Cambridge News, 31 March 2015

Print edition article – 20150331 Cambridge News

Online article (pasted below) at http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Cambridge-cyclists-reach-Hong-Kong-10-000-mile/story-26254847-detail/story.html

Cambridge cyclists reach Hong Kong after 10,000-mile journey in aid of Prostate Cancer UK

By Eleanor Dickinson. March 31, 2015.

Two Cambridge cyclists have reached the end of a mind-blowing 10,000-mile journey – in which they dodged gunmen, drug-runners and wolves.

Bearded Nick Codrington and Laurence Gribble arrived in Hong Kong on Saturday following a epic nine-month trek through blistering deserts, icy mountains and the odd heroin trail.

But there was one final challenge in store for the saddle-sore pair as they ascended the gruelling 500-metre Victoria Peak before crossing the finish line to a fanfare from Hong Kong supporters.

They have now almost raised their target of £15,000 for Prostate Cancer UK.

Speaking to the News yesterday, Nick, 24, said: “We’re recovering now. Laurence unfortunately threw up in the donation box as we got to the top of The Peak – he had been ill that day – so the end couldn’t have been more ironic. He’s feeling better now though.”

Nick and Laurence, 23, left London in July last year just a month after they graduated from Cambridge University with degrees in Chinese,

Since then their ‘Journey to the East’ has taken them from Buckingham Palace, across Europe, to Turkey where they found themselves held up at rifle point by tow suspicious locals on a tractor.

Nick later wrote in the pair’s blog that he wriggled out of the situation by blurting out the Turkish word for “Add friend on Facebook”.

Things later got hairier for the duo – who grew their out beards to raise awareness of Prostate Cancer – when they were deported from Azerbaijan and later found themselves crossing the paths of wolves and drug-runners in Afghanistan.

Just to make things even MORE challenging, the pair even the speed record for the fastest unsupported north-south crossing of the Taklamakan desert – 342 miles in 48 hours – and then made several ascents of up to 4,400 metres to cross into China from Tibet.

Nick said: “Two things made this journey possible for us. One was the generosity and hospitality of the people we encountered.

“The second was the teamwork. You would think after spending the last 272 days with Laurence that I would never want to see him again, but it’s the complete opposite.

“I think egging each other on really pulled us through.”

Nick will now be returning to London to start a job in consultancy, while Laurence plans to put his Mandarin to go use as he plans to head to Beijing.

A documentary of the duo’s trip will be released later this year

Sponsor them by visiting justgiving.com/journeytotheeast