Jason Michaels

Thank You!

"Thank you" to everyone that supported me, and to those that donated to my ride. It was a beautiful, cool, morning and my most complex ride to date in terms of road conditions, traffic, and distance.

I rendezvoused with more than 150 riders who rode - in one large group - an hour to downtown Sacramento. It was an adventure trying to stay together, but we did it.

Our group raised over $15,000, and has committed to staying in touch and supporting one another until we ride again. 

What types of cancers are on the rise in younger adults?

"The ACS report also showed continued increases in such common cancers as breast, prostate, and endometrial in young adults, as well as colorectal and cervical cancers. Colorectal cancer, while still overwhelmingly a disease that affects older people, is now the leading cause of cancer death in men younger than 50 and second in women in that age group. The numbers have been rising steadily in people 55 and younger since the mid-1990s, according to the ACS."

​https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/early-onset-cancer-in-younger-people-on-the-rise

Early-onset cancers

"The rates of more than a dozen cancers are increasing among adults under the age of 50. This rise varies from country to country and cancer to cancer, but models based on global data predict that the number of early-onset cancer cases will increase by around 30% between 2019 and 2030. In the United States, colorectal cancer — which typically strikes men in their mid-60s or older — has become the leading cause of cancer death among men under 50. In young women, it has become the second leading cause of cancer death.

Cancer’s shift to younger demographics has driven a push for earlier screening. Advocates have been promoting events targeted at the under 50s. And high-profile cases — such as the 2020 death of actor Chadwick Boseman from colon cancer at the age of 43 — have helped to raise awareness. In 2018, the American Cancer Society urged people to be screened for colorectal cancer starting at age 45, rather than the previous recommendation of 50."

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00720-6

A crisis of connection

Quiet does not indicate complacency.

"Older men are in what psychologist Niobe Way calls a “crisis of connection,” with 15% of men in a 2021 national survey stating they have zero friends, up from 3% in 1990. This social isolation, in turn, adds emotional burden on partners and family."

Link to the article. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/mental-health/the-quiet-crisis-of-older-men-in-a-world-embracing-mental-health/

The rig is 49 years old this year

What are you riding?
I'm riding a 1975 Honda Goldwing GL1000 with a Watsonian sidecar. The sidecar manufacturer is the same as the GP sidecar you see in the Harry Potter movies. Watsonian has been producing sidecars in England since 1912.

Why the older bike?
We rolled the motorcycle and sidecar out of storage in 2018 after a 29 year slumber, and after a 9-month restoration, I began the process of learning how to ride a bike with a sidecar. The physics of a sidecar versus a two-wheel motorcycle are very different. Not more challenging or easier than a two-wheel bike, just different, but I love it.

I'm doing it again! I'm riding for men's health in The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride

I'm doing it again!

On Sunday, May 19, 2024, I'm riding in The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride with fellow men and women across the globe to raise funds and awareness for prostate cancer and men's mental health on behalf of Movember.

Before I dust off my tweed and brush my boots, I'm asking you to join me in raising funds and awareness for these causes by donating what you can for this meaningful cause and to help the men we love, live happier and healthier lives.

Thumbs ups, emojis, well wishes or donations are welcomed, but this post and the ride are about visibility for a cause that matters to me and affects many.

I'm going to post several times before the ride, but will keep TL;DR to a minimum. Heartfelt thanks to those that supported me in 2023.