A group of riders
drawn mainly from the film and advertising industries are gearing up to take
part in the 14th annual Fireflies Tour that will see them cycle 1,000
kilometres through the Alps from Geneva to Cannes with the aim of taking the
amount they have raised for a cancer charity to beyond the £1,000,000 mark.
I’m one of those
riders.
The first Fireflies Tour took place in 2001
when five cyclists rode through the French Alps to raise money for the
Catherine Lewis Centre at London’s Hammersmith Hospital, raising an impressive
£100,000 between them. Since then, the sponsorship total has risen to £800,000,
bringing the magical seven-figure barrier into sight.
The challenge, whose motto is “For those who
suffer, we ride,” was dreamt up by Jake Scott, Adrian Moat, Nick Livesey, all
directors at Ridley Scott Associates Films. That trio was joined on the
inaugural ride by Tim Page, head of TV at Young & Rubicam, and ski
instructor, Chris Haworth, who given his knowledge of the mountains, helped develop
the route.
The end of the ride was timed to coincide
with the Cannes Lions Film Festival, which is focused on young, up-and-coming
directors and crew and the film advertising industry, as it has done each year
since.
The following year, nine cyclists took part,
and each year since then, the numbers have swelled to the point that when this
year’s ride gets under way on 8th June 2014, there will be no fewer than 60
people setting off on the full itinerary, which takes in some of the classic
Alpine climbs made famous by the Tour de France, and on the way we’ll be joined
by a further 90 cyclists taking in parts of the route.
Each rider commits to raising £2,000
sponsorship for Leuka, a charity based at Hammersmith hospital that facilitates
research into leukaemia.
So, why the Fireflies Tour? Well, there’s a
story behind the name, and it’s a pretty evocative one too. “One night on the
second year we had to descend the final mountain, Col de Turini in the dark,”
explain the organisers.
“The moon was hidden and none of us had
lights. As we entered the forest it became virtually impossible to see.
Suddenly thousands upon thousands of Fireflies appeared, hovering above the
road, as if to guide us through the darkness. It was the most magical thing
you've ever seen. As we came upon the first town light they vanished and we
were safe.”
That alone would make for an interesting
backstory, but there’s more: “What's incredible is the gene that allows
fireflies to glow is helping researchers track the effectiveness of anti-cancer
drugs. Much like it helped us descend the mountain.”
