Every year for the past decade an intrepid group of cyclists from the advertising and production industries have challenged themselves to complete an unbelievable objective: to cycle the 1000KM from Geneva to Cannes over the French Alps - which means climbing eight Alpine peaks in nine days.
It's all in aid of the charity Leuka, for its work researching a cure for leukaemia, and helping those with the disease.
And this morning, Tuesday June 15th, the tenth annual 'tour des Fireflies' begins in Geneva for a bumper crop of riders. These include founder Fireflies members like Jake Scott (on his first ride for four years) and Nick Livesey (who has ridden in every single Alps tour), six-tour veteran Phil Tidy (dedicating his ride to his aunt and uncle, who have both been diagnosed with cancer this year), second-timers Simon Gosling and Claire Luke, debutants like Alicia Bamford and Liam Eldret - and also occasional guest day riders like legendary copywriter Alfredo Marcantonio.
Its an amazing challenge for a very good cause, and by supporting the Fireflies attempt to conquer the Alps once again, you can help the fight against leukaemia. Find out all about Fireflies, this year's tour, the team - and donate - at the website.
BUG's very own Phil Tidy's sponsorship page is here, so please give generously to keep Phil in the saddle. And you can also follow his and the team's progress on Twitter.
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Fireflies 2012 'For Those Who Suffer We Ride' by Chris Cairns
Tomorrow morning, June 12th 2012, the intrepid riders of the Fireflies embark on their mission to scale no less than 18 Alpine peaks in eight days, travelling over 1000 km from Lake Geneva to Cannes.
Fireflies: almost there - please donate, if you haven't already
They've spent over 50 solid hours in the saddle since they set out early last week, they've travelled about 800km, they've done about 70,000 ft of climbing, and have endured hypothermia-threatening …
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