A group of Brits who set out to cycle all the way from London to Saudi Arabia for Hajj arrived in Medina after a gruelling six-week journey.

The nine cyclists’ mission kicked off from East London. They travelled over 3000 km across France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Italy, Greece and Egypt.

In Medina, the men received a very warm and emotional welcome.

Hoping to raise $1,287,000 for emergency medical aid in Syria, the riders, from the UK-based charity Human Aid, accepted donations along the way.

Hajj Ride, the name of the project, was conceptualized by Abdul Wahid, who wanted to recapture the spirit of Hajj.

“The spirit of Hajj has been lost. People used to travel for half a year or a year to go to Hajj. Some people would have been gone for two years at a time. It is a spiritual journey and it is a chance for us to see different people. We will be talking to people and educating them about our cause,” he Al Arabia News.

The men were also on a mission to raise awareness of the beauty of Islam and its principles.

Wahid, who converted to Islam 11 years ago, told added:

“People say you have to change everything about you when you become Muslim. I had a lot of time to think about how I can merge my lives. I thought I love cycling and I want to go to Hajj, so why don’t we go back to the old way of journeying?”