Rob Brinkman, who works in Bradley Stoke, is cycling 4,287 miles in America to raise funds for Prostate Cancer Awareness.
When Rob, a 58-year-old fitness instructor from North Bristol, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2023, he had no symptoms, pain or warnings. He just had a gut feeling that something wasn’t right – and a PSA test that changed the course of his life.
Rob Brinkman, who works in Bradley Stoke, is cycling 4,287 miles in America to raise funds for Prostate Cancer Awareness.
When Rob, a 58-year-old fitness instructor from North Bristol, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2023, he had no symptoms, pain or warnings. He just had a gut feeling that something wasn’t right – and a PSA test that changed the course of his life.
Just a year after undergoing prostate removal surgery, Rob is halfway across America, taking part in the Trans America Bike Race (TABR): a 4,287-mile, unsupported ride from the Pacific to the Atlantic with a mission far greater than the finish line. He set off from Astoria, Oregon on June 1.
However, TABR is no ordinary race. Riders are entirely unsupported. There’s no support van, no scheduled stops, no team. Just the rider, the road and the weather.
Rob is cycling up to 120 miles a day, navigating food, shelter and safety entirely on his own. He has slept in motels, churches and under the stars. In the windswept prairies of Nebraska, he covered a staggering 144 miles in a single day, despite battling headwinds so fierce he described them as “like a hairdryer in my face”.
However, every day, Rob gets back on the saddle, legs aching, spirits high, pushing across the heart of the American landscape for something bigger than himself.
Rob’s ride is personal. Diagnosed after a PSA test, he knows that prostate cancer often hides without symptoms and that far too many men avoid testing until it’s too late.
Rob said: “There are tough days but I’ve recovered well and I want to use this journey to encourage other men to get tested early. If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.” Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer in men in the UK, and Rob’s mission is clear: ride to raise awareness, raise funds, and save lives.
While Rob pedals across America on his own, he’s backed by an entire community back home. Friends, army mates, gym members and local families have rallied around his story. Support is growing daily on Facebook and Rob’s JustGiving page has already raised more than £1,700. Local pre-school Abacus has officially joined the campaign as a sponsor. From their six sites across North Bristol and South Gloucestershire, they’re helping share Rob’s journey and message of men’s health and ecnouraging men to get tested early in order to save their lives.
To support Rob’s campaign, visit: justgiving.com/page/bb-tabr25