Prostate cancer is very personal to me as I got diagnosed with it in 2023 after having zero symptoms. After talking to friends and listening to the radio I took a PSA test. It took 5 months from the first test to laying in the recovery room having had my prostate taking out.

I have made a good recovery, I had set targets and was determined it would not impede my life going forward. There are some side effects that do get discussed pre-op and some that do not get discussed but overall they are manageable but you have to remain positive even in the darkest moments.

Life going forward is definitely a game changer, you have to have a positive mindset and be prepared for these changes..but we are still alive and we are still kicking !!

I have wanted to take part in the race for a few years now, firstly Covid shut the world down, then the travel restrictions and then being diagnosed. Now is the time to take on this challenge.

The Trans America Bike Race (TABR) is 4287 miles, starting in Astoria OR and finishing in Yorktown VA covering 10 States. It is an unsupported race, having help or assistance from family or friends is not allowed. We sleep, eat and rest where and when we can. At the end there is no fanfare, no prize money, no tee shirt..nothing just the self satisfaction of completing a grueling endurance adventure.

TUESDAY 1ST JULY.

I sit in my hotel room, 2 days after finishing this crazy, brutal and life altering experience. 29 days of sweating, hard work, hills, headwinds, heat in the high 30s for 3 weeks, being eaten by mosquitoes, sleeping in snake infested forests , endless punctures. Consuming pizza, burgers, steaks, ice cream, gallons of sprite, apple pie, bananas, gallons of water I have still lost weight. My muscles in my upper have shrunk due to inactivity and feeding my legs, i could not physically consume the 10k plus calories a day needed for this endurance event.

In total I rode 3622 miles. My initial aim of 4287 was thrown into disarray when none of my bike tech would work. My Garmin did not recognise the files. I deleted and uploaded again, that didn't work. Other riders tried sharing their files, that didn't work. So I made the decision to change my route and take a straight line as possible West to East, finishing at the Lincoln memorial, Washington DC.

I had no idea what terrain lay in store for me as my research was done on the original route. This added to the challenge, riding up hills blindly, not knowing the gradient or distance. I was using Google maps, this gives limited information on hills and mountains.

Many of the riders were the same age, one or two under 30, tge majority over 40 with some in their 70s.

In Idaho I experienced desert heat, in Wyoming there was snow, Nebraska had prairie winds head on for days on end. Ohio was beautiful, with a humid heat, flat for 75% with a wind in my favour. Rolling hills returned for the last 25% and into West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

The last 300 miles were completed on the GAP trail to Cumberland crossing over the Eastern Continental divide and Mason Dixon line into Maryland.

Nice grit to ride on but if you stop pedalling, you slow considerably, so keep those legs spinning.

After Cumberland the trail became the C&O towpath. Tge towpath from hell. Mosquitoes, snakes, heat, stagnant mud, stagnant canal water, bike problems due to the terrain. This is where I needed a gravel bike not a road bike with 28 tyres.

This terrain showed me down and my target of a 28 day finish was getting further and further away, I felt very emotional about this.

Waking on day 29 I had 56 miles to go so I set off hard and fast for a midday finish. All was going well then the towpath changed from grit to patio sub Base then to rock, totally unsuitable for my 28c tyres. My bike was rattling and get bounced all around the trail.

6 miles out I get another puncture. Im now down to my last tube, if I get anymore flats ill have to walk in to the finish line. A tarmac path appeared for the last few miles taking me into the City and onto the finish line, the Lincoln Memorial.

Tim who had finished the day before was waiting along with his wife with cheering me in, this was very much appreciated and they had cans of pop and bottles of Wisconsin Root Beer.

Its taken 2 days to come back into reality. 29 days of sitting on a bike, spinning my legs, just thinking of the next few miles ahead, thats been my life for a month.

Its been quite nice blocking out news, social media, people and general faff of life.

Im drained physically and a bit mentally, im decompressing and now I have found that the 7 11 next to my hotel serves tea this decompressing process has just got a whole lot better. Tea is the medicine for life.

I would do this again but with a bike change. Im looking to recover,put weight back on, fill my muscles back up and work out what I want to do next.

Life goes on without a prostate, I had no issues sitting on the bike seat for that a amount of time despite what I had read from other bike users with similar conditions.

Find your challenge, go for it, start training, research, prepare, have a plan b and throw yourself into with all the determination you have. Live life.