TWO men have cycled thousands of miles through wind, rain, and illness during a gruelling trip to Ukraine.
Karol Swiacki, 42, and Laurie Robertson, 28, recently cycled 1,850 miles to the war-torn country.
They travelled through Holland, Germany, and Poland, before eventually reaching the Ukraine border on May 11.
The 18-day journey was organised to raise money for Bournemouth-based charity Ukraine Relief, which Karol set up in February of last year.
The full-time volunteer told the Daily Echo: “We wanted to raise awareness and help the children of Ukraine. That’s what drove us to do it.
“We haven’t had the chance yet to count what we’ve raised, but we’ve definitely made thousands of pounds.”
The cyclists first set off from Castlepoint Shopping Centre on April 23, with a campervan trailing behind them carrying all their supplies.
For the early stages of the route, they were joined by two other riders - Cesar Mateus of Renovatio Bikes and Alastair Young, trustee of Ukraine Relief.
However, after just a week of cycling, Karol, Alastair and Laurie were all struck with an unknown illness.
It was the Ukraine Relief volunteers back in Bournemouth, nicknamed ‘The Army of Hope’, who gave the men the encouragement they needed to carry on.
Karol said: “I remember being in a tent at night. It was two degrees, and I was freezing, and we were all ill.
“I knew that when I woke up the next day, I’d either be so ill that I’d have to give up, or id get up and push on.
“The next day, I woke up, and the sun was shining. I had the Army of Hope sending messages of encouragement. The feeling of having your team behind you is amazing.
“So, I said ‘right come on guys, we can do this.’"
With Alistair finishing his agreed leg, Karol and Laurie pushed on and were able to reach the Ukrainian border.
There, they handed over teddy ‘bears of hope’ to be given to Ukrainian children.
Laurie described the trip as amazing. He added: “I want to go back and do it all again.”
Ukraine Relief has issued thanks to partners and sponsors who helped to make the trip possible. They include Castlepoint Shopping Centre, Breeze Campers, Tern Bicycles UK, Renovatio Bikes and AFC Bournemouth Community Sports Trust.
To keep up with the charity's work for Ukraine, visit its Facebook page.
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