Every year, we mark the seasonal transition from winter to spring with The Fireflies, the annual bike ride to fight cancer, one pedal at a time.

Starting on March 5th at the Osorno volcano in Chile, this year’s ride will traverse over 1,000km of gravel across the Chilean and Argentinian Patagonia. We at The Lift are proud sponsors and friends of the annual ride, which is committed to raising money to support research for the treatment of blood cancers for the Bloodwise Charity Foundation and Vivir + Feliz.

20 cyclists were selected out of over 500 applications received. While we were thrilled to see such a large interest in participation, Fireflies had to keep a limited number of spots due to the complexity of the all-dirt road. The route, which will cross the Andes twice over the course of 10 days, will accumulate around 20,000 mts. of elevation.

Following last year’s ride in Patagonia, producer Rani Meléndez said, “riding in the dirt for hours on end is like no other. You must know your bike. You must know your ability. You must train – up, down and all around. Doing one ‘type’ of training is not enough. It requires months of focus and adherence to the terra firma this earth is built of. If you love bikes and want to kick cancer’s ass, step up.”

“This ride is not for the faint of heart, but neither is cancer,” he added. “It’s time to dig deep, train hard, get (really) dirty and raise money as you have never done before! This is YOUR chance to make a difference. Will you?”

Learn more about Fireflies Patagonia, the Bloodwise Charity Foundation, and Vivir + Feliz here.