A group of 42 cyclists from the London-based Hope and Knowledge (H&K) Cycle Club has pedalled 500 kilometer (300 miles) from Makkah to Madinah to raise vital funds for children suffering from congenital heart defects.
After arriving in Jeddah on January 25, the group performed Umrah and visited Taif before embarking on tbeir journey in the Kingdom called as “Hijrah Ride 1445 — A journey like no other”.
They pedalled for three days from January 29 to January 31, endured harsh weather conditions like strong headwinds and heat, and were tested mentally and physically but remained resilient.
Videos circulated on social media platforms showed some of them could not stop their tears when they reached Madinah on January 31.
The cyclists raised more than 223,000 dollars (Rs 1,85,08,899) funds, which will go towards the Little Hearts program organized by the London-based Muntada Aid charity.
Watch the videos here
The founder of the H&K Cycle Club, Shamsul Abdin, began the ‘Hijrah Ride’, a Makkah-to-Madinah journey in 2021 following the path of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as he fled persecution in Makkah and travelled to Madinah for safety.
This was their third Hijrah Ride between the two holy cities. “As soon as we arrived in Madinah, three days of lack of sleep and the hardships, all of those just disappeared. Add to that the satisfaction of doing 300 miles against the elements … it was like a celebration,” Abdin told Al Arabiya.
Over the past decade, the club has raised nearly 2.3 million dollars (Rs 19,08,98,965) through their rides, while the Hijrah rides in Saudi Arabia have raised over 500,000 dollars (Rs 4,14,99,775).
