Cycling Through the Last Eden

Imagine waking up at 5 am each morning enshrouded in a frosty mist outside. By midafternoon, you are sweating buckets, pedaling furiously as the temperature climbs and the humidity sets in. By dusk, jackets, a hot toddy and a warm bed are needed as the night chills down. Now, try doing this for five straight days. Such was the adventure of 22 men and women, including six urologists, who embarked on The Urology Foundation’s (TUF) Cycle Madagascar last September. Organised every year by Roger Kirby of The Prostate Centre in London, UK, this time the charity ride took participants to the island nation of Madagascar, located off the southeastern coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. The ride raised £56 000 for TUF. In 2009, Roger took the group to Malawi, another African nation (See the December 2009 issue of UroScan to read about the Malawi trip). “This was a similar trip but in many ways much better”, he says. “Madagascar was a more interesting place with its fascinating flora and fauna. The people were so amazingly welcoming”! Joining Roger were fellow urologists John Fitzpatrick, editor-in-chief of BJUI; Krishna Patil from Surrey, UK; Roger Plail and Peter Rimington, both from East Sussex, UK; and Joseph (Jay) Smith, Jr. from Nashville, USA. The group also included actor Christian Cooke, costar of Cemetery Junction, and his brother Alex, an actors’ agent, EMI Records producer Avery Duff, prostate cancer survivors, family members and friends. Wiley-Blackwell employees Gavin Sharrock, publisher of BJUI, and Chris Graf, editorial director, also rose to the challenge. Possibly the most inspirational member of the group was Andrew Etherington. At age 75, Andrew has supported the TUF by participating in every challenge Roger has organised. “Andrew is a bit of a legend”, Roger explains, “having participated in 25 marathons as well as climbing Madagascar trip raises money for The Urology Foundation By Kevin D. Blanchet