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From football to life on the bike for former Wolves star Geoff

Former Wolves star Geoff Thomas has started recruiting riders to join him on his Tour de France charity challenge.

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Thomas is set to complete the Tour route one day before the professionals in July – 10 years after he first completed the feat.

Then, he was six months in remission from chronic myeloid leukaemia and raised quarter of a million pounds for Cure Leukaemia – the blood cancer charity founded by Professor Charlie Craddock, the doctor who treated him.

This time he is taking on two cycling challenges in a bid to raise a further £2 million for the charity, and is recruiting teams of cyclists to ride alongside him.

The first five riders have been announced for the 'Le Tour – One Day Ahead' challenge, with Stephen Jones from Solihull amongst them and preparing to conquer the famed cycling route.

Mr Jones, aged 52, is the senior regional director at wealth management firm Brewin Dolphin, and has known Thomas for many years.

Mr Jones said: "Geoff's achievements and commitment to raise funds to help find a cure for leukaemia over the past decade have been truly inspirational. I had the pleasure of first cycling with Geoff from London to Paris four years ago following the diagnosis of a mutual friend with leukaemia, and am proud to say Geoff is now a friend.

"When Geoff told me about Le Tour – One Day Ahead, I immediately wanted to be part of the challenge and help make a difference to this fantastic cause."

Four others have signed up for the challenge so far: Ciaran Doran from Guildford, Surrey; Dom Goggins from Salford, now living in London; Hayden Groves from Broxbourne, Hertfordshire and Doug McKinnon from Brighton, Sussex.

The team of 20 will get the full pro-cyclist experience with rolling road closures and a support crew on the Utrecht to Paris course, one day ahead of the Tour in July.

Mr Thomas, aged 50, said he was delighted the five had committed to the event: "It's going to be a tough challenge, but having such dedicated and confident riders alongside will help all of us achieve our goal – not just to complete the ride but to raise £1 million for Cure Leukaemia."

The other £1 million he hopes to raise through a pre-tour cycling challenge, London 2 Paris: Inspiring the Revolution.

Held in June, the four-day challenge will feature 300 people cycling 500km with rolling road closures, and is open for both keen cyclists and beginners.

For more information on the challenges and how to sign up, visit www.before thetour.com and www.L2Prevolution.com

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