For Brandon cyclist, Grant Hamilton, he had a lot to reflect on and be thankful for over this past weekend. When reviewing his past year of training for the cycling challenge Tour 21 that took place in France this past summer, Hamilton is thankful for going into the Fall season with lesson pressure on accomplishing the ultimate challenge in his pastime as an amateur cyclist, to spending more time with family and friends.
Tour 21 is a fundraiser whereby 25 amateur cyclists from around the world raise money for cancer research, more specifically leukemia, through the Cure Leukemia organization out of the UK. The challenge was to set a fundraising goal, raise that amount, and then complete the 21 stages of the 2025 Tour de France route one week prior to the professional cycling race.
Tour 21 cyclists 2025 on July 7th in France. Brandon cyclist Grant Hamilton is 3rd from the right
Hamilton’s personal goal was to raise $55,000. He not only reached that goal but surpassed it by over $5,000 more. Hamilton raised over $60,000. As a team of 25 amateur cyclists, the Tour 21 team of 2025 raised over $1.8 million CDN.
“Yes, I had a wonderful year and I really, really felt blessed to be able to spend July cycling through France, and I do try to console myself that July is one of the best months in in Manitoba and I missed a little bit of that, but I got quite a bit of opportunity,” shares Hamilton. “I’m thankful for the wonderful weather we had in September to remember some of the wonderful summer that that Manitoba can bring.”
Photo credit Tour 21 website
“But all of that experience just reinforces for me how great the community is here in Westman and the support that I had even on the toughest climbs in the mountains of France,” he adds. “The support that I felt from back home here in Westman really carried me through and I’m so grateful to have to have really learned that over the past year to have to see how many local people, friends, family, but also strangers and local businesses and local organizations really embraced the cause of leukemia research, embraced cycling, and I felt that that embraced myself.”
“That’s a lesson that I’ll take with me, not just through Thanksgiving weekend, but through the years to come,” adds Hamilton.
Please listen to more with Grant Hamilton below!
To see videos and the photo gallery of the 2025 Tour 21, (and see Hamilton in action) visit the website, or click HERE!
Photo credit Tour 21 website