Meet the man completing 375-mile cycling challenge - despite having to be fed by a tube

Gary Taylor is one of 47,000 people in the UK fed by tube into his stomach. Catherine Scott reports.
Gary TaylorGary Taylor
Gary Taylor

Gary Taylor is leading a national awareness week campaign for a charity that supports people who rely on artificial nutrition through tube feeding by doing a bespoke home-based cycling challenge designed for the coronavirus era.

The 48-year-old from Greetland, Halifax, has relied on artificial nutrition since he had an operation to remove a benign tumour from his neck in 2016. He is doing a 375-mile off-road cycling challenge using Zwift bike technology in his own home. He aims to complete the challenge over five and half days, cycling from 9am to 4.30pm. The charity – PINNT – was set up to support patients like Gary who need artificial nutrition.

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“I was always planning to do an on-road bike challenge to raise awareness of PINNT during this week but my plans were completely derailed by the coronavirus outbreak,” says Gary. “This is a real challenge for me as I am not a natural cyclist and for such a long challenge I need to think really carefully about my artificial nutrition and make sure that I am properly fuelled. I’ve previously run a marathon to raise awareness of tube feeding and that was more within my comfort zone than this, so I’m a bit nervous but proud to take on the challenge!”

Gary was diagnosed after finding a lump in his neck and had a complicated head and neck operation to remove the tumour. He has had more procedures during his recovery to move his vocal cords to restore his voice but still struggles to speak due to paralysis in his tongue. As well as having completed the London Marathon, Gary has also completed the Yorkshire Marathon, the Yorkshire Three Peaks and The Great North Run all while managing his nutrition on the go.

“It is a real privilege to be a PINNT ambassador and to raise awareness in this way. Without PINNT, people like me would not get the support we need to help us go on to achieve our own goals. PINNT gives you the opportunity to meet other people who are tube fed and share worries and fears and hopes and dreams with them.”

Gary receives ‘enteral nutrition’ in liquid form through a catheter which is inserted directly into his gastrointestinal tract. It is estimated that around 47,000 people in the UK are dependent on enteral nutrition at home, while around 2,500 rely on parenteral nutrition (where nutrients are delivered directly into the bloodstream) at home.

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