WELCOME TO THE TOUR DE FORCE 2012! RIDE ALL OR PART OF THE 2012 TOUR DE FRANCE ROUTE, 7 DAYS AHEAD OF THE PROFESSIONALS...

This is not just for elite cyclists. It's a really friendly ride intended just as much for 'weekend warriors' as it is for very experienced riders. We encourage and support everyone who takes part. Please join us! Find out more...

Click here to watch our 3 minute video.

 

"The fun... It was hard but it was fun"   Sandy, 2010 Tour de Force cyclist

It's back by popular demand!

In 2006 and 2010 the William Wates Memorial Trust delivered two exceptionally successful Tour de Force events attracting over 230 cyclists and raising over £800,000 for the charity.

The Tour de Force cyclists began with very different levels of cycling experience and ability. But with the support of each other and the event organisers they all achieved incredible feats of endurance, mental strength and heroism. They had the time of their lives!

"This is the sort of thing you live for"   Rick, 2006 and 2010 Tour de Force cyclist

After such huge success, we have decided to make this an annual event and so are back again and offering you the chance to ride the route of the 2012 Tour de France: the world's greatest cycle race.

You can join us for the whole ride or choose one of our Tour Tasters, cycling one or more stages to get a real sense of the tour.

We will have a full support team including event management, mechanics, medics and motivators. We organise your accommodation, food, luggage transfers and all other logistics. All you have to do is cycle!

We would love you to come on board and share what will be a truly rewarding experience, whilst raising funds towards our 2012 target of £500,000 for the William Wates Memorial Trust.

"I would do it again... I'd love to do it again"   Aidan, 2010 Tour de Force cyclist


 
 

LATEST NEWS
 

Richmond Ride Reminder
  19/01/2012
 

Calling all riders in London area - Sarah will be leading a 30-40 mile ride out on Sunday 22nd January from Richmond Park - Roehampton Gate at 9am. See you there!

Remember to check out the Training pages for details of future rides around the country.

 
 

Calling Friends and Family - Look at these reduced sponsorshop targets!
  18/01/2012
 

We’ve had a few requests from cyclists whose friends, family and colleagues are keen to join them on the Tour de Force but who are worried about raising the sponsorship money.

We also have quite a few places left on the shorter Tour Tasters.
 
So we’ve (very cleverly) put these two facts together and have reduced the minimum sponsorship amounts for the following Tour Tasters...
 
TT1: Prologue, Stage 1: New fundraising target £550
TT2: Stages 1-4: New fundraising target £1000
TT3: Stages 5,6: New fundraising target £1000
TT9: Stage 15: New fundraising target £550
TT12: Stages 19 and/or 20: New fundraising target £550
 
Please pass this information along. You really don’t need to be the world’s greatest cyclist to join in – we have plenty of cyclists signed up who have never taken on this sort of challenge and for whom just getting through one day will be the most astonishing achievement of their lives. 
 
For TT12 and the champagne party in particular, why don’t all you lifers try to get your friends along (and for those who aren’t cyclists, we’ve posted some more info on the Friends and Family packages here).
 
Hope to see as many of you as possible in Richmond Park on Sunday too. More info here!

 
 

London Pub Night Report and Contacts
  10/01/2012
 

It was great to see everyone who turned up to the pub night in London yesterday. And for those of you in London who couldn't make it, make sure you keep the 27th March free and come along to the next one (see our events calendar under the Riders tab for details).

There was much amusement over Steve's advice about how (or what) to wash on tour as well as some brilliant motivational chat about how to train and prepare.
 
We also saw samples of the Tour de Force jerseys which are very, very nice indeed. Compliments to Le Col for doing such a great job for us: Fantastic quality, lovely fabric and with all the design features you'd want. The zipped back pocket is even waterproof!
 
And then, Chris Ball (2012 lifer) brought along his Apex bike and Pierce from the Financial Times team was the guinea pig. While Pierce pedalled away, Chris made adjustments to the frame size and set up and we all saw the computer readings of power out-put and how efficient Pierce's cycling was in different positions.
 
Chris explained: "having a more efficient cycling position and looking at the muscles that aren't being used effectively can make a huge difference in how fresh you feel at the end of a day, and how easy it is to cycle the next day! You can also drastically reduce your chance of injury."
 
 
 
 
Lots of you asked for more information or to be put in touch with Steve (Twice Lifer, personal trainer and motivational force field) or Chris (Apex bike fit and personalised training programme) so please click on their names for more info

 

 
 
 

Click here to sponsor a cyclist.