THE MANAGER of a New Forest marina is taking on 'the challenge of a lifetime'.

Luke Machin, Berthon Lymington Marina manager, will be taking on one of the greatest challenges of his life after selection to be part of The Tour 21 team for 2022.

On June 24 one week ahead of the professional race, 25 riders will form The Tour 21 team and will take on the full Tour de France route, raising over £1m for Cure Leukaemia, the Official Charity Partner of Tour de France in the UK.

Since the announcement of the Tour 21, Luke has been to the home of England Football, St Georges Park, to train with other riders on the team and prepare for the gruelling ride ahead.

Luke said: “Whilst the training maybe tough it provides me with plenty of time to think about the reason behind why I am taking part in this challenge.

"As soon as the going gets tough and I start to feel sorry for myself I remember, I am lucky to be able to enjoy good health and the things I love without any issues.

"Those suffering from this horrible blood cancer, leukaemia aren't as fortunate as I am, and the money raised will go directly to ensure they get the very best care at the TAP centres across the country.

“A special shout out should go out to everyone that has sponsored me so far, it means so much. Thanks to Shared Access who have come on board as a corporate sponsor and finally you - for reading this.”

There are a range of corporate sponsorship opportunities available providing your business with access to global audience where your brand could be seen on Tour 21 kit, social media channels as well as NBC and YouTube documentaries. Please feel free to reach out to luke.machin@berthon.co.uk for further information.

To keep updated on Luke’s journey visit his justgiving page where you can view his Strava feed and track his progress https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/luke-machin6