I met Mark as an overly excitable junior member of the team at Great Ormond Street Hospital and learned from his calmness and clinical expertise. Later, as a consultant, our paths continued to cross at anaesthesia meetings, where our conversations often shifted to our shared love of cycling and skiing. We even managed a few outings together on the roads and mountains of Cape Town and Val d’Isère. Whatever he did—whether training for triathlons or leading the APAGBI—he brought skill, enthusiasm, and a wonderful sense of humour that could brighten any day.

When I heard Mark had retired and set off on the road in his custom campervan, I was surprised but delighted for him. The news that he had died suddenly from pancreatic cancer was a profound shock.

Once, when we were chatting, I mentioned I had done back-to-back cycling sportives in the Alps and Mark told me I was crazy. I took that as a compliment coming from someone who had represented Great Britain as a veteran in sprint triathlon. So, riding 400 kilometres to Plymouth over two days for the 2026 ASM of the APAGBI feels like a fitting—if rather daunting—tribute to someone so kind, knowledgeable, and full of life.