This is not a race. This is not about power stats, heart rates and laps remaining; there are no gaps to close, attacks to cover or alliances to be made. This is however about teamwork, camaraderie, endurance and is without doubt one of the most physically demanding events I have ever been a part of; but it is also one of the most rewarding.

Over 7 days in June myself and a group of fellow riders known as the Fireflies will be cycling 1000km, climbing 25,500m (83,600ft), from Geneva over the Alps to Cannes. Our goal is to raise money for the charity Bloodwise, a charity devoted to supporting people with a variety of blood cancers from leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma to other lesser known blood disorders, through pioneering clinical and scientific research at the Hammersmith Hospital in London.

Almost all of you reading this, will have experienced someone you know or knew who suffered from cancer, possibly even one of those specifically researched at the Hammersmith Hospital. It is a subject close to my heart and I’ll take any opportunity I can to support it.

It is incredibly fast to donate via the link and would mean the world to me if you did. Clichés are so hard to avoid when writing something like this, but every penny and cent goes to the charity and every donation will bring me and them closer to our goal.

If you would like to watch a film about what it is we’re doing, here is one from the 2011 tour:

http://youtu.be/TjoGgtmNA_A

For more information about the Fireflies, check out:

http://thefirefliestour.com/#intro