I was diagnosed with prostate cancer on 9th January 2014. I was 56 years of age.  It was a shock.  A big shock!  No alarming symptoms.  No rushing to the loo unusually often, no difficulty going when I got there.  Nothing apparently out of the ordinary.  I only learnt of a potential issue following a routine blood test which revealed that my blood PSA levels were a little high for my age.  A biopsy revealed the presence of cancerous cells and on 15 May 2014 I underwent a radical prostatectomy using the relatively new Da Vinci robot procedure under the supervision of an expert consultant at the Christie Hospital in Manchester.  I have recovered well and my PSA levels at every routine test since May 2014 have revealed imperceptibly low levels of PSA in my blood stream.  I am one of the lucky ones.  It was caught early whilst it was still localised and treated quickly.  I now want to show my gratitude for all the help, support and treatment I received by raising funds to help others who will be similarly diagnosed , and sadly there will be many of them.  1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with this at some time in their lives. In some ethnic groups and those with a family history of the disease the odds are as high as 1 in 4.  I have raised funds for Prostate Cancer UK on a number of occasions and this will be the second Grand Depart Classic.  You can see from the photo above, last time I was awarded the "Green Jersey" for raising my initial £1,000 in double quick time. I hope to raise at least a further £1,000 this time for this very worthy cause.  Please help me by donating as little or as much as you can towards my target and help PC UK to further its work of raising awareness, encouraging early screening, lobbying for effective treatments and providing help and support to the thousands of men and their families who are affected by this disease every year.  I am relying on you!!!!