About the Ride

Every summer since 2009, EJF has waved goodbye to a team of riders who have set off on the road from London to Paris armed with smiles, energy bars and glitzy outfits to hide their padded pants.

The charity bike ride challenge takes place again in 2012 and we are offering 2 dates over the summer for supporters to pick from - July or September 2012. The aim of the Great Fashion Cycle is to raise awareness and essential funds for the Environmental Justice Foundation’s environmental and human rights work with a focus on the Pick Your Cotton Carefully campaign.

Cycling from London to Paris is one of the great cycle experiences in Europe. Passing through picturesque countryside, you will cross the Channel and continue through the small villages and medieval market towns of Northern France. With long days in the saddle the sight of the Eiffel Tower, the finishing point, will evoke a real sense of achievement!

EJF’s fashion campaign is focussed on ending the use of forced child labour and harmful pesticide use in the cotton industry.

Whether it is state enforced, or child trafficking, millions of children around the world face severe exploitation in cotton production. In Uzbekistan, the world’s 3rd largest exporter of cotton, the government closes schools and packs children, from the age of 7 off to pick the annual harvest.

Child labour in Uzbekistan does not result from poverty or family need – it is uniquely modern-day slavery where children are forced by the state to work in a sector which directly benefits one of the world’s most brutal, corrupt and repressive regimes. EJF’s work changing this has had significant impact over the past 5 years and has been Highly Commended at international awards for ‘Effective Campaigner of the Year’.

EJF also campaigns for a global ban on the most toxic pesticides which in total kill over 20,000 people a year.

Deadly pesticides, like Endosulfan, continue to poison people and the planet and remain a serious health hazard for those working in the fields. EJF are working to end this and other environmental and social abuses and a Global Ban on this deadly pesticide is in sight...

Whatever your level of cycling, whether you have a passion for fashion or ants in your pants for making a difference, we want you to join us on this ride of a lifetime in 2011!

To secure your place on this ride all you need to do now is pay our tour organisers a non-refundable registration fee of £99 and then get cracking to raise the minimum sponsorship of £1,400.

That sponsorship includes the cost of you taking part in the ride, including all your food, accommodation, transport (ferry to France and Eurostar home) and an amazing support team of mechanics and medics to keep you happy on the road, full details in the Q&A section. Every penny after your tour cost has been deducted goes directly back to support the charity’s work, oh, and an experience you will never forget!

On average and thanks to some creative fundraising efforts, EJF’s riders raise sponsorship of about £1,800 so you should have no problem meeting the minimum!
With your pedal power we can change the face of fashion for the better.

EJF welcomes individuals or teams to join in the fun on this sponsored ride and make new friends during this once in a lifetime experience!