Welcome to my new blog, where I will keep you up-to-date with the adventures that me and my fellow FireFlies riders face through our 8-day slog across the Alps from Innsbruck, Austria down to Cannes, France.
I guess the best place to start is to give a bit of context as to what has happened so far this year to get me to this stage, and why exactly I am putting myself through all this.
So far this year I have completed 105 bike rides, covering 3,400km (that's more than 2,000 miles)including 40,000m of vertical ascent. To put that in context, Mt Everest has a vertical ascent of 8,848m.
It's been a struggle at times, through rain, hail, wind, and just general exhaustion. I've had some beautiful rides through lush green countryside, and other rides just riding relentlessly up and down the same hills for 6 hours on end. I feel really fit, and better on a bike than I ever have done, yet I still won't know if it's all been enough until I hit the first mountain in 4 days.
So, why am I doing this?
Well, it's all in preparation for the FireFlies Tour. Every year since 2000 the FireFlies have set off from one side of the Alps, travelling thousands of kilometres and climbing hundreds of mountains to raise money for Blood Cancer research and treatment. The charity, Bloodwise, really are an amazing bunch, and so are the riders who take on this extreme challenge.
Many who put themselves through the ride have lost loved ones, lost friends, or even had their own personal battles with this most brutal of diseases. It's all in the hope that the money raised can help eradicate blood cancer once and for all.
The thing about blood cancer is that if you can cure this form of cancer, you can cure all others. What better reason to put myself through all this? My suffering will be nothing compared with what those with blood cancer go through.
So, for now, I welcome you to my blog, and each day I will post a collection of videos and photos from my trip to show you what it truly feels like to be a FireFly.
Please, if you haven't already, sponsor me HERE. I've paid for the whole trip myself, so all your money goes straight to the charity.
Peace and love, Simon
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