Dispatches from Dreamland: Fireflies West Drive

A night of films and drinks greeted a hearty ad crowd at The Mill Los Angeles last week as sponsors, supporters and Firefly cyclists mingled to support the upcoming Fireflies West ride for 2013. Our man Simon Wakelin reports from the event in this latest blog.

The event kicked off this year’s fundraising activities, an upbeat crowd encouraged to become sponsors or cyclists for this year’s event. The annual ride, which helps raise money and awareness for City of Hope, sees amateur cyclists from advertising and film traverse a 550-mile course down the West coast beginning in San Francisco and wrapping at The Mill in Los Angeles:

City of Hope is a California charity treating patients suffering from leukemia and lymphoma. It continues to create breakthrough research and discoveries and remains at the forefront of cancer treatment.

"This ride has been at the centre of so much of what we do during the year both professionally and personally,” explains Ben Hampshire managing director at The Mill. “It means so much to have such a great turn out from the advertising industry supporting our fundraising goal of $250,000.”

Hampshire produces the annual event alongside fellow Firefly cohorts Bryan Farhy (executive producer/head of sales at B-Reel), Phillip Detchmendy (partner/executive producer at Recommended Media) and Erik Press (executive producer at Resolution/Union Editorial).

Farhy remembers his first Firefly ride in Europe back in 2003 while producing at RSA in London, joining a handful of cyclists that included Jake Scott on a difficult trek across the Route des Grandes Alpes:

“We were young, about eight riders with only one support car during the entire length of the French Alps,” he recalls, cycling over 1000km in eight days to reach Cannes.

“We dipped our feet in Lake Geneva and set off for the ad festival. That was my very first ride, and the most poignant for me because nobody really knew we were arriving except a small crowd, so we rode two laps around the Croisette in complete silence to honour the cause when we got there. It was a very dignified moment that I shall never forget.”

Farhy continued the Firefly passion, bringing the ride over to California back in 2006 to create Firefly West. He initially cycled down the coast alone to ascertain the best route and the event officially started the following year:

“It all began with me cycling down the coast alone in pouring rain for six long days to figure out the best route,” recalls Farhy. “I remember wondering if the event would ever take off. Then, by 2011, we were arriving in LA with local TV news crews interviewing us. ”

Today, Farhy finds time to organise the event with fellow Firefly producers Press, Hampshire and Detchmendy:

“If we wanted to we could probably rally around 200 riders in total – but it’s a tremendous amount of work for us to organise,” says Farhy on the team, noting the European ride has a full time producer. “We all have full time jobs and it’s a lot of responsibility for all of us – but it’s incredibly satisfying to raise funds for such an amazing charity.”

Compared to Europe, Farhy notes the West coast ride features longer days – about 95 miles per day with the longest stretching around 103 miles. He also envisions this year’s ride to increase in numbers to around 60 amateur cyclists:

“You know I cry every year at the end,” admits Farhy on making it all happen. “If you suddenly have to change a route direction one day the riders just do it with complete trust and belief. They are like soldiers. The thing that keeps me up at night during the event is the rider’s safety. Bringing everybody home in one piece is my number one priority. It takes its toll every year – but I wouldn’t replace it for the world.”

For more information and an opportunity to join the ride or sponsor the event, visit Fireflies West. You can see images from the event in the gallery below.