The Geoff Thomas Foundation (GTF) is one of the 2010 L2P official charities and Geoff himself will be taking on the 520km again this year.
Geoff, who captained Crystal Palace and played nine times for England, was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia in 2003, aged 37, less than a year after his last season as a professional footballer. His sister, Kay, was luckily a perfect bone marrow match which gave him the opportunity to have a stem cell transplant in early 2004.
Inspired by the courage of patients around him and by Lance Armstrong’s battle with cancer, in January 2005 Geoff was told he had gone into remission by doctors and told he could start light training. He went to take on the Tour de France just six months later. In 2007 he completed the Tour again, this time joined by other blood cancer survivors raising money for the GTF. He has also taken on the L2P two times. The Foundation is now working closely with the charity Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research in an area that Geoff is particularly passionate about - raising funds for a network of national centres, which will allow patients to benefit from the latest advances in the treatment of blood cancers.
Geoff writes: “L2P is a really special event and a great opportunity to get close to experiencing the thrill of riding in the peloton. It really is the closest amateur riders can get to the Tour de France experience. We had an amazing time last year with a team of 20 GTF riders - great cycling, the best camaraderie and amazing memories.
It was a very proud and emotional moment for me as we rode into Paris together. We had a fantastic and challenging three days, with many of our team members pushing themselves to the limit to raise money for the Foundation.
As I saw the Eiffel Tower coming into view, it really focused my mind on why we were doing this. I am very lucky to have survived leukaemia – many of my fellow patients have lost their battle against this awful disease.
I never forget for a moment why I am doing it, when I’m out on the road - whether it’s L2P or the Tour de France. The sad thing is that blood cancer patients are having to wait too long to benefit from new drugs. We need to get new treatments from the labs to the hospitals and the bedsides - to people when they most need it. They need new drugs and new hope - we can save lives. L2P raised over £20,000 for the GTF in 2009 and hope to raise even more this year. I am indebted to the organisers for making the GTF one of the official charities of L2P 2010.”
To fundraise for L2P’s three official charities - the Geoff Thomas Foundation, Morning Star and DebRA - download a fundraising pack:
http://www.londres-paris.com/site/html/charities/2010_downloads.php