Bangor’s Kevin Mahaney has an impressive list of accomplishments and he’s hoping to add another to that list later this summer.

And it just may be the most challenging of his life.

The 43-year-old Mahaney, who won a silver medal in sailing in the 1992 Olympics and founded and skippered the America’s Cup syndicate “Young America” three years later, will ride the entire 3,606-kilometer Tour de France course for charity.

The excursion is entitled the Tour de France Challenge.

The two charities he will ride for are the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the Tyler Hamilton Foundation, named after the American cycling stars. Armstrong, a cancer survivor, will try to win his seventh consecutive Tour de France this summer. His foundation benefits cancer patients.

Hamilton’s foundation benefits individuals affected by multiple sclerosis.

Mahaney was inspired by watching Armstrong and Hamilton in the Tour de France three years ago and that set in motion a three-year physical conditioning/cycling regimen which will culminate in his attempt to complete the course.

He will be joined by eight other cyclists and a support staff.

He is underwriting the trip expenses and is donating $1 dollar per kilometer.

Destination Cycling will match Mahaney’s contribution.

Joe Tonon, the founder and director of Destination Cycling, is the president of the Tyler Hamilton Foundation.

Mahaney is a cancer survivor himself, overcoming a malignant tumor in his neck during the period of time “after the Olympics and before the America’s Cup.”

When he saw Armstrong and Hamilton in the 2002 Tour de France, he said he “rooted like hell for them. They were two Americans in a non-American sport. I really like them and their attitudes.

“I like to do stuff. After watching a football game on TV, I want to go out and throw a football. After watching them, I wanted to go biking,” explained Mahaney, who has also become a national champion in his age group in snowboarding.

He eventually began getting into shape for his venture by riding “an hour and 15 minutes a day, three days a week.

“Then I got up to 15 hours a week and now I’m up to 24 hours a week and that’s taking Monday off and riding only an hour on Fridays,” said Mahaney, son of retired Webber Oil Company president and philanthropist Larry Mahaney.

“I’ve lost a little over 30 pounds and I’ll be down 35 pounds by the time we start. I’ll be at 165 pounds and I haven’t been that weight since my early years in college (Middlebury College, Vt.),” said Mahaney.

“What really puts it into perspective is that some days, from the time you get up, go to work and return home, I will have spent that entire time on a bike,” said Mahaney, the president and CEO of the Portland-based Olympia Companies.

Mahaney doesn’t know any of the other eight riders and won’t meet them until two days before the event, which will last from June 30-July 23.

“We will do each stage one day before the riders in the Tour de France do it,” said Mahaney.

“But I don’t think Lance Armstrong will be asking me for my opinion,” quipped Mahaney.

He said he is “excited with trepidation” about the challenge.

“The Tour de France grinds people down. There’s no other event like that,” said Mahaney. “Last year there were 19 teams in the Tour de France and only one team had every member finish the race. And they’re the best in the world.

“My goal is to finish it. That would be an amazing accomplishment,” said Mahaney.

Mahaney said it has been difficult balancing his job, time with his family and his training. Mahaney has three sons and all are accomplished snow boarders: 16-year-old Chris, 14-year-old Chan and 11-year-old Nic.

Mahaney, wife Diana and the three boys live in Greenwich, Conn.

“The biking demands have been excessive,” acknowledged Mahaney. “The question is, have I done enough [to finish the it]?”

He is hoping to raise at least $50,000 for the two charities.

“We’ve raised over $30,000 already and we haven’t even asked anybody yet,” said Mahaney.

He will leave within the next two weeks so he can get acclimated to Europe.

Josh Powers is his coach and Mahaney said “most of my teammates are professional cyclists.

“We’ve got five Americans and four Europeans,” said Mahaney, a former lacrosse All-American at Middlebury.

As he puts the finishing touches on his preparations, Mahaney said he knows what to expect.

“I’ll be seeing a lot of rear ends and back tires,” he quipped.