At the age of 50, David Capell took up BMX bicycle racing as a means to bond with his two young sons. Now, the Martinez resident trains and races to help in his battle with prostate cancer.

"It has driven me," Mr. Capell said of the diagnosis he received last year. "I was told prior to my original prostate surgery that I should get exercise. I was already riding BMX and pushed it really hard before surgery (in July 2008) to remove the cancer from my prostate.

"I recovered really fast. Within a couple of days of being out of the hospital, I was walking several miles. Within a month, I was back on the track racing again."

Mr. Capell, 53, was lured into the sport while investigating BMX bikes as possible Christmas presents for his adopted sons Kyle, 10, and Asa, 9.

"I started doing some Internet research and found out there was an Augusta BMX association and a track here," he said. "I contacted them to see if they could give me some advice."

That conversation led to an invitation to the group's track near Lake Olmstead to see a race.

"One thing led to another and they (area BMX racers) said, 'Old guys like you can race, too,' " Mr. Capell recalled.

He is one of just two racers in the state's 50-plus division, but he often races against men much younger. Mr. Capell and his young sons all race, and he often takes bike rides with the rest of his family -- wife, Sharon, and 23-year-old son, David John.

"BMX has certainly been an activity we have done together," he said. "It's forced us to take the bikes down off the wall, where we would not have ridden them before."

The stronger bond Mr. Capell developed with his family through racing also helped them better cope with his illness.

"They have been 100 percent behind me as far as exercise and diet," he said. "All through the surgery, I couldn't have asked for better love and care than what they provided."

But the fight still goes on.

Though the surgery removed much of the cancer, his prostate-specific antigen count never reached zero, indicating he wasn't rid of the disease.

After a Thursday visit with his oncologist, Mr. Capell has decided to start an "off-protocol" chemotherapy treatment in December.

That same day, he had staples removed from a recent surgery to repair his distended hernia.

"After sitting, for a considerable period, in two different doctor offices ... I am sure about one thing: I am very blessed as there are so many folks worse off than me," he said. "Someone with a bleak outlook, like mine can be, could fall apart. But I'm thinking that I need to be in the best shape as I can to get ready for what's to come."

That means getting back on a BMX track, not just for the health benefits, but to encourage other men to seek regular prostrate checkups.

"My goal in all of this is to use the novelty of BMX racing to really promote prostate cancer awareness," Mr. Capell said. "This is one cancer that can easily be treated and cured if diagnosed early."

Reach Donnie Fetter at (706) 868-1222, ext. 115, or donnie.fetter@augustachronicle.com.