Tour de Force riders may be forgiven for casting an envious eye at the support vehicles at the 2016 Tour de France challenge, after it was announced that leading bike brand Trek are donating a fleet of premium carbon road bikes to support next summer's event.

The Tour de Force, established in 2006, is a charity-based challenge which follows the route of the Tour de France one week ahead of the pros. Participants can take on from 2-21 stages of the Tour by choosing from a range of different Tour Taster Packages, or becoming a 'Lifer' and completing the whole route. The 2016 Tour departs Mont St Michel on Saturday 25 June and arrives in Paris 21 stages later on Sunday 17 July.

Riders are fully supported throughout the three weeks with on-tour catering, medical and mechanical teams, and the organisers say the new partnership with Trek reflects the high standards they aim to provide.

"We're totally committed to giving the best possible support to our riders," commented Tour de Force event organiser, Sarah Perry. "That means we have great mechanics to sort out any bike problems our riders have, and if it's not a quick fix on the side of the road, we provide a spare bike to make sure our participants can complete every mile of their tour. I think it's safe to say that for many of our riders, our Trek back-up bikes will be far superior to their own - in fact, we fully expect more 'mystery mechanicals' this year as an excuse to get to ride on the gorgeous Trek bikes!"

Since 2012 Tour de Force has been working with Trek dealers On Your Bike which provides its London bike transport hub for getting bikes to and from France to save riders having to box up their bikes for flights or trains. With a link already established, Trek was keen to get involved.

"We're really excited to be supporting the Tour de Force by providing Trek bikes for their back-up fleet," said Helen Guesford, UK Marketing Manager for Trek. "The Tour is a huge, adventurous challenge and we want to play our part. We're helping the riders to achieve their cycling dreams of completing multiple stages of the Tour de France whilst supporting the UK's most disadvantaged youths. With Trek bikes on hand, we'll help make sure they don't miss a pedal turn of their challenge".

Tour de Force is aiming for 200+ cyclists to take part in 2016, with all riders raising money for the William Wates Memorial Trust (WWMT). The Trust gives grants to charities that engage disadvantaged young people through sport, arts and education. To date the Tour de Force has helped the charity support other causes to the tune of £2.5m, and this year's event hopes to add a further £500,000 to the overall total.

Following huge demand Tour de Force have managed to secure a limited number of additional places on the 2016 Tour. At time of writing there are just 23 entries left on the full Tour with some places available on all Tasters.

To book your place, and for further information on the Tour and available Tour Taster packages, visit www.tourdeforce.org.uk.

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