It won’t be the 12-hour biking days that keep Waverly resident Tim O’Brien from repeating his ride of the Tour de France race route. Or the multi-hour Alpine climbs. Or the temperature extremes that left him depleted from the heat or shivering from the cold. Or even the lack of sleep.

It will be the fundraising.

The ride O’Brien took part in—The Tour 21—follows the Tour de France route a week before the professionals race, in aid of Cure Leukaemia, the official charity partner of the Tour de France. This year the fundraising ride ran from June 28 to July 20.

“I would physically do it again, but the fundraising was such a challenge,” O’Brien said at the end of July. He stressed the importance of leukemia research but added, “it’s tough asking people for donations.”

To join the ride, the

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