Inverness man Doug Booth is proving that major heart surgery has not put an end to living life to the full.
After having a quintuple heart bypass in 2018, he will be returning to the gruelling Etape Loch Ness in April for the second time since the operation.
The event is one of Scotland’s few closed roads sportives and takes in 66 miles of the stunning 360⁰ Loch Ness route. It also features a timed ‘King of the Mountain’ stage, with a 4.8-mile climb gaining 380m in height with a gradient reaching 12% at times.
He explained: “Having my heart attack and operation has made me determined to set myself goals to prove that I can still do things.
“Suffering from a heart attack came as a real shock to me as I was fit and healthy right until it happened, but they run in my family so in my case it was hereditary.
“I believe there is no point moping around about things like this and you have to keep going.”
Doug, who works offshore, bought his first road bike five months before the 2019 event and successfully completed the course.
His chosen charity, The British Heart Foundation, means a lot to him not only because the illness runs in his family, but also due to the loss of a close friend.
Doug, 50, is a member of the Moray Firth Cycling Club and completes 45-50-mile cycles with the group on a regular basis.
He added: “Having my heart attack was a real shock and gives me the motivation to get out on my bike.”
