Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I’m raising money to help fund the work of Prostate Cancer UK (PCUK). Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting men. 1 in 7 white men and 1 in 4 black men will be diagnosed with Prostate cancer during their lifetime.

I am one of those men.

PCUK does amazing work and I had experience of this first hand. When you receive your diagnosis you are left reeling, from not knowing what to do, how to cope through to understanding the treatments and side effects. Without PCUK I would have been lost. Their online resources and information have been invaluable. The PCUK nurses on the helpline are fantastic and no question or worry I had was a problem for them. The PCUK online communities for prostate cancer sufferers are a great support as you could hear from, interact with and learn from those who walked the road before you.

My Story

I’m 59 and turn 60 in June 2024, married to my wonderful wife Mel with 4 kids and we live in Bromley SE London.

I was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer in January 2022. Unfortunately, my diagnosis showed I had locally advanced disease which resulted in me having multiple treatments, starting with an operation to remove my prostate in March 2022.

This was followed later that year with 32 daily sessions of radiotherapy. I was also put on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) which forces your body to stop producing testosterone. My course of ADT lasted for nearly 2 years and I have just recently finished this treatment. I continued to work through my treatments organising my medical appointments around my work commitments. The flexibility of the medical team combined with the support of my colleagues at SmartSpace meant that I was able to minimise any time off.

Since I was 14 I’ve ridden, raced and toured on bicycles. Cycling is where I’m happiest. In the lead up to my operation I used my bike to get as fit as I could. That fitness helped me physically and mentally to deal with my treatment and recovery. I was back riding my bike 6 weeks after my operation and have riding as much as I can over the last year, mainly indoors on the turbo trainer.

The 12 months has not been easy as my lack of testosterone (due to my ADT injections) has meant that I have felt very weak along with hot flushes, body aches, mood swings, weight gain, muscle wastage, slow metabolism and a plethora of other side effects!. The lack of testosterone especially hits you when it comes to going uphill on your bike! .

I’m hoping, now that my ADT treatment is completed, my testosterone will start to return. This normally takes a minimum of 3 months but could be as long as 2 years or more. So, it’s fingers crossed that my testosterone will start to reappear before I start the cycling challenges I outline below.

My cycling challenges

I’ve set myself 3 cycling challenges in 2024 to raise funds for Prostate Cancer UK:

On May 4th and 5th I am planning to cycle from London to Paris in 24 hours. Setting off from Greenwich we ride to Newhaven, take the overnight ferry to Dieppe and then aim to get to Paris by lunchtime. The total distance is 300km (186 miles).

Then, in late May/early June, I am aiming to complete Ireland’s ‘End-to-End’ riding from Mizen Head in Cork to Malin Head in Donegal. The total distance is 580 km (360 miles) and I’m planning to complete this in 3 days.

The big one will be in September when myself and a group of 7 friends undertake Ride Across Britain (RAB) going from Land’s End to John o Groats. The total distance is nearly 1600 km (980 miles) over 9 days averaging 110 miles per day riding through 27 counties, 3 countries 57,000 vertical feet of climbing.

How you can help

Make a donation if at all possible

Please, if you can, make a donation to PCUK by clicking on the link on this page. Every £1 counts and any donation you can make will be much appreciated.

Once you donate, Just Giving will send your money directly to the PCUK. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Tick the GiftAid box

If you are a UK taxpayer then please tick the GiftAid box when you make your donation. PCUK will receive an extra 25% on your donation.

Matched giving

Many employers will match your donation, if you ask. If you employer operates a matched giving programme that will help boost your donation.

Share the link

Please share the Just Giving link to this message to anyone that you feel may be interested in supporting the cause.

Spread the word about prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is one of the few cancers with an early warning signal In the form of a PSA test. It’s a simple blood test and is good indication if there could be activity in prostate that warrants further investigation. If you are a man 50 or over, or a woman or man with 50+ year old men in your life - husbands, partners, brothers, sons - encourage them to have their PSA checked. Caught early prostate cancer has one of the highest cure rates.

Cross your fingers

Please keep your fingers crossed that my testosterone returns 😬. Without testosterone these quests will become an even bigger challenge. If I’m in a bad way and my testosterone doesn’t return in time I have a plan B. I can use an ebike. Don’t worry, it’s not the type of ebike that you twist the throttle and go requiring no physical effort. I have permission to use a pedal-assist ebike. The motor stops working above 15mph so it will be there to help me on the hillier bits. But the bike has to be pedalled the entire time. With or without a motor I will still have to turn the pedals 459,000 times to get from Lands End to John o Groats. Fingers crossed it won’t be needed!.

Thank you for taking time to read my story and I hope you can help support the great work of Prostate Cancer UK