Lee Johnston: Isle of Man TT winner reveals ankylosing spondylitis diagnosis

Lee Johnston won his maiden Isle of Man TT race in 2019

Northern Irish road racer and Isle of Man TT winner Lee Johnston has said he is being treated for ankylosing spondylitis.

Johnston, who won the Supersport TT in 2019, revealed on YouTube that he has the long-term condition, in which areas of the body can become inflamed.

He said he will attempt to race this season but will "play it by ear".

"I've got all the right medication now but I was in quite severe pain for a period of time," said the 32-year-old.

"I'm lucky enough that the doctors found it pretty quickly. I've to take injections for the rest of my life but we are hoping his is going to be the way forward."

Fermanagh native Johnston has been a regular on the road racing scene and is a winner at the Isle of Man TT, North West 200 and the Ulster Grand Prix.

He also dovetails his road racing commitments with outings in the British Supersport Championship.

"We don't really know how pain-free I'm going to be or how much of the sport I can do or what the situation is," he added.

"We only really made a decision in the last few weeks that I'm going to race this year. I'm feeling a lot better and I'm back training.

"I'm just going to play it by ear and see how it goes. Hopefully we can get it under control properly and stay positive going forward."