‘I cried daily for months but the bike helped me’

Homelessness, alcoholism and a nervous breakdown are just some of the challenges a Stoke-on-Trent cyclist has had to overcome.

Phil James's next challenge is to cycle the summit of Mount Snowdon four times in 24 hours, having used exercise as a form of addiction recovery over the last twelve months.

He is raising money for mental health charities Mind and M.A.T.E, and to show people experiencing a mental health crisis that there is hope.

"Hopefully I can show other people that they can get themselves out of the situation that they're in without completely relying on medication," he said.

Mr James, aged 47, from Tunstall, was diagnosed with PTSD at a young age, having become homeless at sixteen years old.

He said men’s mental health “wasn’t talked about” during that time and felt he was “carrying around” traumas that were never properly dealt with.

The charity Mind said two million people were currently on waiting lists for NHS mental health services. Mr James said he had his own two-year wait for therapy sessions.

During that time, he described his state of depression and severe addiction to alcohol as being intertwined, in a toxic combination.

"I was drinking alcohol at home alone with the curtains closed 24 hours a day, smoking 30 cigarettes a day, I'd had a breakdown, I was crying uncontrollably every day for eight months," he reflected.

Mr James has since transformed his life in the last year, but can still remember his last alcoholic drink on 24 September 2023.

"I had calluses on my hands from opening bottles of beer - screw top bottles - holding it in two hands so I didn't knock my teeth out. That's the sort of state I was in," he said.

Mr James said he detoxed alone on his sofa for two weeks, which he described as “horrific”, then started going to the gym to improve his appearance and physical well-being.

As he became fitter and stronger, his physical goals became more adventurous which led to his ambition to set a new Snowdon cycling world record.

"I have a love of Snowdon; it’s a place where you see other people who go there to clear their head," he said.

He added the changing public attitude toward men‘s mental health meant he was now willing to share his story in the hope of inspiring others.