4004km, 47,895m, 22 days - 1 rest day, how hard can it be?
Giro d'Willtalia
This year, 5 intrepid friends are embarking on a mission to complete their third and final of the Grand Tours having cycled over 5,850km in 2018 over 24 days recreating the 1968 Tour de France. We followed up with the Tour of Spain in 2022 at 3,200km in 18 days with no rest days.
They are now setting out to complete the Giro d'Italia of the same year, all for the same amazing causes.
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We are aiming to raise £20,000 so far for Cancer Research UK, Herts Young Homeless and Harrison’s Fund, a charity set up by my cousin Alex Smith for his son. Young Harrison has Duchenne muscular dystrophy and the charity will help fund research into cures.
The Challenge
We have a core of five riders who will be taking on this gruelling challenge:
Will Jackson-Moore, James Lumpkin, Scott Burgess, Andy Carson and Simon Abrahams will cycle over 4,000km in 22 days and climb nearly 48,000m with just 1 rest day from August 1 -25 recreating the 1968 Giro route from the year Will was born.
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People (including former Professional riders) question if we can complete this sort of distance in the same number of days with only 1 rest day, the benefit of a peloton and amusingly observe we won’t have any of the “supplements” prevalent in the 60s. All I will say is that it will take a great deal to stop us.
sports therapist, masseur and bike fitter
The Support
Keeping bodies and more specifically our legs going will be Scott Cornish, an experienced sports therapist, masseur and bike fitter - Perform Unbound based out of Chamonix. Scott is an endurance cyclist himself, so knows all about the pains and aches we will endure. He worked his magic on us in the TdW and he is on board again this time.
Thanks Scott!!
The Charities
We are supporting three charities with a focus on causes that have impacted mine and many other families.
Click the images below to learn more.
'With the funds raised from Tour de Will in 2018, we were able to part-fund an exciting study looking at the effects of Carmaseal on people with Duchenne. It used to be the case that children and young people with Duchenne would die from respiratory failure. This is now better managed by steroid use and heart failure is now the primary cause of death in the Duchenne community. Carmaseal is showing positive results in improving heart function and reducing fibrosis in the heart and lung cells. Phase II clinical trials are currently underway and we hope that it will continue to see good results. It's an exciting potential treatment that could help all those with Duchenne. Thank you to Will and his team mates for not only completing their amazing challenge in 2018, but for getting back on their bikes this Summer to help us continue our Duchenne research programme. Good luck to you all!'
-Alex Smith, Founder and CEO of Harrison's Fund