Oh no! I just can’t get my head around this terrible news. I remember reading Mark’s first post about his illness all those years ago & following his battle with **** cancer. If anyone could have pulled through I believed that it would have been Mark, his positive outlook, despite going through what he was going through, was inspiring.

R.I.P.

What shitty, shitty news. Never met him but followed his story from the beginning, awaiting each new post with a mix of trepidation and hope. Thoughts with his family, and hopefully they can take some small consolation from the fact that Mark was such a huge inspiration to everyone here and no doubt to many in the wider world.

RIP

Aw bollocks. I never met the guy but followed his story on here over the years and this has brought tears to my eyes. I always thought that **** was indestructible. What an absolute tragedy. RIP, sir.

Bollocks.

One of the best of us.
Tbh, I’d started to assume he was immortal.

Rest in peace Mark.

Oh bugger. RIP Mark.

Shit. Properly inspirational bloke, sincere condolences to the family and friends. I’m there if they need anything.

RIP bullheart.

Sad news. RIP Bullheart. Inspirational posts on here.

RIP Mark, like most of you here I never had the pleasure but he was one tough mofo and an utter inspiration. STW has lost a legend.

Bollocks. RIP Mark, you went down fighting.

Very sad news – totally inspirational. Thoughts with friends and family 🙁 RIP

RIP Mark, keep on smiling where ever you maybe

Aw, proper shit news.

Rode with him briefly at the Lakes SSUK a couple of years back – RIP Mark

I never knew Mark, but I was inspired and humbled by his posts on here. A remarkable man, a true fighter and the world will be a lesser place without him. Deepest condolences and love to all his family and friends. Rest In Peace Bullheart

Can’t think of anything to say other than agree with everything said so far. Never met him, but had complete respect for his outlook and posts on here
Condolences and best wishes to his family

Thoughts to his friends and family.

RIP, thoughts to his family & friends 🙁

Oh bugger, only just seen this. An inspirational guy.

Thoughts to all who loved him.

RIP Bullheart. A real hero and inspiration.

Sad news and condolences to all who knew him

I am truly gutted I coached bullheart years ago and will never ever forget him carrying his bike uphill when he was too tired to pedal it so as to not do it a disservice. Troutie sent me some lights that are still as good today as the day he sent them years ago, he never made it down for the coaching session I promised. Shit shit shit news. Ride on brothers!

Sh*t news

The posts of Mark, whilst in one way horrific, were also fantastically written, enlightening and above all incredibly moving.
I’d always hoped that he’d win out (perhaps he did by getting so many years more than his original diagnosis) but his most recent posts started to share the inevabilty of the situation

RIP Mark

RIP chap and thoughts for your family.

That’s properly shite.

Never met the chap but he just seemed to be an absolute legend.

His legacy already has been the posts and mentions of meeting him here…I was chatting to one of his mates jay and we’ve chatted about planning a ride to raise some money for his cancer charity…I’ll share it here when That comes good

Just been re-reading Bullheart’s most recent update and through the tears it includes this in response to being called a role model. So if/when people start to come to terms with it all, you might consider sending your experiences to

Yourdadwasthebullheart[at]gmail[dot]com

“That’s very kind fella; I’m not too sure why, but I’ll take it. In fact, if you’re happy to tell me kids this directly, we set up and email address some time ago – the hope was that folk could be as honest and truthful about their experiences with/of/about me – I very much want the process to be honest about me, including negative experiences. My kids need to know he EXACTLY what their father was like, not just some halcyon post – death lyrical love-in.

It can be anonymous,and cannot be edited by me – I don’t even have access to the archive anymore. The only person I trusted who would complete this without prejudice is my old tutor/colleague from the IOE, and the complete owner rights to the email are hers (this is legally confirmed).

So please do feel free to comment in some way about if there has been anything I’ve influenced, as it will hopefully one day will help my two amazing girls understand who their dad really was…”

Just seen the news about Troutie, and now this. 🙁

He was an inspiration.

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Sums up Mark precisely. RIP.

Crap. Truly inspirational bloke.

We had the great pleasure of drinking beer and talking shite with him at the singlespeed champs………I was so glad to finally meet him. He was ever aware of his own mortality, but it is still devastating to hear he has gone.

HE WILL BE SO PISSED OFF.
I’M PISSED OFF.
……….and very very sad.
RIP Bullheart x

Never met him, but he was incredibly strong, and a huge inspiration.

RIP fella.

RIP Mark, thoughts and condolences to his family and friends.

I never knew Mark, but I was inspired and humbled by his posts on here

As as so many have said, this sums up my thoughts. Nice he found the time to post his journey, an inspiration to all of us.

Rest Well.

🙁

RIP Bullheart. You are an inspiration.

RIP indeed. A man whose story is not unique in this life yet someone who inspired others by his honesty and attitude to taking it on. A number of great and moving threads on this very forum. Never met him, but he will be missed.

🙁

I’ve followed Mark’s battle since that first thread.

Anyone who’s done the reading knows that his prognosis of foreshortened life was a virtual certainty, but instead of descending into himself and becoming a supplicant to his condition, he accepted the endless rounds of chemo with stoicism and dignity and embraced his life and opportunities with even more vigour and bullishness – appropriate given his bovine implant.

For this, I found him – a man I have never met – someone to admire. Mark inspired me to be braver in my own life in many small ways and I hope that by influencing the life of a stranger, something of his spirit, no matter how small, will endure by what I do, and what I learned from him.

Those who know me well know that I don’t believe there is an after-life, but I wish there is, because I will shake his hand and thank him for making me a better man by his example.

I’m off for a little weep now.

Top bloke, met him with elfinsafety in the smoke a fee years ago.

RIP

Met him at one of Phil’s Swinley sexyparties many years ago, we went off and got lost at the end to cram in a few more miles of singletrack, seems almost an appropriate metaphor!

Met him again at SSUK’17, he was so matter of fact when I asked how he was doing that I had to question him again what he meant! Still as determined as ever to get as much riding done as possible.

He crammed so much into the last decade, amazing bloke.

That is awful news. Thoughts are with his family.

Met him once when I rode a morning of his John O’Groats – Lands End ride with him and his friends. He still raced up the hills and made some very funny jokes about his cancer.

RIP to one of the good ones.