A Beckenham dad has spoken about his battle with leukaemia ahead of a 940km bike ride to support young people recovering from cancer.

Mark Stevens was just 21 when the diagnosis cast his whole life in doubt during his third year of a biology degree at the University of Bath.

Now 32, Mark is preparing for a cycle from Largs on Scotland’s west coast to Cowes on the Isle of Wight on behalf of the Ellen Macarthur Cancer Trust.

"It was extraordinarily difficult," Mark told News Shopper about his two-and-a-half years of treatment.

"You are worrying for your life and the day-to-day horror of having to go through an extremely gruelling treatment.

"Then you have the wider psychological impacts of periodical depression and having your life turned upside down at an age where you are trying to become an adult and make your way in the world."

Mark praised the acute healthcare for cancer patients in the UK but said there was a lack of support for people post-treatment.

He described being plagued with uncertainty on whether he had the confidence to ever return to uni.

"It is difficult to navigate once you are thrown into the world again," he said.

"Simple things like your friends and peers who have moved on and are not there when you return. That’s difficult. You also become slightly institutionalised with routine hospital trips and then suddenly you are back to normal life."

Mark summoned the confidence to return to his studies before his chemotherapy was even finished.

A lot of this was thanks to Ellen Macarthur Cancer Trust, a charity helping young people rebuild their lives after cancer.

It takes youngsters between eight and 24 on sailing trips to get their minds re-engaged.

Mark has stayed close with the charity ever since his first sailing trip and he is now a board member.

He said the bike ride, involving 12 riders, was an opportunity for him to give back.

"I’ve never actually raised money for them before," Mark said. "It sounds obvious, but I understand how important fundraising is for a charity like this.

"Without these events those funds can’t be raised.

"I’m just a small part in a big thing. Aftercare services are not great and without the likes of Ellen Macarthur Cancer Trust those support networks are not on offer to young people."

The daunting bike ride is on May 4 and finishes on May 12 and Mark admitted that preparation could be going better.

"It’s unlike anything I’ve undertaken," Mark laughed. "I’ve got a new family and have a one-year-old boy and a full-time job. Juggling those and trying to get miles in on the bike is proving very challenging.

"It will only service to make the event even harder. I'm cautious, anxious and excited."

Mark is a Brexit project manager at JP Morgan and has lived in Beckenham for five years.