Prostate Cancer Charity/Tour of Britain cycling event

Peter2006

Hi,

I've had a look through the rules, so hopefully this is an ok post to make! I've got friends that work for the organisers, hence me making this post, as a favour to 'em.

In September for the first time ever there's the chance to ride a stage of The Tour of Britain, which is the country's biggest free-to-attend sporting event (basically a week long, Tour de France style bike race). The race itself takes place from 12th - 19th September, with details of the route on www.tourofbritain.co.uk if you're interested in spectating. People like Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish will be taking part, so going along to a start or finish is a good chance for autographs and photos.

Anyway, I digress. This year the race is partnered with The Prostate Cancer Charity, a very worthy cause. As a part of this, it'll now be possible to ride two stages of the race for fun and to raise money for the charity! One of these will take place in Stoke-on-Trent on the 6th September, while the other takes place in London on the 19th September, right before the final stage.

More details on both rides can be found here > www.tourride.co.uk

Basically in Stoke they'll be 3 events, a 20km, 70km and 145km ride, so all members of the family can enjoy a day out on bikes riding along the route that world stars of cycling will take part on two weeks later.

In London, people get to ride two laps of a closed-road circuit in central London (Whitehall, Embankment, Tower Hill, Westminster Bridge) just before the professionals, as part of a great bike cycling festival, all aimed at raising money for the Prostate Cancer Charity.

Basically I just thought some people on here might a) be interested in taking part (if so, see the website) or b) particularly in London be interested in coming along and watching (for FREE!) and supporting a major sporting event, while raising money for charity.

Any questions, just ask. If I don't know the answer I'll ask my friends for you!

momoyama

Please, I don't mean to pour water on your bonfire, nor to knock a worthy cause. However, there is a huge degree of irony to this that you should be aware of before you continue.

Bike ride. In aid of a prostate cancer charity.

But there's significant (but (as I understand it) unconclusive) research that suggests that bike riding is big contributor to prostate cancer. It's to do with how the saddle is positioned. Often it presses directly on the prostate gland. Again, not conclusive evidence, but it can also lead to infertility.

D'you see where I'm coming from?

LjF_2

Hi, I thought this a really interesting response so have contacted a friend who is Head of Research at The Prostate Cancer Charity to find out the facts about this...

Keen cyclists can be reassured – there is no medical evidence whatsoever to suggest a link between bike riding and prostate cancer. It might seem to make intuitive sense, but in fact it’s a medical myth.

It is often said that pressure on the prostate from a bike saddle causes blood PSA levels to increase slightly and that men going for a PSA test are advised not to cycle beforehand. However, a search of the medical literature uncovers only two studies on this subject, neither of which found a significant rise in PSA levels after cycling. And it should be said that even if PSA levels did rise slightly after cycling, this would in no way indicate an increased risk of prostate cancer. Many activities – including sex - cause slightly elevated PSA levels for a short time afterwards.

The infertility link is a little different. There is some evidence that very frequent, high intensity cycling – ‘extreme’ biking, if you will - can impact on a man’s sexual function. This is probably because it restricts blood flow to the penis and puts pressure on the testicles - nothing to do with the prostate. However, this is extremely unlikely to be a problem for recreational cyclists.

Hope this helps.

momoyama

LjF wrote: »

Hi, I thought this a really interesting response so have contacted a friend who is Head of Research at The Prostate Cancer Charity to find out the facts about this...

Keen cyclists can be reassured – there is no medical evidence whatsoever to suggest a link between bike riding and prostate cancer. It might seem to make intuitive sense, but in fact it’s a medical myth.

It is often said that pressure on the prostate from a bike saddle causes blood PSA levels to increase slightly and that men going for a PSA test are advised not to cycle beforehand. However, a search of the medical literature uncovers only two studies on this subject, neither of which found a significant rise in PSA levels after cycling. And it should be said that even if PSA levels did rise slightly after cycling, this would in no way indicate an increased risk of prostate cancer. Many activities – including sex - cause slightly elevated PSA levels for a short time afterwards.

I sit corrected. Thank you.