Two friends. Two bikes. One audacious challenge.

Fresh out of university, Nick Codrington (BH 2004-09) and Lobby Gribble set off to cycle 17,000km unsupported, across 21 countries from London to Hong Kong, raising money for Prostate Cancer UK and now all their stories will be published in Journey to the East.

They’re not elite athletes or professional adventurers, just determined, novice cyclists chasing an idea that quickly proves far bigger than either of them could have imagined.

From sodden campsites in rural France to the vast deserts of Central Asia, their journey is shaped as much by human kindness as by hardship. In Turkey, two men with rifles confront them in a dark field, then invite them for tea. In Azerbaijan, a retired welder sings love stories over toasts to the Soviet Union. In Afghanistan, their host keeps watch for intruders while they sleep. As they journey east, illness, political tensions and increasingly urgent warnings begin to shadow every border crossing.

Winter closes in and the real test looms: the Pamir Mountains, where temperatures plummet to −35℃ and roads are buried under snow. Lobby’s hands seize up. Wolves block their way. Battling exhaustion and fear, they are forced to confront what they’re truly made of and what it means to rely on each other when the wheels are literally falling off.

After their epic journey, Nick decided to capture the story in a book; Journey to the East. It’s a story of endurance, friendship and the stubborn, half-mad power of not knowing when to quit. The book is due out on 28th September and 100 % of the author’s proceeds from the sale of the book will go to Prostate Cancer UK.

Journey to the East is available here.