500 Cyclists Ride Virginia Gran Fondo With Joe Dombrowski For Prostate Cancer

500 cyclists left Harrisonburg, Virginia on Sunday, September 25th, to stop prostate cancer

500 Cyclists Ride Virginia Gran Fondo With Joe Dombrowski For Prostate Cancer Manhattan Beach, United States – October 12, 2016 — Together, they rode 36,975 miles, climbed 3,779,666 vertical feet, and raised over $12,000. The ride took place just two weeks before actor Ben Stiller’s essay discussing his own prostate cancer diagnosis.

Almost 500 cyclists rolled out of Harrisonburg, Virginia – the cycling capital of Virginia – on Sunday morning, September 25th, to raise awareness for prostate cancer. When they returned, they had ridden a combined 36,975 miles, climbed over 3,779,666 vertical feet through some of the most beautiful countryside in the Shenandoah Valley, and raised just over $12,000 to support the continued operation of the Cancer Journeys Foundation’s prostate cancer early detection system – ProstateTracker. The ride took place just two weeks before actor Ben Stiller wrote an essay discussing his own prostate cancer diagnosis.

Gran Fondo Guide named the Alpine Loop Gran Fondo in Harrisonburg one of the best Gran Fondo bicycle rides in the America in 2016. This was the 6th year for the fundraiser and the ride was filled to its maximum of 500 riders. Riders compete for King and Queen of the Mountain honors, similar to the King of the Mountain award in the Tour de France, for the fastest climbers in their age category. The Cancer Journeys Foundation awarded over 30 KOM and QOM jerseys at the end of the ride. The organizers are planning to increase the 2017 field limit to accommodate demand for participation.

Sarah Hynes, a senior at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, was the top fundraiser this year, raising almost $4,000 in memory of her grandfather, Donald Tomlin of Charleston, South Carolina, who passed away in May 2016, from prostate cancer. “I can’t thank Sarah, enough. Prostate cancer is a silent killer and Sarah’s efforts will play an important role in our prostate cancer awareness programs next year,” said Hess.

Prostate cancer kills almost 29,000 American men each year and about 240,000 men receive a prostate cancer diagnosis every year. Actor Ben Stiller wrote in a recent essay on Medium that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in June of 2014 and cured of the disease in September 2014. Acknowleding the current controversy over PSA testing for prostate cancer, Stiller noted “Without this PSA test itself, or any screening procedure at all, how are doctors going to detect asymptomatic cases like mine, before the cancer has spread and metastasized throughout one’s body rendering it incurable?” Stiller recommended that men should talk with their doctors about their prostate cancer risk beginning at age 40.

“Prostate cancer generally is asyomptomatic (does not show any symptoms) until it is advanced,” said Robert Hess, founder of the Cancer Journeys Foundation and himself a cancer survivor. According to Hess, “Men should have a baseline PSA testing at age 35 and an annual test thereafter, looking for any rise in their PSA from one year to the next. A rising PSA number should be checked with a doctor or qualified medical provider. It’s critical to find prostate cancer early when it is still treatable. The PSA test currently is the best tool we have.”

Men diagnosed with prostate cancer don’t need to rush to treatment. The first step is to determine if their prostate cancer is of the aggressive type. If not, active surveillance is an option. “Men should always seek a second opinion. And there are a number of prostate cancer support groups, such as Us Too, that can provide information prior to making a treatment decision,” said Hess.

Results - http://my3.raceresult.com/61882/results?lang=en

About the Cancer Journeys Foundation

The Cancer Journeys Foundation provides digital information on its website that is available free of charge to everyone. This information provides the knowledge needed by cancer survivors to develop and implement self-help survivorship programs and find expert help when they need it as they move through their seasons of survivorship.

In additional to its digital information, CJF creates events where cancer survivors can come together and enjoy the support of others in athletic endeavors.

The CJF operates its free prostate cancer early detection system at ProstateTracker.org.

For more information, please visit http://www.cancerjourneysfoundation.org