Iconic Fireflies Tour Saddles up for 2025 with New Route and New Charity

On Wednesday 4th December the Fireflies Tour charity cycle will hold a launch event for its 2025 adventure, with applications open from 5th December.

Adding a new twist to the classic route, next year’s tour will start on the shores of Lake Geneva and head to Nice, arriving at the start of the Cannes Lions Advertising Festival. Taking in the most iconic of Tour de France climbs, with lots of new additions, this year’s tour will be rider-committee-organised and include some of the hardest days of cycling ever seen by the Fireflies.

There are just 30 places available to new and experienced riders ready to train together and support each other in completing the 1,000km 8-day challenge across France from 8th - 15th June 2025.

The Fireflies have been riding to raise money for blood cancer research since 2001. Founded by Sandy Watson Scott and Ridley Scott Films, five ad industry friends decided to cycle from London to Cannes for the first time. Since then, many hundreds of ad industry folk, from production companies, agencies and beyond, have made the epic ride across the Alps from Lake Geneva to Cannes, each committing to months of training, with UK riders raising over £2.3 million to date for blood cancer research. As well as a new route, this year the Fireflies are riding for a new charity: their local London Blood cancer research centre.

As well as presenting an unrivalled challenge, the FireFlies Tour gives creative industry professionals the chance to ride on the wheel of the top cycling professionals by following the hardest mountain stages in the Tour de France. 

The Tour is fully supported by J&S professional cycling guides and is structured so that any individual, no matter how inexperienced they are at cycling, can train and complete this once in a lifetime experience. 

Inspired by the courage it takes to fight cancer, The Fireflies is a celebration of life, love and friendship. Bicycles are involved, but so are tears, laughter, mountains, ice-creams, reggae music and uncommon amounts of joy. 

Tour details

The Tour launches on the 4th of December, when applications for the limited 30 saddles available come online. The launch event will be at All Is Joy Studios (75 Dean Street, W1) on Wednesday 4th December, from 6pm. Here, new applicants will get the chance to meet with previous riders, find out more about the charity we are supporting this year, watch films of previous tours, and ask questions.  

Following that there will be a full programme of weekly supported training rides, both indoor and outdoor for all riders.

The 1,000km Tour takes place between 8th – 15th June 2024 and the cost per rider is estimated at £2,500 which can be paid in stages. This fee includes accommodation, breakfast, dinner, and support from Polka Dot professional crew throughout the ride only. It does not include airfare, accommodation in Cannes, ride nutrition or lunches. Riders are asked to fundraise a minimum of £2,500 each. 

There will also be new opportunities for sponsorship if you’d like to support the Fireflies and their charity efforts, but are not able to physically complete the tour. 

Interested in committing to a hugely rewarding experience, funding life-saving research for cancer, meeting a community of like-minded people and making friends for life? Get in touch with the team below or apply for a saddle via Hannah Needham or Chris Page here.