Juan Dual is saved in my phone as ‘Empty Juan’ ever since we first met in the Barcelona office of our Spanish distributor, also called Juan. Playing on the semi-English sounding words Dual joked.
“Yes, this Juan is a Full Juan! Whereas I am the empty Juan. That's how you know the difference between us”
Dual’s not wrong about being empty inside. Over the year’s he’s been through some trauma having had his Stomach, colon, rectum and gallbladder removed. Yet he’s the most incredible endurance athlete. He’s rightly earned the right to joke about being ‘Empty inside’.
Juan’s Journey started age 13 when he was diagnosed with a hereditary condition called Familia Multiple polyposis. A condition that gave him a 99.8% chance of developing cancer in his digestive system. Throughout the past 27 years he’s been through multiple surgeries. Starting at just the age of 19 having his Colon and Rectum removed. Then again going through a surgery aged 28 to have his stomach removed. A surgery that almost cost him his life.
“After this surgery I had to learn a lot. I lost 50% of my body mass incredibly quickly and was completely without any strength. I had to learn what I could and couldn’t eat. It would start with very basic foods. I can digest food, but I don’t conserve much energy from it. So, I learned that I must constantly eat all day. It’s very complicated but I have learned to live with it.”
After recovering from his surgeries and learning to live his life again, Juan found himself working in the Yorkshire dales for a local Brewery. Living in a quiet country town with little to do Juan developed a love for running in the hills. Much to the amazement of the local running community. Here’s a guy who’s a medical miracle to even be alive yet has the stamina and energy to push himself to exercise and be physically fit.
Juan’s passion for running comes with a need to focus on his diet and nutrition, which is challenging.
“I don’t feel hunger…. Ever” Juan jokes.
It’s a strange thing to hear, but it makes sense. He’s missing the biological signals required to tell him he’s hungry. He’s had to train himself to graze regularly to avoid serious malnutrition or energy lows. Having a lack of stomach also has other quirks. Have you ever seen someone belly laugh without a ‘belly?’. It’s incredible to witness, and torture for poor Juan who had to leave our group at dinner to catch his breath during a particularly comical moment. Juan has a very kind and gently approach but with a wicked sense of humour. Maybe that’s something he’s developed to get himself through such trauma in his life, or maybe it was there all along.
Being so close to death so many times (Three for those counting!) he has a true passion for life. He takes joy in inspiring others to live their life to the fullest and beyond the screens of phones and laptops. His main channel of communication is his Instagram profile where he shares daily videos to inspires others.
“I am literally half the man you are, and if I can do it so can you” It’s difficult to argue with. When you see the love and passion, he has for doing things it makes you remember what’s important in life.
We started to support Juan with a Vielo V+1 gravel bike frame in 2022 that he’s been using for ultra cycling events. He’s not new to cycling, having cycled down the whole of south America in his 20’s. He’s competed in many events such as Spain's Kilometre Zero self supported ultra event. He’s also been using his Vielo V+1 to commute to ultra running events. Sometimes bike packing his way to the event then still managing to have the energy to compete in a mountainous ultra running race. He’s incredibly conscious of his carbon footprint and looking after the planet. Even if it means burning a few extra calories himself to do so.
I had the pleasure of Cycling with Juan in Valencia in 2023, alongside Marcos from the Outcast cycling Facebook group. Juans body is conditioned to run at one speed, and he can do so all day. Where I had peaks of power or speed, he continues to chug steady, tapping on the pedals lightly. You can see why he’s so consistent on Ultra cycling and running events. He has the mental stability and control to keep to a rhythm and not vary it. That kind of mental strength and determination is something he’s learned through some incredibly tough times. It’s also a strength he’s needed in more recent months.
The horrendous flooding in Valencia in October 2024 was shocking to witness from the UK. For Juan this was happening in and around his hometown.
“It was like a Godzilla movie, but without the monster. The destruction was horrendous.”
