Meet the class of 2025...

First and foremost, Cure Leukaemia is a fantastic charity that has made unbelievable progress in the treatment for leukaemia, positively revolutionising outcomes for those who are affected by the disease. To think that one day we may be able to prevent blood cancer through the research and trials that are enabled by our fundraising is a truly humbling and motivating thought. From the perspective of the Tour 21 challenge itself, I have looked on with admiration over the past few Tours at those that have taken part, and this simply feels like an immense physical and mental challenge that I am incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to take part in.

What are you most excited for?

Being part of a team that is going to raise such important funds for this great charity, £1m will be a hell of an achievement and I want to ensure I play my part in getting to this. I’m also looking forward to some fantastic views, some nice weather, and that feeling of accomplishment after a really hard day cycling and climbing….. oh, and of course the two rest days.

What are you most nervous about?

This is completely unlike anything I’ve ever done before, and the commitment to the training is daunting, as well as the event itself. With a job at Bidfood and as Dad to three young girls, getting the training hours in will be a task in itself. The unknowns of multiple days in the saddle, tired legs, immense climbs and how my body reacts to all of this certainly fills me with a little trepidation. But ultimately, I am expecting it to be incredibly difficult, so anything less than that on our days out may be a welcome relief! They say visualisation is a powerful tool in sports, but if the anxiety of visualising 15%+ gradients doesn’t finish me in advance, then Ventoux itself might.

https://www.justgiving.com/page/timadamstour21

As a long distance triathlete/endurance runner – I love a good physical challenge and for me – there is nothing bigger than the Tour in terms of something that will push you to your limits.

Personally, I also have lost a number of loved ones to cancer and if my suffering for a few days or weeks in the saddle helps raise much needed funds for this great charity – it will be something to be proud of.

What are you most excited for

Working with the team to overcome this epic challenge and developing a body akin to Michealango’s David as a result.

What are you most nervous about?

Realising half up Alp du Heuz that David was made out of stone and it makes it hard to climb. Well that and climbing in general – it is going to be a flat route – yeah??

It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to ride part of the Tour de France route, plus raising money for a fantastic charity, with all funds raised going directly to the Trials Acceleration Programme, in the effort to Cure Leukaemia.

What are you most excited for?

Challenging myself to take on iconic climbs and experience France in Tour mode, a week before the pros take on the same roads!

What are you most nervous about?

The weather! The event goes ahead whatever the conditions, adding a potential extra challenge to what’s already a very gruelling event.

For my mom, she and I started watching the Tour 17 years ago and I’ve watched it ever since and have always dreamed of going.   My mom got sick with cancer and passed very quickly in 2022, in less than 6 months she was gone.   Getting to ride the same course as the pros, is a dream realized — being able to do something like this, a dream of mine, is only second to a dream that one day we will find a cure for cancer.   For my friends who have lost children, my friends today who have leukaemia, and for my mom, dad and aunt Debbie who all died from this horrible disease, that’s why I’m riding.

What are you most excited for?   

Being in France, all the excitement of the worlds biggest bicycle race, climbing the iconic climbs, all of it really.   I am just excited for this whole experience.

What are you most nervous about?

I thought I was most nervous about riding up the mountains, but after this week, I think I’m actually more nervous about going down!!  Very fast with lots of curves….

To raise awareness of the battle that people have to go through when fighting cancer. My best friends daughter died of leukaemia and another colleague from work died as well from throat cancer.

What are you most excited for?

Riding for and with a cause together with a group going for that one goal. Finishing these gruelling 3 weeks

What are you most nervous about?

Not being able to raise the money and not being able to ride the 3 weeks. 😉

Of course it would be unable to do this exciting challenge. Don’t want to disappoint anyone and especially myself.

https://www.justgiving.com/page/david-goemans-1726578607666

Cycling has an incredible power to bring people together and build community. We see this again and again, when cities lay new bike lanes and business booms, or when group rides turn into cafe regulars. I found this myself after being hit by a car while biking. I was badly hurt, lost a pinky, and it changed my life — for the better. That crash made me get serious about cycling activism, and the results have been very rewarding. My city is listening, and improving.

Any person even casually familiar with cycling knows the Tour de France. It is famous — and famously gruelling. To tackle the TdF is to attempt a rare challenge. That’s attractive, but if it were just that, it might feel a little like vanity. Knowing that The Tour 21 is paired with such an important cause, to Cure Leukaemia, creates a sense of inspiration but also of obligation: I can choose this challenge, but no one chooses leukaemia, and having committed to both riding and raising money, I’m stirred to see it through.

What are you most excited for?

No doubt several of the stages will string together two or three segments that are bucket-list rides for many cyclists. Coming from North America means my opportunities to access those rides is limited, makes The Tour 21 a wonderful opportunity to check off a ton of incredible cycling — back to back to back.

What I’ve been unexpectedly touched by so far, however, has been the passionate support by friends, family, acquaintances, and even strangers. The cycling challenge attracts their attention, but it is the cause that stirs their hearts. I think that will be the lasting memory.

Similarly, I expect that the group of riders tackling The Tour 21 together will forge a unique bond, and I’m looking forward to getting to know this varied gang.

What are you most nervous about?

I love my home in Manitoba, with its vast skies and prairie horizons. But how to train for the mountains in the middle of one of the largest, flattest areas on Earth poses a conundrum. I can head for the nearest hill and ride it all day long, but I’ll never do a fraction of the steady climbing I’ll see on The Tour 21, and I’ll never get to any kind of altitude.

