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<\/p>\nThink you\u2019ve got what it takes to ride cycling\u2019s most iconic race?<\/p>\n
The Tour 21 is the best way to test that out, offering amateurs the exclusive chance to follow every inch of the official Tour de France route, all 3,333km of the Grande Boucle, starting next summer in Barcelona. From there, fundraisers-come-Grand Tour hopefuls clip in for three weeks, mirroring the pro course with rolling road closures throughout the 21-day-long epic.<\/p>\n
Not only do you get your own chance of feeling like Tadej Poga\u010dar galloping through the Alps, but you\u2019ll be supporting the fight against blood cancer by helping to raise funds for Cure Leukaemia, the official UK charity partner of the Tour de France.<\/p>\n
All that\u2019s left for you is to get in gear, raise funds and spread awareness for blood cancer.<\/p>\n
Ride like the pros<\/p>\n
Tour 21 provides an on-event experience that is as close to a professional rider\u2019s journey as possible. For starters, you\u2019ll be covering the exact same route as the Tour de France just one week ahead of the pros\u2019 arrival next summer.<\/p>\n
For that extra pro feel, you won\u2019t be alone on the roads of France (or northern Spain). There will be comprehensive on-bike nutrition, mechanical support and motorbike outriders to ensure the rolling road closures, making this the only Tour-long sportive with these measures in place.<\/p>\n
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To help you recover in the evening, sports therapists will be on hand on the bike and at the post-ride hotel, which is covered in the entry cost (\u00a312,000) for the full 22-night-long event. Plus, you\u2019ll be whisked around the continent on a dedicated team bus, taking you from finish line to start line, just like the pros.<\/p>\n
What to expect<\/p>\n
Dressed head-to-toe in Tour 21 gear, you\u2019ll join a team of up to 25 Cure Leukaemia fundraisers in Barcelona on Saturday 27th June 2026, a week before the pros begin the Grande Boucle on the streets of the Catalan capital.<\/p>\n
From there, the Tour 21 team will tackle every metre of the Grand Tour\u2019s parcours, through the Pyrenees, Massif Central and Alps before a hero\u2019s welcome in Paris three weeks later on Sunday 19th July 2026, leaving you plenty of time to soak in your herculean effort and catch the final throws of the men\u2019s Tour de France before they return to Paris in seven days\u2019 time.<\/p>\n
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Tour 21\u2019s route highlights<\/p>\n
The parcours for next year\u2019s Tour 21 covers the same route as the men\u2019s race, meaning you\u2019ll be in the saddle for 3,333km, spanning three weeks and 54,450m of elevation, all in the name of raising vital funds for Cure Leukaemia.<\/p>\n
Besides the sunny beaches and Sagrada Familia in start city Barcelona, next year\u2019s route crosses five of France\u2019s mountain ranges: the Pyrenees, Massif Central, Vosges, Jura and, of course, the Alps.<\/p>\n
After an opening week spent covering the Col du Tourmalet, the oldest hors-cat\u00e9gorie in the race\u2019s history, and Pyrenean classic, the Col d\u2019Aspin, you\u2019ll be served a bucket list of climbs in the Alps. Just like Poga\u010dar and Jonas Vingegaard, you\u2019ll be faced with the Plateau de Solaison and the mythical 21 hairpins of the Alpe d\u2019Huez as you near Tour 21\u2019s conclusion.<\/p>\n
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The pinnacle, however, will be on the ride\u2019s 20th stage, which takes on an iconic, albeit gruelling, profile through the Alps. Totalling just over 5,500m of elevation gain, the stage tackles the Tour staples of the Col de la Croix de Fer, Col du Galibier and the Col de Sarenne, the lesser-known backroad up to the finish line atop Alpe d\u2019Huez.<\/p>\n
Luckily, what\u2019s waiting on the other side is a procession through Paris. Via the now-iconic Butte Montmartre, you\u2019ll arrive arm-in-arm with the rest of the team onto the city\u2019s most famous boulevard, the Champs-Elys\u00e9es.<\/p>\n
Preparing for the big ride<\/p>\n
The Tour 21 is about raising funds for blood cancer while living out your wildest cycling dreams.<\/p>\n
If fitness is a worry ahead of the three-week ride, your \u00a312,000 entry fee covers a week-long spring training camp. A couple of weeks later, you\u2019ll pull the Cure Leukaemia jersey on and help the fundraising efforts in reaching a target of over \u00a31,000,000.<\/p>\n
To help achieve that marker, the charity has set a minimum fundraising target for each participant of \u00a330,000. However, for this Poga\u010dar-like effort, you\u2019ll be sure to receive the support of plenty of friends, family and colleagues on the build-up to the big ride.<\/p>\n
The entry fee for the 2026 Tour 21 is \u00a312,000, and each rider is required to raise a minimum amount of \u00a330,000 for Cure Leukaemia.<\/strong><\/p>\n