Two years ago, Mr. Boerjan received unpleasant news during a routine examination: he had prostate cancer. “I didn’t want to take any chances and chose to have the entire prostate removed,” he says. The surgery, a prostatectomy, was successful, but left him with a permanent problem: urine leakage. For a year, he tried various solutions to control the urine leakage, unfortunately to no avail.

The solution was a Sphincter prosthesis

When it became apparent that other solutions were not working, Mr. Boerjan decided on a last resort, a sphincter prosthesis: an artificial sphincter. “I knew that cycling could become a problem because of this, and as an avid cyclist, that came hard. Especially now that I am retired and have just the time to cycle,” he explains. After the implantation, he had to wait three months before he could cycle again. However, on the first test ride, the pressure from the saddle proved too great, which in turn caused the urine leakage.

In search of a solution

The hospital could not help him further, so Mr. Boerjan went looking for himself. “I live in France, but I couldn’t find anything there. Then I looked across the border for a solution.” In Belgium, Mr. Boerjan had found a dealer who referred him to a company not so far away. However, they could not offer a suitable solution. He then stumbled upon ISM’s website by chance and decided to peruse the documentation. After doing the saddle selection tool, he contacted Velopro and explained his problem.

Found the perfect saddle

After contacting Bas from Velopro, exchanging photos of his cycling position, two saddles were suggested. In fact, Mr. Boerjan has a city bike and a road bike. “I purchased both saddles and tried them out. It took some getting used to, but now I can cycle for an hour and a half,” says Mr. Boerjan. On both his road bike and city bike, the new saddle proved to make a world of difference.

“At first it took a lot of getting used to, especially on the city bike because I had to get off often. But now it’s going well,” he shares with satisfaction. The pressure he previously experienced on a regular saddle was now gone. “The difference was night and day.”

A city bike and a road bike differ significantly in design and function, which is especially noticeable in the seating position. On a city bike, the cyclist sits upright, offering a comfortable and relaxed position, ideal for short distances and daily rides around town. On a road bike, the emphasis is on speed and aerodynamics, which puts the cyclist in a more forward position. These different seating positions also influence the choice of saddle.

Good experiences with ISM and Velopro

Mr. Boerjan especially appreciated Velopro’s fast and proactive service. “Everything went through mail and phone, and that worked fine. ISM responded quickly and clearly.” Installation of the saddle went smoothly thanks to the clear instructional video and the necessary experience with bike parts. The saddle could be returned within 30 days, but that proved unnecessary. “It was right the first time.”

Recommended for fellow sufferers

He informed his urologist that he was using an ISM saddle. “The urologist was positively surprised. He had actually said that cycling would no longer be possible, but that it varies from person to person to what extent a sphincter prosthesis causes problems.”

Mr. Boerjan would not change anything about the whole course. “The saddle meets expectations and more. Definitely recommend it to people with the same problem.”