He beat Leukemia: now comes the Tour de France
Don’t look for logic in what’s about to happen over the next three weeks in the life of Roy Loewenberg. There isn’t any.
And yes, you could call him “irresponsible.” “Out there.” Even “crazy.”
He’d probably agree — and shrug it all off as he swings his leg over the bike this Saturday afternoon in Lille, France, and sets off on the second mission of his life: to ride the entire Tour de France, from start to finish, and reach the final line on the Champs-Élysées.
His first mission? Survival. Just a year and four months ago, on March 1, 2024, the then 46-year-old Israeli — a hi-tech professional, divorced father of two — was diagnosed with Leukemia. Within days, maybe weeks, he found himself hospitalized, close to death. The miracle came two months later: a successful bone marrow transplant from his sister, followed by a long and difficult recovery, and daily medication he still takes.
Fast forward to December 2024. The Israel – Premier Tech team gathered for preseason training and met a special guest: the Leukemia survivor himself, now in team kit, riding a Factor bike provided by the team, joining the pros for a couple of training rides — his first steps toward the seemingly impossible goal he’d set: to ride the entire Tour de France one week ahead of the pro peloton, as part of a group of amateur cyclists raising money for Leukemia research.
He got a lot of encouragement — and plenty of skepticism. “He may not fully realize it,” said IPT’s Spanish sports director Rubén Plaza, a Grand Tour veteran who volunteered to advise him, “but he’ll be riding far more hours each day than the pros. Less than a year after Leukemia. How will he cope?”
But Roy stuck with the training, followed the advice, and received strong support from Ekoï, one of the team’s sponsors. A few weeks ago, he joined a dedicated training camp in Girona — IPT’s European base — led by Olympic rider Rotem Gafinovitz, with Israeli IPT riders joining to support and ride alongside him.
They came away impressed. “We did some seriously long rides,” said Nadav Raisberg, “and it was hard to believe this guy had battled Leukemia just months ago. But once you get to know him, you see how insanely strong he is mentally. I became a believer. I really think he can do what seems impossible.”
Rotem was convinced too. “He’s not only tough — he listens. For example, we noticed he wasn’t eating or drinking enough on long rides. He adjusted right away. He has a mind that got him through cancer, and a body that can take pain. I truly believe he can handle this.”
Roy has no illusions: “I’m probably going to go through hell,” he says. He’ll be the only rider in the 20-member Tour21 group — mostly relatives of Leukemia patients — who actually had the disease and underwent a bone marrow transplant. But the suffering doesn’t scare him.
“The hardest pain I’ve known came from the disease. So physical pain doesn’t really scare me.” He draws strength from the pros’ support. “I hold on to what Chris Froome told me: ‘Even if you’re too stressed to sleep, it’s okay. Just lying in bed is already rest for the body.’”
Raisberg advised him: “Only think about tomorrow. Don’t worry about what’s coming later.” Roy plans to do exactly that. His biggest fear? “Catching some dumb virus.”
After flight delays on his journey from Israel to Europe, he wore a mask the entire time. Many warned him he’s risking his health. He remembers what his Leukemia doctor told him: “Roy, this ride won’t bring back your Leukemia. But if you’re willing to risk that it could kill you — that’s your choice.”
So are you willing to take that risk?
Loewenberg says: “Yes. I want to show people who’ve had Leukemia — or will face it in the future — that they can still reach the highest peaks. That’s a risk worth taking. Only after surviving did I realize how much I want to help others. That’s the real meaning of life.”
Roy will begin his special Tour de France this Saturday. All of us at Israel – Premier Tech family will be following every step of the way — cheering him on.
He’s committed to raising £30,000 for Leukemia research. So far, he’s raised £21,000.
