He wasn't out of breath, his legs didn't hurt and he was not in any pain.

"It was just as though someone had flicked a switch off or turned off the petrol. I could only just manage to turn the pedals to get back to the finish line," says James.

Over the next few months James, 45, from Forest Lane, Alne, York, looked at every aspect of his training regime, including his diet, to try to find why this had happened.

"I was sure that once I had identified the problem I could deal with it and get back to competition," he says.

But he had more and more of these episodes while cycling with the Knaresborough Cycling Club and then noticed that the heart rate monitor he always wore was off the scale. He also started noticing a bumping sensation in his chest when he was resting.

"My GP couldn't detect anything wrong other than an occasional extra beat, which isn't unusual and twice when I abandoned races and went to the local hospital, my ECG showed a normal heart rate. A heart specialist told me the extra beat was very common in athletes and that I was very fit and could resume training and racing as hard as I liked."

But James' performances continued to worsen.

"My times were abysmal or I abandoned the race before halfway.

"Sometimes I was having to get off my bike as my eyesight was affected."

Soon he was getting near blackouts, so was referred to a heart specialist at the Nuffield Hospital in York who asked him to wear a 24-hour heart monitor.

"Immediately after I returned the tape he called me to say I needed to be in hospital," he said. "They were sending an ambulance to get me and I was not to drive under any circumstances."

After more tests there he was put on beta blocker drugs but still had no firm diagnosis. So he was referred to Leeds for more complex tests.

It was there he was diagnosed with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, a condition that can cause heart cells to die and be replaced by fatty and scar tissue. This in turn affects electrical impulses in the heart and can cause an irregular heart beat.

James, who is married to Debbie and has three sons, has not been able to cycle competitively since but still goes out on his bike for leisure, helps out at local races with time-keeping and marshalling and also enjoys non-intensive swimming, canoeing, windsurfing and ski-ing.

Managing director of plastics recycling and recycled polythene bag specialist, Cromwell Polythene, James is speaking out in Cardiomyopathy Week (September 20 – 26) to raise awareness of the condition and the work of the Cardiomyopathy Association, a charity that supports sufferers.

"It's very important to me that more people are aware of cardiomyopathy, its symptoms and its implications. That's why I am trying to raise awareness.

"Cardiomyopathy is not rare and is the biggest medical cause of sudden death in the under-35s. But nowadays there are very good treatments for it. With proper care most sufferers can go on to lead a long and full life. The condition is often inherited. So if someone in the family has it, it is important that close family members have heart checks so they can be diagnosed early.

"My sons, Angus,19, Alexander,18, and Henry,16, and other close relatives are all receiving regular heart checks which so far show they are unaffected."

James is a member of the Cardiomyopathy Association, which provides information and support to affected families, helps educate medical staff and campaigns for more heart checks and genetic testing for affected families to find those at risk and save lives. It also funds cardiomyopathy nurse specialists at hospitals around the UK.

For more information about cardiomyopathy, contact the Cardiomyopathy Association on freephone 0800 0181 024 or see the website www. cardiomyopathy.org


What is the condition?

Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle. It is a condition where the muscle of the heart is abnormal without there being an obvious cause.

There are three main types of it – hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.

Cardiomyopathy affects at least one in every 500 people.

Changes in the structure of the heart muscle may lead to problems with the pumping action of the heart, which can sometimes lead to heart failure.

Cardiomyopathy may also disrupt the normal electrical pathway in the heart, increasing the risk of abnormal heart rhythms and palpitations.

Many people with cardiomyopathy are able to continue with their normal life. However, some people will experience symptoms and may be at risk of complications. These will vary greatly between each person.

It is important therefore to be seen by a cardiologist who will assess each individual case and prescribe treatment if necessary.

Treatment may include medication, implanted pacemakers, defibrillators, or ventricular assist devices to relieve the symptoms.