'The results are back already?'

'There is a problem, but I don't really want to tell you over the phone.
Could you come into the surgery at 6pm?'

No, I could not. Not now.

'Tell me now. Whatever it is, I can take it. Just tell me. I need to know.'

And, in the time it takes to read this sentence, came the bombshell.

'Mr Thomas, we think you might have leukaemia.'

Geoff Thomas had only recently retired from a successful playing career when he was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia in May 2003. He was given a 30 per cent chance of living, but his sister Kay's bone marrow proved a perfect match and the former Crystal Palace and England midfielder, who made more than 550 league appearances for seven different clubs, began his remarkable journey back to life.

He captained Palace to the FA Cup Final in 1990 and was never on the losing side in nine appearances for his country, but that has since faded into the background.

Just six months after he being told he was in remission, Geoff Thomas announced plans to ride the Tour de France route in the same 21 day timeframe as the professionals.

'Normally, Geoff, at this stage of their recovery, people ask me if they can go swimming,' was the response of the doctor in charge of his recovery.He had not ridden a bike since he was a teenager, but he trained for six months solid to prepare for the arduous climbs of the Galibier, the Telegraph and the Madelaine.

On some days he could barely turn the pedals as his five man team made their way through three weeks of torture in the Alps and the Pyrenees, taking in the Tour's legendary ski summit climbs, to raise money for Leukaemia Research.

His book, Riding Through the Storm, was published in hardback last summer and the paperback will be released in June 2008.

 

 

"Geoff was fantastic, the evening was a huge success. He is such a lovely guy and a very inspirational speaker. ....if you get the chance to meet him he is a one in a million guy" - George Green School