Ian Wright to join Geoff Thomas on Tour trek

This is the second time Thomas will have cycled the route of the Tour de France, but the first time for Ian Wright who will be joining Thomas and five other cancer survivors for the first week of the Tour ride.

In July, the team will ride the 2,400 mile, 21 day Tour de France, setting off two days after the professionals and maintaining the same schedule, including the prologue and Stage One of the race, which starts in London.

Geoff Thomas captained Crystal Palace to the FA Cup Final in 1990, retired from the game in 2002 and was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia in 2003, given just three years to live. Following a successful bone marrow transplant and intensive chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Geoff’s leukaemia went into remission in January 2005.

Since his recovery, Thomas has worked relentlessly to raise funds for various leukaemia charities and this year he launched his own charity, The Geoff Thomas Foundation, which will raise money to fund clinical research into finding a

Talking of his recruitment of former team-mate Ian Wright to join him for the first week of the race, Thomas said: “He’ already been measured up for his bike and is in training so there’ no going back now! I am so pleased Wrighty is on board this year He said to me he was in need of his next big challenge, and this certainly fits the bill. My advice to him is just to keep focussed with the training – he has come so far from the day we picked up his Trek bike and he fell off because he was too busy chatting – no surprise there though!”

Wright said: “I am so up for this challenge; It didn’t quite sink in until yesterday as to quite how far I am going to be cycling. To say I am scared is an understatement, but bring it on though! Life is there for the taking, without pushing yourself to the limits, you never truly know what you are capable of.”

“I am getting fitter and fitter all the time, I have all the cycling kit now, and get out on my bike every day for a long ride. The prospect of doing a 100km a day ride up a mountain is very daunting though, so I have a long way still to go with my preparation.

“As well as supporting Geoff and the incredible work he has been doing by setting up the Geoff Thomas Foundation to support people tackling cancer, and of course the immense personal challenge, my aim is to encourage and inspire kids to get more active; get off the bus and walk or cycle to school, take up sports and get stuck in.”
www.geoffthomasfoundation.com/