The inaugural Shameless Cycle launched by health management app, myGP, took place on Thursday 17th June to help break the cycle of embarrassment amongst men when it comes to discussing their health. The charity campaign was underpinned by new research which revealed that almost one in four men (23%) would point blank refuse to seek medical advice about a health issue due to embarrassment. Reluctance to speak to GPs has led to men’s health trailing women’s across several key areas, with one in five men dying before the age of 651. However, myGP’s aim was to reduce this statistic by encouraging men to seek medical advice once symptoms arise, rather than delaying or putting off what could be a life-saving appointment.

The nine national and regional charities that supported the Shameless Cycle were Prostate Cancer UK, Men’s Health Forum, Blue Ribbon Foundation, UK Men’s Sheds Association, ManKind, blOKes, It’s On the Ball, Baggy Trousers, and It’s In the Bag. Those who wish to help raise further money for crucial men’s charities can join myGP in donating to the supporting charities on the dedicated GoFundMe page. All proceeds will be split among the supporting charities.

Household celebrities and medical experts joined together for the charity event to discuss men’s health issues as they cycled through Soho, London. Male celebrities and leading NHS Drs who took part in the Shameless Cycle included contestants from ITV’s Love Island 2020 Connagh Howard & Jamie Clayton, television and TikTok star Dr. Emeka Okorocha, award-winning British film director, producer and rapper Fredi Nwaka, Britain’s Got Talent Semi-Finalist Saaj Raja, creator of NHSessions Dr. Kishan Bodalia, and twin brothers Dr. Daniel and Dr. Raphael Olaiya. A full list of participants can be found below in ‘Notes to Editors’

To make the most of Men’s Health Week, the Shameless Cycle team rode through central London wearing t-shirts proudly emblazoned with the top ten issues men are most embarrassed to speak to GPs about. See ‘Notes to Editors’ for full list of issues. Conversations were led throughout the cycle by a myGP spokesperson to encourage discussions around what the team felt should and could change to encourage more men to speak up about health concerns in 2021. Participating cyclists and the linked charities shared updates throughout the day using #ShamelessCycle, with many joining the conversation online and sharing their own sightings of the Shameless Cycle team.

Speaking of the event, myGP CEO Tobias Alpsten commented “We were so excited to launch this cycle, to have such fantastic support in its first year is incredible. We know that the health statistics against men are scary but, by encouraging open and honest conversations, alongside ease of access to GP services, we hope that we can start to turn these around. We hope that this cycle gathers more and more traction each year and I am exceedingly proud of the team for bringing this to fruition.”

Dr Preeti Shukla, NHS-GP in Blackburn, and medical advisor to myGP commented “My advice to males putting off seeking medical advice is to remember that their bodies are like bikes – sometimes they provide a smooth ride but sometimes they need some fine-tuning. There’s no such thing as a new issue – GPs will have seen the issue you are experiencing multiple – if not thousands – of times before and will do everything they can to put you at ease.”