PIONEER MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDER TOLD HE HAD THREE WEEKS TO LIVE

On February 5 this year cousins Paul Millett and Andrew Gilboy will go from being 18,000km apart to being no more than two minutes away from each other over seven days of riding in the Pioneer Mountain Bike Stage Race from Christchurch to Queenstown, and both will defy the odds to be on the start line in a remarkable story of human endeavour.

The two are extremely close, and that’s despite living on opposite sides of the world.  Millett lives in Auckland (St Heliers), while Gilboy lives in Newbury in Great Britain. So close are the ties, Gilboy was Millett’s best man at his wedding 25 years ago.

However, in 2012, Millett very nearly lost his great mate, meaning the chance to share a little pain and suffering as they traverse the Southern Alps on mountain bikes is no bother, no bother at all.

On November 27 2012, Gilboy found out he had cancer. He had an MRI scan for a sore shoulder, only to find out he had a number of secondary tumours in the bone of his shoulder. Unfortunately, that wasn’t all. After many tests, it was discovered 53-year old Gilboy’s cancer had spread and doctors told him he had many tumours throughout his body. The diagnosis showed a rare and aggressive form of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and he was told he had, at most, three weeks to live.

Millett (50) said it was very scary times for the whole family as they first heard of Gilboy’s illness and then shared the ups and downs of treatment and recovery.

“He had tumours throughout his chest, abdomen, liver, spleen, shoulders and bone marrow and the prognosis was of a 20% chance of survival, with the median time to death just five months, even with treatment.

“After eight rounds over seven months of the most intensive chemotherapy regime in the world, over a hundred nights in hospital, three blood infusions, two operations without anaesthetic and a stem cell bone marrow transplant, Andrew finally went home.”

In late July 2013, blood test results showed that his new bone marrow was starting to function fully and the last infection was almost gone.

Incredibly, Gilboy had defied all odds, and from that point on he had a new lease on life. Millett said taking part in The Pioneer MTB Stage Race from 5-11 February in the Southern Alps was all his cousins’ idea. They spoke about the race in France in May when their families got together for a weekend.

Millett says Gilboy is mentally tough and refuses to give up. He’s hoping the two of them can enjoy the race as much as possible. 

“We are both excited and nervous and the goal is for both of us to finish in one piece,” said Millett.

Given that history, it will come as no surprise to hear that a broken wrist for Millett is no impediment to the final few weeks of training and taking part in the race itself.

“We were out riding together the other day in one of our final long rides and I lost concentration near the end, came off and suffered what I first thought was a bruise. It turns out I have a fracture but I will be fine, I am approaching my taper anyway so will take it easy and wear a brace during the race.”

They’ll be taking on the 7-Day EPIC Mountain Bike Stage Race through the pristine high country in the South Island. They’ll race or perhaps at times simply ‘ride’ for 7 days, covering 545km and climbing 15,824 metres, all with incredible views of an untouched part of New Zealand. It is as the event website says, ‘stunning’.

Long days in the saddle however are not something new to Gilboy.

“Andrew has done a number of multi-day events in Europe,” said Millett.

“He rode from London to Rome last September in three weeks, to raise money for blood cancer (raising a remarkable and award winning $51,694 through his efforts). I joined him for the last week from Turin to Rome.

“We have decided to give The Pioneer race a crack because it is a real adventure, very well organised and stunning. I like the format of riding in pairs and the opportunity to really test ourselves, surrounded by similar ‘nutters’ in a beautiful setting.”

The event is run by IRONMAN Oceania and was the idea of Managing Director Dave Beeche. Now based in Noosa, Beeche will return to oversee the event and never ceases to be inspired by riders such as Paul and Andrew.

“It is truly inspirational to be an event organiser and to see firsthand the commitment of those taking part. Often those stories are contained further down in the field, they are not about the ‘winners’ or the professionals taking part, they are stories like Paul and in particular Andrew. What he has gone through, what he has overcome and what he is doing now is just amazing, we feel honoured to have them in the field next February and long with many others, we will delight in sharing their amazing story and maybe inspiring others to take a similar approach to their own challenges.”

Gilboy and his wife Louisa arrived in New Zealand in time for New Year celebrations. While the boys will be riding, Louisa will be taking on one of her own challenges as she completes one of New Zealand’s ‘Great Walks’ before meeting the two men at the finish line.

Millett said both of their families have been very supportive in the build-up to February’s race, but admits they have also been ‘shaking their heads’ and asking ‘why on earth we’re doing it’.

For more on Andrew Gilboy’s journey up to and including his Great Race participation in Europe, visit his blog HERE