Online article (pasted below) at http://egremont2day.com/2015/04/breaking-news-they-made-it-jtte-team-cycle-17000km-to-hong-kong/
BREAKING NEWS: Heroic Finish for Cycling Duo!
Rachael Grealish reports on the Journey to the East Team finally making it to the finishing line in Hong Kong.
WELL they’ve gone and done it! Nine months and a 17,298km journey later, the Journey to the East team including St Bees’ own Laurence Gribble and his university friend Nick Codrington have made the incredible journey from London to Hong Kong; raising more than £15,000 for Prostate Cancer UK.
The team set off in July of last year, entering China in late December. They have since cycled through some of the remotest regions in the west of China, scaled the Tibetan plateau and crossed the plains of Guizhou and Guangdong provinces.
Along the way Laurence and the team have not only gathered some amazing stories and photos, seen some outstanding scenery, but grown some far out beards – that helped keep them warm past ‘Movember’ in temperatures as low as -30°C. The guys have even been attacked by wolves, got frostbite, held at gun point in Turkey, had plenty of tense encounters with less than cooperative Chinese security forces. It’s certainly been an eventful trip to say the least!
During the middle of their journey across China the team were forced, by police, to make over a 1000 km detour as their planned route, while avoiding the Tibetan Autonomous Region, strayed too close to the province for the liking of local authorities.
The pair commented “We’d both like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has followed our page, encouraged and helped us along the way, or donated to Prostate Cancer UK. Knowing we had such amazing support made a huge difference when things got tough. There is still plenty of adventure to find if you look for it, and you don’t even have to look very hard. The toughest decision by far – harder than climbing mountains, crossing deserts, dealing with gunmen or facing wolves – is to start looking.”
The team made the official ride in to Hong Kong on Saturday 28th March.
Though at the time of Egremont 2Day going to print they’d raised just short of their £1 for every kilometre they raised, the team are confident they’ll make their target.
All money is going to prostate cancer, and to support them further and donate, go to their JustGiving page. In addition, to get a more detailed account of the action visit the blog the Journey to the East blog at: http://journey-to-the-east.com
14 April 2015
Journey To The East 