West Lothian cyclist Josh Quigley has been diagnosed with arthritis at the age of 28.
Josh, known as the Tartan Explorer for his exploits on the bike, revealed the condition was found as he underwent scans and X-Rays at St John's Hospital in Livingston. This comes after he was involved in a serious crash while cycling in Dubai earlier this year.
As reported by the Daily Record, Josh spoke of his shock at the news.
He said: "Arthritis to me is something you get later in life, not at 28.
"Doctors say I have the hip of someone in their fifties or sixties.
"I wasn't expecting to ever hear this news, far less in my twenties."
Arthritis causes inflammation and pain in the body's joints, and the Livingston cyclist believes his recent crash may have accelerated the symptoms.
The crash on January 26 left him with several broken bones while two of his vertebrae were misaligned.
He's now back in Scotland but says his recovery will be a slow and steady process.
He told the Record: "The funny thing is, I'd left Scotland to train in Dubai as I thought the wintry weather was too dangerous to cycle in.
"I go to Dubai where there are perfect cycling conditions and have a freak accident.
"You couldn't make it up."
Over the years Josh has raised large sums of money for mental health charities through his efforts.
Last September he broke the world record for cycling the North Coast 500 – completing the route in 31 hours and 17 minutes. This came just a few months after he suffered life-threatening injuries after being involved in a crash while cycling across the USA.
