Sedona resident Gary Bohn has cycled all of his life, but his relationship with the sport changed in the late 1980s.

Cycling on the world stage had been dominated by European riders, limiting interest in the United States.

That changed in 1986 when Minnesota-native Greg LeMond broke through, becoming the first American rider to win the Tour de France, the sports most prestigious and important event.

LeMond won the Tour twice more — in incredible comeback fashion in 1989 and a repeat title in 1990. Officially, LeMond is still the only American to win the event. Future seven-time champion Lance Armstrong and 2006 winner Floyd Landis were stripped of all titles following blood-doping controversy.

Bohn, who was born and raised in Minnesota, caught Tour fever during that LeMond run. His interest in cycling ramped up to another level. He made trips to France in 2000 and 2002 to see what he calls the “biggest spectacle in sports” first hand at the height of Armstrong’s run.

Those experiences cemented Bohn’s love for the sport.

“I’ve watched every minute [of the Tour] since,” he said.

The Tour de France is a grueling 23-day long event. Cyclists compete in 21 “stages” consisting of hours of long rides through some of the toughest road riding courses in the world. Those who complete the event ride over 2,200 miles in just three weeks.

Next summer, at the age of 64, Bohn will take on the Tour himself. Just weeks ago he was selected as one of 25 riders around the world to take part in The Tour 21, which will see Bohn and the other riders take on all 21 stages of the 2023 Tour De France just a week before the professionals take on the beast of a race.

“I was so happy just to do a few of the climbs [as a tourist in France in 2000 and 2002],” Bohn said. “It’s never entered my mind until last year.”

Better yet, The Tour 21 will raise nearly $1 million for Cure Leukemia, the official charity partner of the Tour de France. Leukemia and other blood cancers affect millions around the world each year, even LeMond himself was diagnosed with “a treatable form” of Leukemia in June.

The cause is something that hits close to home for Bohn. His wife was diagnosed with lung cancer five years ago, and while she’s thankfully cancer-free today, Bohn compared the diagnosis to a “shot in the head.” His family is still battling cancer as his sister in-law was recently diagnosed with Leukemia.

The charitable motivations are sure to propel Bohn through the brutal race. He has plenty of experience racing bikes in his native Minnesota and in Wisconsin, but primarily with mountain biking. When he and his wife moved to Sedona 13 years ago, he says it was primarily for the red rock mountain biking.

But make no mistake, the Tour de France is no mountain bike race. It’s almost completely on paved roads and bikers climb up vicious mountains on those thin road bike tires. Training hasn’t quite ramped up for Bohn just yet, as he says he’ll really heat it up at the turn of the new year in January, but he’s still getting prepared for those brutal climbs. He’s started with yearly rides to the top of the Snowbowl in Flagstaff from his Uptown Sedona home. That’ll shift to rides to the top of Mingus Mountain from Sedona, but he thinks the natural Sedona elevation will help with his training.

“I got some really good training,” he said. “I still bike every day, I think that’s the biggest requirement because that’s the Tour, it’s every day. It’s not a matter of biking hard then taking two days off, it’s biking every single day and I’ve done that for 13 years so that’s going to be very helpful I think.”

The most daunting task to Bohn isn’t the training or the climbs. He’s required to raise $40,000 for Cure Leukemia and he’ll need the help of the Sedona community
to do so.

Plans aren’t solid quite yet, but Sedona residents will have several opportunities to help Bohn reach his fund-raising goals, whether it’s through upcoming events at hotels and festivals, or even some bike-a-thon busking in Uptown Sedona.

“It’s only been two weeks but I have so many people reaching out,” he said. “The local community is very, very supportive.”

A GoFundMe fundraiser is online right now. Bohn is also offering handyman work in exchange for donations to help reach his goal. He can be contacted for all fundraising ideas and donations through his GoFundMe page.

At 64 years old, Bohn believes he’ll be the oldest participant in The Tour 21 yet. The climbs will be tough, but at least he’ll have the beauty of France in his view to distract him.

“It’s so gorgeous,” Bohn said. “It keeps your mind off the pain.”