A 42-YEAR-OLD father-of-two who loved cycling has lost his battle with cancer after being diagnosed with the disease just weeks ago.

Martyn Miller, of Huntington, York, was told on July 22 that he had cancer around his body – just weeks after developing symptoms.

His widow, Sue, 40, said she was absolutely distraught at the loss. “I just can’t believe it’s happened – and the suddenness,” she said. “I know that every single person who knew him is feeling exactly the same.” She said that because Martyn always smiled, the song “Smile”, by Charlie Chaplin, was played at his funeral on Monday, when hundreds of people gathered to say goodbye to the cycling enthusiast.

“He was always smiling, even in hospital,” she said.

“Whatever he was going through, whatever they told him, whatever was happening, he was always smiling.

“He never moaned about anything. He was just happy-go-lucky and very easy going.

“He never had a bad word to say about anybody and he would have done anything and he did do anything for anybody.” Martyn, who leaves behind his two sons, Sam, ten and Oliver, seven, worked at bicycle shop York Cycleworks, in Lawrence Street, where he built the vehicles and serviced them.

Paying tribute to Martyn, Sandy Delf, one of his colleagues, said: “His sense of humour is still present at Cycleworks – the signs in the workshop saying “No negativity”, “No doom mongering” and “A happy customer is a happy customer” are still on the wall.

“Martyn, you will be greatly missed at Cycleworks by not only your colleagues and customers, but also many people in the bike trade.” On June 13, just over five weeks before he was diagnosed with cancer, Martyn did the Great Yorkshire Bike Ride, a 70-mile route from Wetherby to Filey, raising money for charity in the process.

Sue said Martyn had one session of chemotherapy, but it was not effective. “They said he wouldn’t even stand having a second course of chemotherapy,” she said. Martyn was a fan of rugby league and used to be a volunteer at York City Knights selling programmes and working on the turnstiles.

“Because of that, at the last home game against Swinton on September 5 they held a one-minute silence before the game in his memory,” Sue said.

Martyn, who was born in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, died on September 4 at York Hospital. He is also survived by his parents, Mavis and Dusty, and his sisters, Susan and Linda.