Becoming one of the Fireflies for a day
Experiencing the Tour of the Fireflies this 2017
For any first timer joining an event, being part of the Tour of the Fireflies was a lovely retreat from the busy roads of Manila. This ride annually held by the reputable Firefly Brigade started off with a solemn prayer to remember the victims of road accidents and promoted eco-friendly means of transport through urban cycling. The event that started at UP Campus on November 19, 2017, drew out many eager cyclists that were ready to start their day with a 20km ride around the wonderful roads of UP Diliman.
Cycling through the vast greenery in the campus was a pleasant experience, with a bit of a challenge with an uphill route. Cyclists of many ages, young and old, along with owners of different bike types joined the ride and there were even a few who came dressed up as iconic stars on famous TV shows/movies, others came as their own unique character which added an intriguing feel to the whole peloton. The diversity seen in the cycling community was amusing and inspiring. (Wearing outfits like that is no joke, especially if you have to pass through the circuit twice!)
After the ride, freebies were given to those who registered, along with free ice cream to help participants cool down from the heat of the sun. Awards were also given to those who were wearing costumes at the event.
While announcements were being made at the event and people started chatting about, I decided to hand out some stickers to promote the new superbikers PH Facebook community, introduced this to other cyclists and they happily took some stickers for their own bikes and gave it to their friends. Along with Karlo Espiritu(the guys at the center), we were able to hand out 200 stickers! That’s a lot since we were honestly not expecting such a warm welcome from them, and it’s so awesome to see how they are open-minded to this newly formed community that aims to educate and intrigue people with original content focused on cycling.
Despite the sudden change of location, everyone at the event had fun and enjoyed the momentary freedom to cycle and being away from a road full of cars. We’re all looking forward to the 19th Tour of the Fireflies where we hope a more exciting and unique route is presented to the cycle-hungry public.