For someone with such serious health problems the sewage from the flooding and flood water poses a genuine threat to his life. He would be fully within his rights to have stayed home to stay safe, but that’s not Juan’s mindset. Instead on day one he joined the emergency humanitarian efforts to help those who had been devastated by the floods.
“The flooding happened 4km from the city centre where I lived. I saw my friends and their families have lives devastated by 2 meter high floodwater in their homes and shops. I couldn’t stay home and not help, its not in my nature”
For context the area affected has a similar population to Newcastle, where Vielo is based. Roads were covered in bacteria filled brown sludge, blocked with cars stacked 2 or 3 high and filled with debris.
“I don’t know how to say it politely, but it looked like a war zone. When we arrived on day one to help everyone just broke down and cried instantly. The devastation was horrendous. I was a little stronger mentally and able to cope, but even I was crying. Tears just running down your face because you don’t know how to process what’s in front of you” Juan explains.
(Credit: https://www.instagram.com/generandoimagen/)
With no roads passable, the heavy machinery and support was slow to reach the centre of the devastation. Juan and others realised they could still cycle and make it to people that needed help. On the first day the police were not interested in the help of others. By day two they realised they were an asset and asked for support.
“I’m not physically strong, so I couldn’t help move the mud or lift debris. But I’m fast on my bike and I can get to people and places the cars couldn’t. I went to the area where aid was being distributed from and I offered to help. I had my waterproof backpack, my bike and I knew I could go anywhere.”
The aid station distributed essential supplies like fresh water, food, medical supplies, nappies and baby formula to an area with a 20km radius. volunteers were walking and carrying the supplies as far as 10km at a time. Juan and a small number of other cyclists were able to cover greater distances much quickly.
“On the second day I shared a video on my Instagram of our small group of cyclists helping the aid efforts. I hoped I could generate a little extra support as my videos normally reach around 100,000 views. When I woke up the next day my girlfriend told me to check my phone. We had over 1,000,000 views! There were dozens of people asking if they could help. Asking if it was safe to ride their bike and help us. It was beautiful.”
By the end of the first week Juan was helping lead a group of over 100 cyclists each day. Each morning splitting into groups of similar abilities to carry aid to where they were directed to. They had riders with ebikes and cargo bikes brining heavier goods out with them, enabling them to relay supplies shorter distances each time.
(Credit: https://www.instagram.com/generandoimagen/)
“By the end of 3 weeks I had covered around 800km with a fully loaded bike. I was exhausted.”
I always take Juan’s exhaustion with a pinch of salt, because one week later he ran the Valencia marathon in under 4 hours. The organisers took the opportunity to pay tribute to those that lost their lives and areas devastated by the flooding. The marathon proved to be a milestone event for the community. It served for some as a moment to stop grieving and start rebuilding.
Juan’s efforts didn’t go entirely unnoticed. Juan won a gold award at a prestigious awards ceremony for social media influencers in Valencia. Juan doesn’t consider himself a star, so a red carpet event isn’t usually his style. He did however take the opportunity to playfully remind people why he was there
“Most people arrived in nice cars to the red carpet. I asked if I could ride my bike! They did say no, but I did make my mark.” Wearing his best suit, Juan stained his suit with soil and mud from the floods to remind those in the room of the efforts he made. In his speech he had the room in tears reminding them all
“One day you will all die, you must live your life now. Life is beautiful, live it”
Juan’s an incredible person and for his 40th birthday his ambition is to ride an event in the UK to celebrate his 40th year. Something we’re going to be working on.
If you would like to contribute to supporting the aid campaigns in Valencia you can do so in many ways. One way Juan is keen to share is a charity that’s looking for bicycles to be donated so they can be distributed to those that need transportation in areas still affected by the flooding. You can contact the charity here; https://bicisparalavida.org/
You can follow Juan on his instagram here; https://www.instagram.com/dualcillo/?hl=en
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