Bike Industry Professional with Terminal Cancer Nils Amelinckx Aims to Start 'Rider Resilience' Social Enterprise
In 2017, bike industry professional Nils Amelinckx was diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer despite otherwise being a fit and healthy thirty year old. He was given no more than five years to live.
He found that riding bikes and documenting his travels through photography and writing brought him mental clarity and physical resilience at this difficult time. His work has been published in Singletrack Magazine, MBR, MBUK, and more.
As time becomes increasingly precious, Nils is now likely talking in months rather than years, he decided to kick start Rider Resilience into an advocacy movement in order "to inspire people to turn to bikes to get through times of hardship as they have meant so much to me these past five years, to tell other people’s inspirational stories and to fund resilience inducing projects around the globe."
The movement's goals are to foster resilience through storytelling and the curation of an inspiration library and to generate funding to support causes that share the Rider Resilience ethos. Whether that be the provision of bikes to refugees, introductory bikepacking events for minority groups, enabling more diversity and inclusivity in the world of bikes or helping cancer patients gain access to two wheeled respite.
 | My aim is to keep having adventures for as long as possible, and to find resilience by doing so. I want to share my story to inspire others to live their lives to the fullest, and to turn to two wheels or whatever you love to find solace through times of hardship. I want to pull similar stories of resilience together to act as a resource from which people can draw strength, and hope to leave a legacy of inspiration by doing so. If you find yourself in the “C club” nobody wants to be part of, or worse still faced with a similar death sentence to me, please feel free to reach out. It can be a lonely journey and I will delighted to share any resilience I can muster. Most of all, stay strong and make the most of every day. After all, life should not be an expression of the amount of breaths we take but of the moments that take our breath away. |
You can read Nils’ full cancer story here, read more about the movement here, and donate here.
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I have recently re-found my interest in cycling through participation in The Great Cycling Challenge Canada raising funds for childhood cancer research.
I was diagnosed Dec 22nd, 2012 with Stage IV colon Cancer with spread to liver, and lymph nodes. After surgery to remove 2/3 of large intestine, two large chunks from liver, appendix, and gall bladder, we started chemo in April 2013. In June 2013 I was told I was terminal with a life expectancy of 1 to 2 years at most. Bi-weekly chemo continued palliatively until they found Squamous Cell Carcinoma in my throat early 2017.
I am still here telling my story after 6 more cancer fights, the most recent being a kidney removed in August 2022. In 2017 I endured a 20 hour mouth, throat, neck surgery involving all muscle, cartilage, in left side of throat, part of my tongue removed, soft palette removed, 348 ish lymph nodes removed from my neck, all followed by 6 weeks daily radiation.
During all of that, I have also had bladder cancer 4 times, and the most recent kidney removal.
Chemo
Too many surgeries to list
Radiation
almost 3 years combined BCG Therapy
I am still the one telling my story.
I have also found a renewed love of cycling, and I am so happy to have found the thread in PinkBike Forums that led me to this story.
#iamTheTrooper
#f*ckcancer
#nobodyfightsalone
#iwontbackdown
#tomorrowscoffee
#onemore
Rider Resilience will rely on word of mouth and people spreading the message so please do follow @riderresilience and give it a share if you feel the project resonates with you.
Thanks again,
Nils - RR founder
#RideItOut // #BikesAreMedicine
Hod bless you mu friend and hope your project succeed ✌