A bit over 2 years ago, I got a photograph sent to my phone from my friend Alex.
He had a mole on his leg that he was worried about.
Seemed like nothing to me.
He also sent it to our friend Craig, a head and neck surgeon. He knows all about this stuff, and he said to get it looked at.
It was a malignant melanoma. Invasive. Not brilliant.
Alex had to go and have it removed and then go and have more removed, and that is upsetting and distressing for anyone.
For context here, and for part of the story, Alex works with me 3 days a week in the clinic after he sold his practice to come. He's an extraordinary clinician, but he's a much more extraordinary bike rider.
I've ridden with some good guys on a bike before, but never anyone as good as him.
Alex is a lifetime racer, lifetime rider. You can't replicate that, ever.
And so, Alex had his melanoma removed, and all was well, but he'd been through a lot. We went to Mallorca cycling, and for the only time in my life, I beat him up the hill to the first viewpoint, towards the lighthouse, in a race together.
It was, and will be, the only time I'll ever beat him in something like that.
During that time, though, he was having trouble with his prostate that we knew about and thought that he was gonna have to have a benign prostate removal procedure carried out, which is f***ing s**t for any guy and f***ing s**t for any guy to think about.
When we got back from Mallorca that time, it turned out that it wasn't a benign prostate thing; it was a malignant prostate thing.
So, in the space of short order, Alex had a malignant melanoma and a malignant prostate and had to have his prostate removed in London.
Much has been made about prostate disease recently in the press. Lots and lots of people have come forward to talk about it, none better than Kenny Logan, the husband of Gabby Logan, the superstar presenter, who decided to come out of his shell as a shy, self-effacing former rugby player and talk on a podcast with Gabby Logan about what it's like to have prostate disease and have your prostate removed.
It was Kenny Logan's surgeon who removed Alex's prostate.
What I've seen from that point onwards is quite extraordinary from Alex.
He was punched in the face and knocked down hard twice and has recovered in an extraordinary way.
It's quite distressing for any of us who ride with him this year in particular; he decided to ride an extraordinary ride in Mallorca when we go on holiday (which I had intended to try and accompany him in at least part of it).
He has gone from strength to strength to strength to be as fit as he could possibly be as a 54-year-old cyclist.
Alex will probably tell you that he has been fitter and better, but it doesn't look much like that to me.
So, 2 weeks from today, he will get a taxi (on his own with his bike), all the way from the south tip, the southwest tip of Andratx in Mallorca, to the lighthouse on the northwest tip.
He'll cycle back on an extraordinary ride, which we have done part of before, which includes the iconic climb of Sa Calobra, together with Valldemossa, together with the Puig Major, in a ride which is epic and extraordinary, and to raise money for prostate cancer, for research and for sufferers who get prostate cancer, who aren't as lucky as guys like us.
And so, what would be great is if you could click this link below and give some money.
Give some money if you want to give it because Alex had prostate cancer. Give some money if The Campbell Clinic or The Campbell Academy has ever helped you beyond what could be expected. Give some money if you feel sorry for Chris Hoy.
Doesn't matter, just give us some money.
This banner will be on the bottom of my blog until a week after the bike ride too, every single day.
Back in the day, when I got diagnosed with my thyroid disease and I was trying to go and ride the Haute Route 5-day event in the Pyrenees, Alex supported me through that when no one could see. In the lead-up, he even pushed me up a hill.
He wrote a blog after that, which I've kept, and I'll never publish because I don't have guest bloggers here - sorry.
But I remember it, and I remember it well, and so what he said at the end of that was chapeau, and that is what cyclists say to each other out of respect, and when they are impressed.
So, chapeau, Alex.
Blog Post Number - 4659