Many bicycle tourism companies offer the chance to ride select stages of The Tour de France. At the end of those stages, you get to be a spectator in the crowd and watch the pros tackle the same route. But what if you could ride all 21 stages of the tour?
What if you could experience what it’s like to be a pro rider in cycling’s biggest, most important race while supporting a charity to end Leukemia? If that sounds like too much, you can also choose to ride just four stages of the tour. These options are available from The Tour 21.
About The Tour 21 and Its Mission
The Tour 21 is a bicycle tourism organization that gives its guests (25 amateur cyclists) the chance to ride the full Tour de France route a week before the pros take on the same roads. Participants also get to dive deep into the pro experience. Here is a partial list of some of the amenities that guests will get to access.
- Designated tour bus
- 22 nights of accommodations with all meals provided (all single rooms)
- Full mechanical support, motorbike outrider support
- Sports therapy support during the 21 stages.
- 7 days of training rides in Mallorca, Spain before riding the Tour de France course.
Cost of The Tour 21 Experience
Do all the details of this trip sound too good to be true? Well, keep in mind this excursion isn’t free and is specifically available to British residents, although I’m sure people from other parts of the world wouldn’t be excluded.
If you want to participate in this trip, you’ll have to dish out £12,000 (pounds). That’s not a typo, by the way. Not only that, but you will have to commit to fundraising a minimum of £30,000 (pounds). You’ll also have to pay for your own travel arrangements, your travel insurance, and bring your own bike.
Too much? Don’t think you could fundraise such a large amount? Don’t think you can ride all 21 tour stages but still want to ride some of the stages? The Tour 21 gives these riders an alternative. They can sign up to ride four stages of the tour for £2,500 with a minimum £10,000 fundraising commitment. These riders receive the same amenities as those riders doing the full route.
Why Is The Cost to Ride So Expensive and the Fundraising Options Set So High?
Basically, beyond the pro experience, all the great riding, etc., this The Tour 21 event is a charity ride. The funds you supply to be included in this ride pay for all the amenities and other elements mentioned above. Of course, not everyone has a spare 12,000 pounds sitting around to put toward a premier cycling event.
The cost of your participation and paying for travel arrangements, insurance, and the transport of your bike is only one part of the puzzle, though. The second part is that you’ll have to find a way to fundraise 30,000 pounds (or 10,000 pounds if you choose the four-stage option).
These are minimum goals, so if you can only get $25,000 or even less, you might not be able to participate in the trip, supposedly. Maybe the organizer will make an exception if you’re close to the minimum. If you have questions, it’s best to reach out to thetour21@cureleukaemia.co.uk.
Last Thoughts
If you can afford it and you meet the required fundraising goals, then this trip/ event looks to be fantastic. The Tour 21 is the only company I’ve found from all the bicycle travel companies I’ve researched so far that offers its guests the ability to ride the full Tour de France route.
While the parameters you have to meet to even participate in this event are definitely stringent, once you are on the road, everything you need is supplied. All you have to do is show up with your bike each day and be ready to experience the life of a pro cyclist over the next month. And afterward, if you have the time and resources, you can stay on and watch some stages of the actual Tour de France. That sounds like a pro cycling junkie’s dream come true.
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