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 This section will grow with time. Below you can read about training progress, other Fireflies events and news live from the ride. Consult the archive on the right to view archived messages. |
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| Descending Glandon Glandon Day 4, 100km, three mountains, rain, wind, tears, unplanned routes, dirt tracks . . . beauty . . . and one particularly crippling ascent too quickly followed by an even harder descent. This is where the camaraderie really starts to set in. One of the three female riders (Emma C) and I descended this mountain together and I think we only really managed it because we felt the strength of each other's presence, it was this and the presence of Adrian Moat (apparently some kind of mountain goat, a founder member of the ride) who gently led us down the mountain as if he had ridden it a million times before. It is times like these when you really think about cancer; the memory of seeing someone you loved, pale, grey skinned and sick on a hospital bed and feeling immediately humbled by it, knowing that this short episode of pain doesn't even come close to what they experienced, over and over again. I remember feeling so cold that a terror and panic started to grip me, I felt like I was going to lose control of my body, it is so difficult to explain but your mind and body feel completely dis-connected, it was like my mind was sitting on my handle bars, driving me on and my body was just a machine. Crying was very useful at this moment, not for releasing emotion but because as my body shook, the heat of my tears started to warm me . . . how clever and resourceful nature can be. This descent went on and on and every corner that we turned Adrian was there, stopping and waiting in the murkiness, hands tightly placed down his cycling shorts to warm them, for once I felt quite envious I didn't have a pair myself. Soon the realisation that we might actually conquer this descent started to set in, before we knew it we were flinging open the door to the restaurant, I say restaurant, it was really more like a Fireflies laundry. Everyone was so wet that they had removed their clothes and laid them on the tables. Emma C joined in the spirit and sat and ate her lunch in her knickers and shirt. I just thought this was fantastic, that feeling that the mountains and the elements have broken you down so much that you lose any sense of conformity. I wolfed down my lunch and then spent some quality time in the loo under the hand dryer. As I tried to warm my bones I thought about this goat that had led us. This was no ordinary mountain goat, this was a rare species, one that encompassed calmness, selflessness and a unique warmth that burnt through the ice. So this is just one of the many chapters in our incredible adventure that broke us down, built us up and bonded us. These extraordinary moments are the ones that stay with you, giving you this incredible strength that propels you into the rest of your life with such force that you know you will never be the same again, neither do you ever want to be. Harriet Posted by joe marcantonio on . |
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 Your donations are important to us. There are different ways to make one. You can either fill out a form and send it out with a cheque, or you can make a donation to Leuka online. Read more first Download the donators form Make an online donation |
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 This year we are hoping to raise a minimum of £100,000 and whilst we recognise individaaul donations as given above integral to this cause, we also consider corporate sponsorships as key to achieving this goal. Unprecedented interest in the Fireflies offers sponsors an exciting platform for promotions and branding. See who is currently sponsoring us and find out how you can become a sponsor. |
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 The Fireflies' arrival into Cannes has generated great support from the advertising industry and culminates with a hero's welcome at the Palais des Festivals. |
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