Greig Holland (left) joins son Tom on a training ride ahead of the 100km Whaka100 fundraiser. Photo / Supplied
He’s not Spider-Man, but Rotorua’s Tom Holland is still on a hero’s mission to get Kiwi blokes talking about their health.
The former New Zealand professional mountain biker – not the actor of the same name currently portraying the Marvel superhero – will suit up in fluorescent yellow Lycra for the Whaka100 on October 26.
The 100km mountain bike marathon through Rotorua’s Whakarewarewa Forest is regarded as one of the toughest endurance events in the Southern Hemisphere.
This time, Holland, 42, will not be chasing a medal. Rather, the challenge was “deeply personal”, he said.
Holland will ride to honour his father, Greig Holland, and to raise money and awareness for prostate cancer.
Almost 20 years ago, Greig’s prostate-specific antigen levels in his blood tests began creeping up. Each time he was told the results were in the “normal range” and nothing to worry about.
Holland said his dad was not convinced and pushed for a specialist referral.
The specialist tests confirmed prostate cancer.
“I still have my dad,” Holland said. If it wasn’t for that screening catching the cancer early, however, “I could have lost him”.
“That’s the scary thing”.
The experience shaped Holland’s own approach to prostate examinations. He has been having regular checks since his early 30s and was often told he was “too young”.
For Holland, prostate cancer wasn’t just a family matter.
Extended family, friends and colleagues had also been diagnosed. He said the realisation of how many people he knew had been impacted was “quite shocking”.
That sparked his campaign, Pedalling for Prostate.
The initiative was a nod to his 2005 effort when, as one of New Zealand’s top young downhill riders, he sat on a stationary wind trainer in Rotorua’s City Focus for more than 12 hours, raising funds to compete at the Mountain Bike World Championships in Europe.
Holland launched his training and new fundraising push in February.
But despite more than 35 years of experience on the trails and competing at the highest levels, almost immediately he suffered what he described as “one of the most significant crashes” of his career.
A “simple mistake” – forgetting to wear gloves – let his sweaty hands slip off the handlebars.
The fall left him with multiple fractured ribs, a bruised liver and heavy bruising down his right arm and lower back.
For many, it would have been reason enough to call it quits.
Instead, Holland swapped the forest trails for his home wind trainer.
At first, he rigged it up with his mother-in-law’s “granny bike” but eventually upgraded to a “proper training set-up”.
By the end of March, he completed a 45km outdoor ride alongside his dad, capped off with a well-deserved cold beer.
From there the kilometres stacked up. Holland averaged 150-200km a week, splitting his time between the road and the forest.
Best mate Craig Pattle, another former pro rider, joined him for training rides. The two pushed each other hard, as they had as teenagers.
The pair would complete the Whaka100 race together, though Holland intended to finish faster.
Holland said his training had many unexpected bonuses, one being shedding more than 10kg and losing the “dad bod” that had crept in.
Holland’s Pedalling for Prostate campaign quickly gained momentum. Local, national and international businesses and suppliers rallied behind him, and Rotorua Rotary Club connections helped spread the word.
He has already raised more than $5000, with donations still open.
On the tough days – long rides in the rain, late nights after work, or hours grinding on the trainer – those backers were front of mind, Holland said.
“When you’ve got people putting money into the cause, you don’t want to let them down,” he said.
According to the Prostate Cancer Foundation New Zealand, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in New Zealand, with about 4000 diagnoses every year.
Māori men were 50% more likely to die once diagnosed than non-Māori. Some 61% of survivors report having no symptoms at diagnosis, the foundation said.
Holland said misconceptions around prostate examinations often stopped men from getting tested.
People think it’s always invasive,” he said. But often by the time you can feel the prostate is enlarged, it’s too late. A prostate-specific antigen blood test was the “best way to catch it early”, he said.
The foundation said it tests for a protein made by prostate cells, which if elevated above age norms, can indicate a problem.
September is recognised as Blue September, New Zealand’s annual Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.
Other Kiwis who sought to raise awareness of prostate cancer during Blue September last month included Tauranga amputee Denise Moorhouse and the family of late Rotorua father Daniel Hazelwood.
To back Holland’s Pedalling for Prostate campaign, head to: fundraise.prostate.org.nz/fundraisers/TomHolland
Annabel Reid is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post, based in Rotorua. Originally from Hawke’s Bay, she has a Bachelor of Communications from the University of Canterbury.