Former England footballer looking for charity cyclists to ride this year’s Tour de France route

Former England footballer, Geoff Thomas, is recruiting cyclists to ride this year’s Tour de France route a day ahead of the race. Le Tour – One Day Ahead forms part of his efforts to raise £2m for Cure Leukaemia. If you can raise £50,000, you could be one of 20 riders accompanying him, benefiting from rolling road closures and a support crew.

Thomas, who earned nine England caps during his playing career, was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2003. A stem cell transplant from his sister Kay in 2004 saved him and by 2005, he was raising money by cycling the entire route of that year’s Tour de France.

Before the Tour will be he his third attempt at such a challenge. He also completed the full Tour route in 2007; while in 2009 his charity, the Geoff Thomas Foundation, ran a virtual Tour de France charity challenge, which saw teams of people attempting to complete the race’s distance on exercise bikes.

So far, Thomas has managed to recruit five riders. One of those is 52-year-old Stephen Jones from Solihull, who said:

“Geoff’s achievements and commitment to raise funds to help find a cure for leukaemia over the past decade have been truly inspirational. I had the pleasure of first cycling with Geoff from London to Paris four years ago following the diagnosis of a mutual friend with leukaemia, and am proud to say Geoff is now a friend. When Geoff told me about Le Tour – One Day Ahead, I immediately wanted to be part of the challenge and help make a difference to this fantastic cause.”

The 20-man team will benefit from rolling road closures, motorcycle outriders, mechanics, physiotherapists, nutritionists and paramedics. Meals and shared accommodation will be provided and the team will also get to see the final stage of the race proper in Paris on 27th July.

Thomas is confident all will go well, but is also keen to emphasise that the physical challenge of the ride is really just a means to an end. "It’s going to be a tough challenge, but having such dedicated and confident riders alongside will help all of us achieve our goal – not just to complete the ride but to raise £1 million for Cure Leukaemia."

To find out more, visit beforethetour.com

Thomas also hopes to raise a further £1 million through a pre-tour cycling challenge called London 2 Paris: Inspiring the Revolution. Taking place between the 18^th and 22^nd of June, the four-day event will feature 300 people cycling 500km and will again boast rolling road closures and support staff.

To make it more accessible to those of differing ability, London 2 Paris will feature four different speed groups and each will finish by riding under escort up to the Arc de Triomphe and then on to the Eiffel Tower. More information can be found at l2prevolution.com