Windsor woman to ride Tour de France route in memory of late husband

A Windsor woman will be taking on the women’s Tour de France route in aid of Cure Leukaemia this summer in honour of her late husband.

‘The Route’ is a women’s only event to help raise money for the charity while giving amateur cyclists the chance to take on an epic cycling challenge to match the professionals.

It brings together participating cyclists to take on all stages of Tour one day ahead of the pros –more than 1,175km and 18,795 metres of elevation in nine days.

About 20 women are taking part, including Windsor woman Jill Willis, riding in memory of her late husband who passed away from leukaemia last year.

Jill is 65 years old and has been cycling for about 30 years. She has done several other charity rides including one for breast cancer research, called One More City – a four-day ride across consecutive days covering 400 miles in Europe.

About 20 years ago, Jill also did Land’s End to John o’ Groats for the British Heart Foundation because her father died of a heart attack.

“Solo with no internet was interesting,” she said. “I had to just phone the tourist office and they would find me somewhere to stay.

“This [Tour de France] one is twice as long and twice as hard. And we have to raise £10,000, which is more of a challenge than the actual ride itself, I think.”

The trick is pace, she said, ‘not blowing your socks off on day one’ but also ‘if you’re not careful, you’ll be riding through the night.’

Another trick is to remember why you’re doing it, she said.

“You have to think about the [cancer] treatment folks are going through. Is it as harder riding this mountain, or is it harder for them?

“On the days that are really hard on this ride, I’ll be thinking about everybody who didn’t make it, and those who have made it to a certain extent – but they have to constantly be living with the treatment which comes with its own side effects.”

The summer event will start with a three-day Grand Départ in Switzerland, before twisting through France and finishing on the Côte d’Azur in Nice.

It is set to be the toughest challenge yet, say organisers, culminating in mountain stage finish on Mont Ventoux, a famous challenge for cyclists.

The team will also face ‘the ultimate test’ – the Giant of Provence, a 15.7km climb from Bédoin, known for its exposed, barren landscape and punishing heat.

They will be climbing to 1,910m, requiring good pacing and grit – and the final day in Nice is packed with climbing.

Learn more about The Route at theroute.co.uk