn even the most basic of tasks.
"I loved to cycle, nothing serious just recreational and I asked about getting back onto the road and the doctors said no,” he said.
"So I started on a static bike and then around the garden before heading out on the road with friends."
Just four weeks after his debilitating episode he completed an 18 mile spin. And while that was exhausting he was encouraged to redouble his efforts towards riding on Sunday.
And having spotted last year’s winner on the start line in Belfast at the weekend, he decided to try and stick with him and amazed himself that he was able to.
He said being able to do the event was much more important than his 5th place finish, though he faces more treatment to fully overcome the effects of his stroke.
"I just decided that I didn't want this to define me. For me it’s as much mental as it is physical. I want to live life and embrace it, and this is not going to stop me."
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