Sarah BrealeyPeter Aindow had not ridden a bike for 30 years, but a near-death experience is one way of changing your perspective.And remarkably, after coming close to death twice when his heart stopped, on Sunday he is cycling 100 miles to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.Sarah Brealey

Peter Aindow had not ridden a bike for 30 years, but a near-death experience is one way of changing your perspective.

And remarkably, after coming close to death twice when his heart stopped, on Sunday he is cycling 100 miles to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.

It is a cause close to his heart after he discovered he had Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which causes heart irregularity. It is rare for it to be fatal - but in Mr Aindow's case it very nearly was.

He was at home in August 2008 when he suffered severe palpitations and felt tired and faint. His wife Linda, who works as a medical PA in the Cotman Centre at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, called an ambulance. 'The paramedic was asking me questions and the next minute I was on the floor and he was shouting at me and banging on my chest with the defibrillator,

The 49-year-old, who works for the courts service in Norwich, is also the guitarist with local band the Cleaving Heevages. Last year the EDP reported that the band held a fundraising concert in aid of the Norfolk Heart Trust. The concert raised �1300 and inspired his friend John Green to do the sponsored bike ride last year. So Mr Aindow promised that if his friend managed it, he would do it with him this year, and for the last six months he has been training for the event - his first time on a bike after a 30-year break. He has worked up to 50 miles in training, and hopes he is ready for the event.

He said: 'I had the thumbs-up from my consultant, who said that because it was an electrical problem rather than a plumbing problem it should be fine. I just have to take it easy.'

He will be one of hundreds doing a circular route in the annual bike ride on Sunday, which starts and ends in the city centre and also has a shorter 50-mile course. He is hoping to raise �500.

Mr Aindow, who lives in Little Dunham, near Swaffham, 'I didn't realise anything was wrong until I had a heart attack. If the paramedic had been a few minutes later, that would have been it. Thinking about it after the event, you realise you are not immortal.'

You can sponsor Mr Aindow www.justgiving.com/peteraindow.