“Women cycling is undergoing this amazing time”
In the latest episode of Cure Leukaemia’s Let’s Talk Blood Cancer: The Patients Podcast, host Adam Joyce sits down with four The Route riders who are preparing to ride all 9 stages of The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift this summer, one day ahead of the professionals.
The Challenge
Laura Ganderton, Zoe Burton, Anna Lowe, and Claire Morris, all amateur cyclists, are taking on the full Tour de France Femmes route to raise funds for Cure Leukaemia, just one day ahead of the professionals.
Joined by 19 others, they will complete 9 stages over 9 days, covering 1,170 kilometres, climbing 19,000 metres, and tackling multiple mountains, including the iconic Mount Ventoux!
Why take on the Tour de France Femmes?
For Laura, being the only deaf person to ever ride the Tour de France Femme, she wants to inspire more women to get on their bikes. Her challenge is driven by her mum, who is living with blood cancer. “When I thought this is really hard, I reminded myself, Mum got through six rounds of chemotherapy,”
As a paediatric anaesthetist at Sheffield Children’s, Zoe has cared for children battling Leukaemia. It was not until last summer, when her niece Clemmie was diagnosed with leukaemia, that she saw a different perspective. “I thought I was quite empathic before, but it changed me”.
Anna, a keen cyclist, has always wanted to take on a great challenge. Having initially signed up for the ‘Taste of the Route’ riding the first 2 stages of the Tour de France Femmes, after experiencing the camaraderie on the Calpe training camp, she may be convinced to take on all 9 stages!
Having taken on other cycling challenges like the 321 in Mallorca, Claire wanted a new challenge to mark her 40th birthday this year. Having seen Route riders from previous years take on the challenge, she was always tempted. After applying to see if there were any spaces to join this year’s Route, Claire was accepted, and the rest is history.
Fundraising Efforts
This month, our 2026 Route riders reached an impressive milestone, surpassing £100,000 in their fundraising efforts. For Claire, this ranged from staying in the saddle for 9 hours at her local gym, to mark each stage of the Route to back-to-back reformer pilates sessions, to coffee and cycle mornings.
Being a paediatric anaesthetist and having 3 children of her own, Zoe’s fundraising has included making and then selling Christmas gift bags outside of schools, staff Bake Offs, and even a charity hill climb within her local community, with all of her participants in fancy dress to engage as many children as possible.
The inspiration behind the challenge
Following a visit to Sheffield Children’s Hospital with Dr and fellow Route rider Katharine Patrick, Anna said she felt privileged to meet families of children undergoing treatment and to see firsthand the impact of fundraising. One comment made by Dr Patrick has stayed with her during the toughest climbs: “It is such a privilege to suffer on the bike, but choose to stop at any point, suffering on the bike is nothing like experiencing leukaemia.”
Zoe, who works with children every day, sees the impact of the ATICUS Network firsthand—advancing care for those who previously had limited treatment options. While her niece Clemmie did not require a stem cell transplant, Zoe says she still benefited from treatments made possible through the network. “The children I work with are amazing, they have an ability to find positivity in anything, something we often lose as adults.”
For Laura, taking on the Route is about mindset. “It’s all about reframing the doubt,” she said, focusing on pushing through each climb. She also hopes to challenge perceptions of cycling as a male-dominated sport and inspire more women to get involved.
Looking Forward
The team are particularly excited about the opportunity to “ride like one of the pros”, taking on the same climbs, including the iconic Mount Ventoux. Part of what is considered one of the toughest Tour de France Femme routes put together in decades, with stages 1 and 2 standing out as especially daunting.
When faced with the challenges ahead, the team reflect on what a privilege it is to be riding with a group of women.
“You do have ups and downs, but we know we will say to each other, actually, you can do this. And we’ll get through it”.