The Tour 21’s Kelly Rhodes recently spent some time at her local Trials Acceleration Programme (TAP) Centre in Glasgow to help understand the work currently being undertaken by Cure Leukaemia in Scotland to help inspire her through the 3,404km challenge in 2023.
The team, headed up by Professor Mhairi Copland, welcomed Kelly on site at The Beatson Cancer Centre, along with Head Nurse Sophia and spoke in depth about the incredible work that their team is currently undertaking.
The Beatson is the biggest cancer centre in Europe, but the TAP Centre recruits patients primarily from the Glasgow area.
There are over 30 nurses in Sophia’s team and with just a few of them funded by the NHS. The remainder are funded through trials work (some commercial with drugs companies and some via charity fundraising such as ours).
The trials taking place are pioneering with some patients in the centre having been the very first person in the world to receive a new medication.
Kelly will be joining a team of 24 other amateur cyclists to take on The Tour 21, which will take place from Friday 23rd June – Sunday 16th July 2023, and will see them take on all 21 stages of the Tour de France with the aim of raising £1,000,000 for the charity. Starting in Bilbao, the most populous city in the Basque Country, the team will follow the same route and ride over 3,500km in just 21 days.
“For some time, I have been seeking some sort of challenge where I can regain a sense of perspective and do something really tough that puts me back in my old space where I have to work really hard and do things for other people. The Tour 21 is the perfect opportunity for me as I don’t think I can find a much tougher challenge!”
Interested? Due to incredible demand, all places are SOLD OUT for The Tour 21 in 2023, but we DO have availability if you would like to register your interest in taking part in 2024 (route to be confirmed in October 2023).
