June 12, 2026, 3:01 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
This June, a very special bike tour across the Alps will take place again. Hundreds of participants will start together in northern Italy, aiming to cover more than 1,000 kilometers over more than 20 mountains to southern France in just eight days. The goal is not to be the first to arrive but to participate and persevere without quitting. The effort of everyone as a community serves one purpose: to raise money for people suffering from blood cancer.
FireFlies, meaning glowworms in English, is the name of the cycling community founded in 2001, which now has branches worldwide. A personal challenge in the name of supporting people with cancer is a central part of their mission. Next Saturday (June 13), the next FireFlies tour will start, leading from Venice over the Alps to Menton in southern France. 1,000 kilometers, over 20 passes, eight days on the bike.
One of the enthusiastic participants is Henning Gerstner, 52, an entrepreneur and coach from Berlin. Last year, he participated in a FireFlies tour for the first time and is ready to start again this year. “I’ve been road cycling for over 20 years. For the past two years, it has made sense beyond the athletic ambition,” Gerstner told TRAVELBOOK. He explains his motivation: “At my age, friends in my immediate circle suddenly become seriously ill. They can no longer do things. People we lose. It is all the more important for me to do something.”
Fighting Together for a Good Cause
Almost 2.8 million euros in donations for blood cancer research have been raised through the FireFlies tours held worldwide–a success story. “Our goal is to raise funds to support life-saving research into the causes and treatments of leukemia and blood cancer,” states the official website of the cycling community. “We ride for those who can’t–it’s tough, but nowhere near as tough as the fight against cancer.”
In fact, the tour is anything but easy to manage, even for experienced road cyclists like Henning Gerstner. He recalls how he struggled up the 2,360-meter mountain pass Col d’Izoard during last year’s tour from Geneva to Nice, with only one thought: “I can’t go on. I just want to get off and cry.” And yet, you keep going.
Giving Up Is Not an Option
Because: Giving up out of exhaustion is not an option. The tour is not a race, and it’s not about who reaches the finish line first. It’s about being part of a community–reaching the finish line together. The exact route is not known to the participants beforehand. “We don’t know in the evening where we’ll be heading the next day. We only know that there will be a lot of elevation gain,” Gerstner reports. “When they explained the reason to me, I was massively impressed. Because people undergoing cancer therapy also don’t know in the evening what the next day will bring. They go to sleep with uncertainty about the next day. With hope. That’s why we only find out in the morning what the day will bring. Will it be hard or just difficult? It’s never easy.”
This year, the participants of the FireFlies tour hope to raise at least 120,000 euros in donations with their action. These will go to The Blood Fund, a charity that finances research into the treatment of leukemia and blood cancer at Hammersmith Hospital in London. Those who wish to support the action can find more information here.