For Cambridge cyclist Derek Gallacher, crossing the finish line this season meant far more than race results. Just months after undergoing gruelling chemotherapy and radiotherapy for head and neck cancer — and while still receiving treatment for lymphoma — the 56-year-old achieved some of the best cyclocross performances of his life.
The Cambridge rider secured three top-10 finishes during the 2025/26 Eastern Cyclocross season and finished 15th overall out of 86 competitors, an achievement that would have seemed impossible only a year earlier.
Derek, who has lived in Cambridge for many years, is well known in local cycling circles. A lifelong sports enthusiast, he previously enjoyed windsurfing and kitesurfing before turning his focus to competitive cycling.
But in late 2023, his life changed dramatically when he discovered a lump in his neck. Following hospital investigations, Derek was diagnosed in January 2024 with tonsil cancer that had spread to lymph nodes, alongside a separate thyroid cancer diagnosis.
“When the consultant told me I had thyroid and subsequently tonsil cancer, I asked him to double-check he had the right person,” Derek recalled. “I left feeling shell-shocked.”
What followed was a difficult and fast-moving period involving biopsies, surgery delays and a severe infection that left him hospitalised.
His neck became dangerously swollen after a biopsy-related complication caused cellulitis and internal bleeding. At one point, the swelling became so severe it nearly blocked his airway.
“It took four days to find the right antibiotics,” Derek said. “Eventually they worked, but my surgery had to be delayed for a month so I could recover.”
After surgery, Derek underwent six weeks of chemotherapy and 30 sessions of radiotherapy. The treatment took a heavy physical toll, causing him to lose almost 10kg and requiring feeding through a stomach tube.
For a man used to endurance sport and intense training, the experience was devastating.
“There were dark times when I wondered if I’d even ride a bike again, let alone competitively,” he admitted.
But only a month after completing treatment, Derek made a decision that surprised even him. He set himself a challenge: to become physically stronger, fitter and faster after cancer than he had been before.
With support from the Exercise Medicine team at GenesisCare Cambridge, Derek began carefully rebuilding his strength and conditioning through a tailored recovery programme.
By September 2024 — just three months after finishing chemoradiotherapy — he lined up for the opening cyclocross race of the season.
Against all expectations, he finished 17th out of 91 riders.
“From my first race, I was competitive,” Derek said. “As this was the same year I finished treatment, it was staggering.”
As a committed cyclist, Derek closely tracks his performance metrics, including power output, speed and strength training data. To his astonishment, every measure improved beyond his pre-cancer levels.
“Every metric — whether a one rep max weight, speed, power-to-weight, or maximal watts — improved compared to before cancer, without exception,” he said.
Derek’s initial treatment had been through the NHS, but he later transferred some care to GenesisCare Cambridge using private health insurance provided by his employer, allowing him to receive treatment closer to home.
Just as life began returning to normal, another setback arrived.
In late 2025, a routine scan revealed a third cancer diagnosis: low-grade non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Despite the blow, Derek remained determined not to lose momentum. He underwent further thyroid surgery, radioiodine treatment and monoclonal antibody therapy while continuing to train and race.
Throughout the 2025/26 cyclocross season, he achieved three top-10 finishes and placed 15th overall — one of the strongest performances of his racing career.
Friends and fellow riders within Cambridge’s cycling community have watched his comeback with admiration.
Yet Derek says cancer has fundamentally changed his priorities.
“When you’ve faced life-or-death situations, everything else feels so much less significant,” he said.
He now focuses more on spending time with his wife and twins, maintaining a healthier work-life balance and enjoying each day.
Alongside cycling and strength training, he has even taken up running and plans to compete in a forthcoming half marathon — something he once never imagined doing.
Despite everything he has faced, Derek is already preparing for the 2026/27 cyclocross season, which begins later this year.
“I don’t let cancer dominate my life,” he said. “I stay focused on what I can control — my mindset, my fitness and how I live each day. Life is good.”
