Everest bikers on top of the world after epic charity ride

[Mislav]

THEY cycled 6835 miles through 19 countries to Mount Everest - but between them they got away with only three punctures.

The group of five friends faced a gruelling challenge when they embarked on their incredible journey, from Edinburgh to Everest, in August, but they all returned to the Capital relatively unscathed.

City doctors Ailsa Stott and Olivia Berry, both 27, gave up their jobs in the orthopaedic ward at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary to take part in the challenge, and they have raised more than £9000 for a medical centre in Nepal and spinal cord injury charity Aspire.

They were joined by administrative assistant Simone Gribble and recruitment consultant Dan Gerrard, 27 - both from Edinburgh - and Shamus Whyte, 26, from Manchester.

Despite being chased by wild dogs in Romania, braving extreme weather and having to communicate with only a phrase book and sign language in some countries, the team members all say that it was the best experience of their lives.

Ms Gribble, who lives in the Old Town, said: "The people we met along the way have given us the most lasting impressions, especially those in the poorer countries. Whenever we arrived somewhere, we would get invited in for coffee, which usually involved people giving us food.

"They were really interested in what we were doing and, with a lot of hand signals and a Russian phrase book, we managed to get the message across. Everyone was in awe of what we were doing.

"When we arrived in Nepal, we were on the news and even got recognised in a shop. We were celebrities in Nepal.

"We had a few scrapes and bruises, but only got three punctures between us the whole time, so we were really lucky. We are all proud of ourselves and we would all love to do it again, but it might be a while before I get on a bike again."

Among the countries the team cycled through were Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Ukraine, China and Tibet. The group completed the cycle as a relay, with one member of the team cycling at a time, while the others travelled alongside in a support vehicle.

Dr Berry, who lives in Henderson Row, said visiting Bosnia, Croatia and Kazakhstan were amongst her highlights.

But she added that cycling through Kazakhstan was also the toughest part of the challenge.

She said: "Kazakhstan was a highlight because the people were so friendly. However, physically, it was very demanding. It's very flat, but once you get outside the big cities, the roads are just like sand tracks and there are no signs.

"It was really hard to cycle, and we took a few wrong turns. But it was the most incredible trip."