FIFTEEN years ago Simon Gueller experienced a life changing situation. Being told he may not walk, let alone work again, was a devastating prospect that thankfully, the Michelin-starred chef had never had to face before.

Following extensive surgery to remove a benign tumour from his spine, and a lengthy period of rehabilitation he was on the road to recovery - literally.

Cycling gave him another focus for the drive and determination which earned him the accreditation and the renowned reputation of his business, the Box Tree restaurant in Ilkley.

Simon is still involved with the business but the driving force is his wife Rena. "My wife, throughout all of this, she has been an absolute rock," he says.

As he recalls the experience, it is hard to comprehend how swiftly Simon was forced into such life-changing circumstances.

Initially he put the back pain he had been suffering down to heavy lifting. He also had pins and needles in his legs. He saw his doctor, took painkillers and went to see a chiropractor.

"I just presumed it was something like normal back ache. I was in the kitchen all the time, picking up heavy stuff," he says.

Simon's concerns developed when he began with numb patches in his leg. Within five weeks of the onset of symptoms, he was rushed to hospital in severe pain.

"It got to the point where I couldn't stand on my left leg," he says.

Despite his deteriorating health, he recalls propelling himself around the kitchen on an office chair. A subsequent MRI scan revealed something on his spine which needed further investigation. "That was the really traumatic bit," he recalls.

An appointment was booked with a neurosurgeon who scheduled Simon in for an operation, but days before he was due to have his surgery he was rushed into hospital.

"My leg started to lock up and I couldn't straighten it. The pain was excruciating. I was biting on a wooden spoon," he says.

An emergency doctor was called and an ambulance summoned. Arriving at St James's Hospital in Leeds on a blue light is the last Simon remembers.

Following his operation to remove what he describes as a benign growth which had encapsulated his spinal chord, Simon recalls he had no pain but felt numbness in his leg. For a while after his operation he struggled with his balance but it was all part of the recovery process.

"When it happened I was totally broken, it was life-changing. I have always been fit and quite strong and very active and it started me thinking I would never be able to play football again, never be able to run again. I may be on walking sticks for the rest of my life," he says.

"After the operation they said there was enough nerve left for me to start to get more feeling back in my leg but they didn't know how long it would take."

His recovery was a testing time. He was on medication and put on weight. "I'd gone from being 12 and a half stone to just under 16 stone and you get depressed," recalls Simon.

It was four years into his recovery that Simon felt confident enough with his balance and co-ordination to get on a bike.

"I have always been a really driven person. As a chef I was driven. This made me realise that life is not all about being in the kitchen," he says.

The freedom mountain biking gave him spurred him on. "Like Forrest Gump, I got on my bike and kept going - and I am still going!" laughs Simon, who has since switched to road cycling.

"I did mountain biking for two years and lost a lot of weight and I progressed from the ranks of being one of the slowest guys in the group to one of the quickest!"

Being challenged to take on the Fred Whitton Sportif, a gruelling 116-mile ride over the Lakeland Passes ignited Simon's passion for competing.

"I was elated to do it and wanted to do more and more," he says.

As well as competing in races across the UK and Europe, Simon is also turning his new-found pedal power into pounds by joining former England international footballer and leukaemia survivor, Geoff Thomas, on his Le Tour - One Day Ahead challenge from July 3 to 25.

"I read Geoff's book soon after I began cycling and remember feeling both inspired and also envious that he had the opportunity to ride in the most famous cycling race in the world. It's surreal that I will be joining him to do just that this year," says Simon.

“I’m training really hard for the challenge, but thinking about the great work delivered by Cure Leukaemia, is great motivation. It’s incredible to think that the fundraising money we achieve might actually lead to a cure for the disease. I have devoted a large amount of my time to cycling over the last few years, so it is great that it is now going to such a worthwhile cause.”

The 2015 Tour de France marks the tenth anniversary of former England and Crystal Palace footballer Geoff Thomas first completing the Tour de France route in 2005, which he achieved despite only having gone into remission from leukaemia six months previously. Geoff, and a team of 20 other cyclists, will again take to the same roads as the professionals, just one day ahead, in a bid to raise £1 million for Cure Leukaemia.

Says Geoff: “I’m delighted that Simon has committed to cycling Le Tour – One Day Ahead with me. It’s going to be a tough challenge, but having such dedicated and confident riders alongside will help all of us achieve our goal – not just to complete the ride but to raise £1 million for Cure Leukaemia.”

In 2003 Geoff Thomas was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia and was given less than three months to live. Following treatment from Cure Leukaemia Co-founder Professor Charlie Craddock, including a bone marrow transplant from his sister, Geoff has been in remission since January 2005.

* Visit Simon’s fundraising page at uk.virginmoneygiving.com/simongueller

To register for Le Tour – One Day Ahead, or to find out more, visit beforethetour.com