Cure Leukaemia fundraiser Geoff Thomas embarks on toughest challenge yet
Former England and Wolves footballer, and blood cancer survivor, Geoff Thomas is embarking on one of the toughest challenges in amateur cycling to raise money for Birmingham-based blood cancer charity Cure Leukaemia.
The ex-player sets off today (Thursday) on the Geoff Thomas Three Tours Challenge, which will see him and four other cyclists take on the challenge of the three Grand Tours – the Giro D’Italia, Le Tour de France and La Vuelta a España consecutively.
Only 39 professional cyclists and, to date, no amateur team have ever achieved this epic feat in the same calendar year. Each rider will cycle a total of 10,504km in just 63 days.
The motivation behind the team’s goal is their aim to help Cure Leukaemia raise an additional £1m in 2017 to fully fund the expansion of the Centre for Clinical Haematology at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.
This transformational development will double the centre’s capacity for patients, clinical trials and specialist clinicians. Not only will the expanded centre immediately save more lives but it will also hasten global progress towards finding effective treatments for all blood cancers within 25 years.
The £3.2m project has already received more than £2m from local government and Cure Leukaemia must raise the additional funds by December 31, 2017.
Thomas and his team have secured sponsorship ahead of the Geoff Thomas Three Tours Challenge from another of his former football clubs, Crystal Palace and headline partner Farr Vintners, the London-based wine seller.
Farr Vintners chairman is former Crystal Palace FC shareholder and life-long fan, Stephen Browett. Farr Vintners has donated £100,000 towards the challenge.
Mr Browett, said: “Farr Vintners is delighted to be supporting Geoff Thomas in his Three Tours Challenge. Geoff was a legendary captain of Crystal Palace Football Club and his continued fundraising for Cure Leukaemia, including this epic cycling marathon, is inspirational to us all.”
Further support, has come from the wider Crystal Palace FC family.
Steve Parish, the Crystal Palace FC chairman, said: “Geoff is very much part of the Crystal Palace family and we are proud of his determination and courage to beat his battle with blood cancer. We are delighted to be supporting him and have no doubt that he will complete this immense cycling challenge. Knowing so few professional cyclists have conquered this feat, this is going to be Geoff’s greatest sporting challenge.”
Further support from Crystal Palace FC, came from team manager Sam Allardyce, who, speaking during a team training session at Selhurst Park, said: “It’s a scary challenge. I just hope he gets the publicity and the support that taking on such a huge task deserves. For what he [Geoff] is doing, it should not just be a few hundred thousand; for me it should be a few million.”
Geoff Thomas commitment to help the charity stems from the support he received when he was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia in 2003; in particular the treatment he received from the charity’s co-founder, Professor Charlie Craddock.
Thomas has been a staunch fundraiser and patron of the charity ever since.
Previous fundraising efforts have seen the ex-player complete Le Tour de France on three previous occasions and this year’s instalment, The Three Tours Challenge, will be his swansong.
Thomas said: “I would not be here now without Cure Leukaemia and Charlie Craddock, it is as simple as that. Beating blood cancer was my biggest ever challenge but in terms of sporting challenges this will go beyond anything I have ever taken on.
“We have been training extremely hard and we feel as ready as we can be for what lies ahead. It would not be possible to take on this challenge without the incredibly generous support of Farr Vintners which will allow us to raise significant funds towards Cure Leukaemia’s £1m Centre Appeal.”
Joining Thomas in the team are businessman Doug McKinnon, wealth manager James Maltin, chef Hayden Groves and chef and motivational speaker Marcus Leach. All have taken a break from their jobs and families to support the challenge.
The challenge was launched earlier this year at the London offices of JustGiving. Hosted by Cure Leukaemia patron, broadcaster and West Bromwich Albion fan, Adrian Chiles it was attended by Thomas’s former Crystal Palace teammates Mark Bright and Alan Pardew, current Palace chairman Steve Parish and cabinet minister George Freeman MP.
Another of the player’s former Crystal Palace teammates, now England manager, Gareth Southgate has also offered his support.
The ex-Aston Villa defender said: “As a former teammate of Geoff’s I know what a brave and committed player he was and these qualities will have no doubt helped him through his own battle with blood cancer. His fundraising since he beat the disease has not only raised millions but also inspired so many people in the process.
“I am in no doubt that Geoff and the team will complete this monumental cycling challenge and raise considerable funds towards Cure Leukaemia’s £1m Appeal so I hope the football community will unite behind this wonderful cause.”
The team has received messages of support from Olympic stars Laura Kenny and Alastair Brownlee, plus WBA and former England goalkeeper Ben Foster, who intends to join the team for the start of the Tour de France prior to the start of the Baggies’ pre-season plans.
To boost the fundraising, the team has arranged for keen cyclists to join them on various stages of the Tour de France. There are also sponsorship packages available for companies to get involved and potentially ride sections and stages of the famous routes.
Further information on sponsorship is available here
More about the Three Tours Challenge:
• 6,348 miles of cycling
o That’s the equivalent to cycling from Birmingham to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
• 66,000m of climbing
o That’s 7.5 times the height of Everest
• Training alone has consisted of:
o 72,000 miles
o 2,160 hours
o 25 million revolutions
o 1,008,000 calories burned
