Meet the husband and wife team tackling prostate cancer on two fronts

One is a keen cyclist, the other a scientist – and together, this husband and wife duo are tackling prostate cancer.

Matt Dainty and Dr Hayley Whitaker, from Bedfordshire, have joined the fight against the most common cancer in men by taking on two very different challenges.

While Hayley will be in the lab, continuing her pioneering research into prostate cancer at University College London, Matt will be hitting the road, tackling 485 miles of cycling across four of Prostate Cancer UK’s rides, raising vital funds to help stop prostate cancer being a killer.

“I was looking at events and charities to raise money for and thought: ‘That will keep the wife happy!’” says Matt, who kicks off his summer of cycling at the Football to Amsterdam ride in June.

After returning from the Netherlands, Matt will travel to Brussels for the Grand Départ Classic in June, before he completes the impressive quartet at the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 in August and the inaugural Worlds Classic in September.

“Knowing that one in eight men in the UK will get prostate at some point in their lives makes me a bit nervous,” Matt says. “At 41, I know I’m on the verge of entering the ‘risk zone’.”

Thanks to funding from Prostate Cancer UK, Hayley has been working on new blood tests and MRI scans to diagnose prostate cancer more accurately, so that aggressive cancers are caught early while they can still be cured.

She said: “I’ve been lucky enough to work with Prostate Cancer UK over the years and the impact of prostate cancer on people’s lives is something I feel passionately about – and now Matt does too.

“I’m amazingly proud of Matt for doing this challenge and he has already started putting in many hours in the saddle, with me acting as chauffeur to different cycling events.

“I know he feels humbled to be riding with men who themselves have suffered with prostate cancer, or with their friends and family. I think this will be a profound experience for him – plus he will be very skinny at the end!”

To donate to Matt’s JustGiving page, go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/matt-dainty-2.