On 3rd July 2015 I will take part in the ride of my life.

Along with 20 other cyclists we will begin our challenge to ride every single stage of the 2015 Tour de France, just one day before the tour of the professionals.  Yes, every single stage!

We begin in Utrecht in Netherlands and work our way through Belgium, Northern France to Brittany taking in some mean short hills and lots of ‘pave’ (cobbled roads). Then a swift trip to the Pyrenees where the real action begins in the mountains before a few days respite and another four days in the Alps finishing at the top of Alpe d’Huez.

Why?  Besides that this is a childhood dream come true it is a challenge designed to raise one million pounds for the charity Cure Leukaemia, to find a cure for leukaemia in our lifetime.

I have not, thank goodness, been affected by leukaemia, but I am close to many who have been aflicted by this terrible cancer and it is clear to me that the work being done by Professor Charlie Craddock and his team at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham is saving lives. That’s it. It’s simple. The more money we can collect to pay for the right drugs and the right care then the more lives can be saved.

So while I take on the challenge of a lifetime by training for our very own Tour de France the even bigger challenge is for me to raise my own contribution of £50,000 all of which goes directly to the work on the ground at the Cure Leukaemia charity.

I hope you can support us generously : click here

https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/ciarandoranbeforethetour