Ever wondered what it’s like to ride the full Tour de France route with pro-level support? Experience the ultimate bucket list cycling challenge with The Tour 21

​Ride the full Tour de France route, and stay in the same hotels as the pros? This is not a pipe dream we’ve conjured up, it could really happen! In 2026, a new team of amateur cyclists will take on the full 3,333km route one week ahead of the professionals, and we’ve spoken to some of the riders who’ve already completed the challenge to find out what it’s really like.

Each autumn, when the official Tour de France route is unveiled, the world’s best cyclists begin preparing for the most demanding three weeks in sport. But they aren’t the only ones.

From 27 June to 19 July 2026, The Tour 21 in partnership with Flutter Entertainment gives a team of amateur riders the opportunity to ride every stage of the Tour de France. It mirrors the pro race in every detail – including legendary climbs such as the Alpe d’Huez and Galibier – except that the riders aren’t professionals. They are normal people who in the most recent edition, helped to raise £1,000,000 for Cure Leukaemia, the Tour’s official charity partner.

The Tour 21 offers a fully supported, professional-standard experience from start to finish. Riders receive 22 night of single-room accommodation, all meals and on the bike fuelling, full mechanical support, motorbike outriders with rolling road closures (the only amateur Tour de France ride to include rolling road closures throughout France), dedicated sports therapists, an official team bus, and a week-long spring training camp in Majorca to prepare for the challenge.

As part of the entry fee, you also get Cure Leukaemia training kit and official on-event cycling kit and off-bike kit.

The entry fee is £12,000, and the minimum fundraising target is £30,000. Tim Adams, who rode The Tour 21 this year and raised an extraordinary £148,000 for Cure Leukaemia, told us: “I suspect the majority of people will be first attracted by the Tour de France challenge, and this will not disappoint, but the charity fundraising although daunting is actually just as satisfying an accomplishment as the Tour itself.”

How did it feel riding the whole Tour de France route?

We asked Tim to share the physical and emotional reality of the challenge. He said, “Cycling the Tour de France route as a relative novice, I only properly took up cycling a year before the event, was an incredible experience.

“The scenery which is breathtaking, the sense of achievement every day, living life as close to a pro athlete as I’m ever likely to get, and seeing your body and mind respond to the challenge was amazing.

“There is nothing like the feeling of riding through France, doing the route that you know the pros will be doing a week later, led by a motorcade, kids and families waving and cheering as you go through French villages. You can’t help but smile”.

How can you prepare for the event?

Riding 3,333km over three weeks with only two rest days is a huge physical and mental challenge, even for elite athletes. Tim admits he had never cycled in the Alps or done any significant climbing outside of the UK before signing up. The training camp in Majorca, included in the entry fee, was invaluable:

“It gave me a reference point for how climbs would feel, and also how my fitness and ability stacked up against other participants, and also how I could recover on back-to-back days cycling,” he said.

His training included three focused Zwift sessions per week, two long weekend rides, eventually building back-to-back 100-mile days and a lot of solo training, which made riding in The Tour 21 peloton even more impactful.

“A lot of the Tour is Zone 2 effort, so it’s really about time in the saddle and getting endurance into the legs.” 

He also highlights the importance of mental resilience: “People spend money on bikes and parts, but what you really need to work on is your body and mind. The reality is that your mind will give up before your body or bike does.”

How did the support set-up help?

Tim adds: “The wider team is absolutely critical. It won’t work without the lunch ladies, masseurs, ride captains, moto guys, restaurant organisers – little details matter. It enables you to really focus on the bike stuff, as the noise off the bike is considerable even with the support you get. 

“Simply put, I wouldn’t have completed this without the support of everyone. The energy it gives you to get up and get it done is incredible. You pull on it during the darkest moments.”

Thinking about applying?

For many riders, the event stays with them long after the finish line. Tim is no exception.

“The project changed me forever… it changed my relationship with the charity sector, changed my perception of my ability to influence and inspire other people through my willingness to put my body through the wringer.

“When I started this journey, this was about me and my challenge, but by the end it wasn’t about me at all. It was about the cause and all the people who have generously come on the journey with me to change outcomes and improve lives for people and families affected by blood cancer.

“I’d recommend the experience to anyone, so much so that I am considering returning for 2027.”

For more information, head over to The Tour 21 website