Tell us about yourself! Name, work, hobbies.
Name: James
Work: Business Consultant
Hobbies: Cycling, mountain biking and road cycling, volunteer fire fighter, video games!
In 3-5 words, your friends would describe you as?
Fun, out going, honest
Why is sun protection so important to you?
As a kid I was always taught to slip slop slap as I have fair skin, I never enjoyed being sunburnt and the process of peeling, sore skin. More recently having a melanoma, the surgery and post surgery treatment and other side effects have really made me a lot more sun aware.
How did you discover your melanoma?
I had a mole on my leg, in an area which never saw sun that grew big, ugly and very dark. I went to the doctor who suggested coming back in 3 months, so I did and they arranged for it to come out.
What happened after the diagnosis?
My life went from being pretty carefree, to being driven by specialist and hospital appointments. In one day I had 3 different appointments and each week had at least 3 appointments for months. Until the diagnosis I had chosen when I wanted medical appointments, now I was told when to go to appointments, they were booked in for me. For the next 7 months, I was receiving immunotherapy as adjunctive therapy every 4 weeks, which itself made me sick. I have skin checks every 3 months for the foreseeable and have scans every 4 months to check the cancer has not returned, with a follow up at the hospital with my oncologist.
When did you learn that you were cancer-free?
After the scans after my surgery, no further cancer was found. For the next few years my regieme of scans and skin checks will continue until the doctors say I am cured.
In your line of work, or outside of it, how often do you find yourself under the sun?
Rarely, expect for walking to the coffee shop.
Do you feel like sun protection is talked about enough in the cycling community?
No, not at all. It should be talked about more and sun protection should be more accessible, in bike and fitness stores.
When did you first learn SParms?
Late 2021 while I was looking for sun protection for cycling.
What advice would you give to other cyclists?
Find some great sun protection, the beauty of sun sleeves is you can pop them on with ease, no worries about putting sunscreen on when covered in sweat. Often we are out in the sun for hours on end, we may not feel the sun as we are moving and sweating, so it cools us down however the UV risk is real. I see cyclists often covering arms, but not legs. Don't forget your legs as well!
Learn more about SParms' certified UPF50+ sun protection range below:
Sun sleeves UPF50+
Sunscreen UPF50+
Leggings UPF50+
All UPF50+ collections
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