Duran Duran star sends off Blue Marine cyclists

Monaco Yacht Show

Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon tells 50 Blue Marine cyclists to 'save our seas'

Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon tells 50 Blue Marine cyclists to ‘save our seas’.

The Duran Duran front man waved off 50 sea-saving cyclists from Tower Bridge on Sunday.

The cyclists – including some from the superyacht community – are riding 1500 kilometres to Monaco in 10 days, arriving on the eve of the Yacht Show.

They will be greeted in Monaco by Prince Albert II.

Simon is an ambassador of organisers Blue Marine Foundation, partnered by superyacht designer Winch Design.

Cash raised will help the foundation achieve its ultimate goal – to place 10% of the world’s oceans under protection by 2020.

BLUE wants to combat over-fishing and stop the destruction of biodiversity – arguably the largest problem facing the world’s oceans – by delivering practical conservation solutions like large-scale marine reserves and sustainable fishing.

““The sea is a beautiful thing,” said Simon. I think we all grew up thinking it was perfect and untouchable and would always exist, but we know that there’s a disaster unfolding.

“Over-fishing has caused a terrible crisis. Now is the time to do something.”

BLUE CEO Clare Brook said: “Over the years, people have waded in mud, paddle-boarded The Channel, and been photographed naked with fish to help us protect the oceans. Cycling from London to Monaco is the next exciting challenge.”

Two projects will benefit directly from the money raised. The first, in the Aeolian Islands north of Sicily, will address over-fishing and irresponsible tourism and protect endangered marine species such as sperm whales and dolphins.

The second is in the remote island of Ascension in the tropical Atlantic – home to sharks, turtles and rare sea birds. Half of Ascension’s waters were closed to industrial fishing at the beginning of the year. Ascension islanders need to develop other sources of income, particularly science and eco-tourism, so that more of the island’s waters (which cover an area nearly twice the size of the UK) can become a safe haven for the wonderful marine life.