Father and son complete 3,400-mile charity bike ride

A father and son duo have completed a 3,400-mile cycle across Europe to raise money for earthquake victims.

Geoff Sherwood, 68, from Poole, Dorset, and his 29-year-old son, Will, began cycling the "reverse pilgrimage" in May, travelling from Cyprus to Canterbury.

The pair took on the ride for international charity Christian Aid and raised more than £5,000.

They were inspired by the work the charity did to support people in Turkey and Syria after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit the countries last year.

Mr Sherwood said they cycled 60 miles a day with three days of rest.

"It gets a bit repetitive," he said.

He said now his son lives in Australia, the challenge became "a good bonding experience".

"I think we did discover more about each other, that we hadn't known in the past, but I think we got on each others nerves a bit as well." Mr Sherwood joked.

The pair passed European landmarks and camped along their journey.

They met with the leader of Beysehir, a Turkish cycling club, who gave them cycling vests and helped to put them in a hotel for one night.

The fundraisers had the route planned before the earthquake in February 2023, which devastated parts of Turkey and Syria.

More than 55,000 people were killed in the disaster.

Mr Sherwood and his son chose to support people impacted by the earthquake because their path took them through Turkey, and skirted the edge of the area that was affected by the tremors.

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