Eighteen amateur cyclists, including Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital’s Professor Rob Wynn, have officially begun the 2023 edition of The Tour 21 – in partnership with Flutter - this weekend, riding all 21 stages of the Tour de France just one week ahead of the professionals and aiming to raise over £1-million for blood cancer charity, Cure Leukaemia.
The Tour 21 brings together a group of amateur cyclists annually to take on the biggest endurance challenge of their lives, the Tour de France – one week ahead of the professionals. As of day one of the 2023 ride, The Tour 21 has this year already raised over £725,000 - a huge accomplishment, but still with some way to go to their £1million target.
Rob is one of just 18 riders chosen to take on this year’s route having been selected from a pool of 400 applicants. He is Director of the Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) Unit in the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital – one of Britain’s largest and most innovative transplant programmes. Right now, several new cell therapies for kids with otherwise incurable leukaemia are open in Manchester, and kids travel to Manchester from all over the UK. He has spent nearly 25 years as a paediatric haematologist, treating children with leukaemia from Manchester, Liverpool, the North West of England and beyond.
“Over the past 25 years that I have worked in paediatric haematology, results for kids with leukaemia have improved greatly. Most kids are cured. But most is not enough.”
“In these last few years, new drugs, transplant and cell treatments have become available with an increasing number available with each passing month, developed by companies, in universities, and in laboratories.”
“These new treatments need to be tested in trials (which is an expensive process) with their role defined. Only this way will we turn most into all.”
This year’s route, which traces a diagonal route from the Basque country to the German border, includes stages in the Pyrenees, the Massif Central, the Jura, the Alps and the Vosges.
At 3,404km long, it eschews the Mediterranean as well as most of the north and south of France, taking in two countries, six regions, 23 departments, and five mountain ranges – the Pyrenees, Massif Central, Jura, Alps and Vosges.
Rob is riding the Tour de France route, to raise awareness of leukaemia in children and the need to fund trials to better treat it, and to raise funds for Cure Leukaemia which is committed to matching the trials network it has already created for adult patients with leukaemia, but for children with the disease.
“I have enormous respect for the event – actually respect is not the right word now, fear I think is the correct one”
“I am fundraising for a really important caurse. I believe in the science of leukaemia advance and the importance of clinical trials. The charity have made huge advances in the treatment for leukaemia.”
“Cure Leukaemia is a vibrant organisation that is deeply embedded in the scientific, clinical and patient community with reaches into sport, football and cycling. They have a track record of achievement and ambition.” he said.
Cure Leukaemia Chief Executive James McLaughlin expressed his sincere gratitude to the team as they set off from Bilbao.
"I say this every year, but I am once again in awe of our team of dedicated cyclists who will be undertaking this year's Tour. Everyone at the charity are immensely grateful for the sacrifices made by each of the cyclists over the past 12 months in preparing for this incredible challenge. They set off from Bilbao safe in the knowledge that they are making a real difference to blood cancer patients across the world.
The team will become a part of a very exclusive club by tackling all 21 stages of the Tour de France - a feat that very few amateur cyclists can list as part of their achievements.
There will inevitably be highs and lows along the way, but what is important for the team is that they never lose sight of the difference that their fundraising will make for blood cancer patients across the world."
Since 2020, Cure Leukaemia has been the Official UK Charity Partner of the race.
If you would like to assist The Tour 21’s fundraising efforts for this year, visit the event’s Just Giving page here.