What I can do is ride directly into the wind, for as many kilometres as I want. Frankly, I might prefer the switchbacks.

https://www.justgiving.com/page/grant-hamilton-bikes

First and foremost, it’s about fundraising for such an important cause. The thought of helping to fund the amazing work of Cure Leukaemia is exciting. It’s also about continuing to challenge myself and see what my mind and body can achieve.

What are you most excited for?

Day 1 and Day 21! On a serious note I am excited to meet the whole team, my fellow fundraisers and each and everyone of the support team. It’s really not possible to do 21 Stages without the support team. Along the way we will do some of the iconic climbs of the Tour which will be very cool. My wife is doing The Route in 2025 so I am very excited to see her at the finish of Tour 21 and then join her at the start of her adventure!

What are you most nervous about?

There are the usual concerns about sickness and crashes, but I am most nervous about the lack of downtime! I enjoy being relaxed and doing things in my own time. That’s not the case here. From the moment you step off the bike you are on the clock to recover, eat, sleep and repeat!

Last year’s Tour 21 was such an incredible experience that I had to do it again.  We need to raise more money for those suffering from Leukaemia!

What are you most excited for?

Saving more lives through our fundraising.

What are you most nervous about?

Punctures!

My mom was diagnosed with terminal Leukaemia in 2021 and given a couple of months to live. She has fought hard for 3.5 years, but the end is getting very close. I want to help raise money to fight blood cancers. Also, I am a huge cycling fan and my dream has always been to ride the tour. The chance to combine these two passions is unbelievable and the opportunity of a lifetime. When I found out I had been chosen for the Tour 21 team I started crying because the chance was coming true.

What are you most excited for?

I am excited AND terrified to be riding the Tour de France route. I have had a chance to climb Mont Ventoux, Alpe d’Huez, the Galibier, Tourmalet and many other famous climbs and I know how hard they are. Now to attempt to ride 2100 miles in three weeks AND couple it with these epic climbs is both exhilarating and scary all at the same time. The Tour de France is one of the hardest physical challenges on the planet and it is amazing to have a chance to ride it. It is a true test of physical stamina, endurance and perseverance and I get to find out about myself by doing it.

What are you most nervous about?

I am nervous about the fundraising. I know it will be a challenge and I do not want to let people down. I am thrilled to have an opportunity to help raise money to fund drug trials to help people. I view that as a huge responsibility that I take very seriously. I am nervous because I have less experience at fund raising, than I do at cycling. The unknown is always scary but I get the chance to face it.

https://www.justgiving.com/page/joe-dominey-1722305714175

Why wouldn’t a cycling obsessive want to ride the most famous and hardest bike race in the world?  It’s a monumental challenge for any rider, let alone an amateur and to have the chance to ride the entire Tour de France in the same manner that the professionals do is true bucket list territory.  That being said, there’s a far more serious and important side to undertaking this adventure; supporting the extraordinary work that Cure Leukaemia does.  When I heard the stat that every 14 minutes someone in the UK is diagnosed with Leukaemia, it blew my mind. This means, that every 14 minutes someone’s world is upended. And not just their lives, the lives of their family and friends and everyone around them.  Having lost my grandmother to Myeloma, I know that that we have to do more to beat the scourge of this hateful disease and Cure Leukaemia is doing this work.  Its work through the TAP network and the newly launched ATICUS centres is literally saving lives and it is a massive privilege to be able to support and help the charity through Tour21.

What are you most excited for?

How long have you got? First and foremost, the opportunity to test myself against everything the hardest bike race in the world has to throw at us; the long days, the monstrous alpine climbs, the iconic cols, the hair raising descents, the unrelenting fatigue, the changeable and inclement weather. All of it.

Then there’s the camaraderie and team spirit that will be built and will get us through the hardest of days.  Having done smaller multi stage events before, I know with cast iron certainty that each and every member of the team will have at least one truly difficult day and probably more.  We’ll all get through them with help of our team mates and that strength of team is an extraordinary thing to be part of.

Oh and let’s not forget sipping champagne as we roll down the Champs Elysée on Stage 21!

What are you most nervous about?

Apart from the innumerable mountains? Coming up physically short and not riding every kilometre.  The cause is too important for us to fail, so I’m pretty sure I’ll have the determination to finish but the thought of an injury preventing me from finishing and letting down all of the people who will have given so generously is what worries me most.  Oh and fear of not finding decent mid ride pastries, that would be a disaster.

https://www.justgiving.com/page/jameskelly-tour21

I am riding Tour 21 to check off a huge bucket list / “dream come true” to see if i can accomplish the Tour as an average cyclist.

What are you most nervous about?

Nervous…  I am most nervous about finishing the entire 21 stages.

My interest in the Tour 21 event started as a once in a lifetime ride on the same route as the professional riders.  I knew one Leukemia patient as my motivation, but two weeks into the launch, I have met four other families affected by this dreaded disease.  If I can help raise funds to help find a cure or better treatments, I am “ALL IN”.

What are you most excited for?

I am most excited to meet the other riders and to experience each day of the tour with them and the Tour 21 team.

What are you most nervous about?

I am nervous about the downhills.  My bike has rim brakes and some of the downhills will be difficult to keep the speeds at manageable levels.  I am also nervous about the mileage day after day.  I did some training late summer to test my ability to ride long distance on consecutive days.  I worked my way up to three centuries back to back to back, but lost eight pounds in the process (over 7 weeks).  I will have to figure out how to maintain my weight during my ramp up in the spring.

https://www.justgiving.com/page/timothy-obrien-1725850624013 

I am a leukaemia fighter and a survivor, I want to feel life with all of its powers, and doing something for a life saving cause.

What are you most excited for?

Claiming the iconic Alps dHudz climbs

What are you most nervous about?

That I won’t be ill again before the event