Ride of a lifetime: student cycles from London to Istanbul

A Warwick University Undergraduate has successfully completed a 2200 mile charity cycle ride from London to Istanbul last month, raising over a thousand pounds for the Redcross Christchurch, New Zealand Earthquake Appeal in the process.

19 year-old Luke Parry, a second-year Engineering undergraduate took almost five weeks to complete the route which saw him head through eight countries and tackle some of the most demanding roads in Europe.

All of this was done solo, with Parry taking some 2000 pictures of his odyssey as testament of his efforts. He started off from Westminster Bridge at the start of the Easter holidays and finished in Sultanahmet Square on the 25th April, in time for the Royal Wedding and the start of term.

Speaking to Parry, he said that the idea had come from previous cycling trips but it was originally planned to be a “vacation”. “I planned the route on Google Maps” he confessed, “I was thinking of ways to fill my holidays and decided on doing this cycle ride… [friends and family] persuaded me to raise the money for it.”

From that idea, the plan was put into action. “I had some recommendations from my parents about places to stay” he continued, “but otherwise I had a tent and things to cook with.” It did not start particularly well, though. Three spokes broke on the very first day heading to the Channel and after crossing into France he had to have the wheel replaced after another mishap. “[The bike shop specialists] weren’t very happy with the handiwork” he said, “I had built the bike myself for about £300 plus extras.”

Despite such setbacks, Parry managed to cycle around 80 to 100 miles a day on a punishing schedule, starting at 7am and finishing about 7pm. He admitted to “rolling about in the morning to see if I could carry on” and not maintaining a standard of hygiene: “The longest I went without a shower was five days… I didn’t even wash out my pots and pans – I’m amazed I didn’t come down with some disease!”

Thankfully, respite came with the plentiful hospitality he encountered along the way. “I had lots of invitations to stay at people’s houses” he said. “This way I could have a good night’s sleep and I got my clothes washed… but I had the tent if something didn’t happen.” Such helpfulness from locals was particularly useful when Parry realised he’d finished the route on Anzac Day (memorial commemorating Gallipoli disaster in First World War). “All the hostels were booked up by Australian veterans” he said, “but I was invited to have a cup of tea with an English guy I’d met… he then offered to put me up till I flew back.”

When asked about loneliness and being unable to contact his parents, Parry explained: “I went days without calling home… but that’s the problem when you’re in Europe; phoning home is expensive and internet cafés are hard to come by in Turkey.” Parry also kept a blog for the duration of his ride, to keep people abreast of his travels.

Parry reflected on his experiences in detail: “The best part was the German Alps – the views were incredible with mountains looming over the lakes… it was the first time I’d done the Alps so that was special.” He concluded that the most novel part of the ride was through Albania. “Most of Europe just merges from one country to another but going over the border into Albania – you notice you’re in a poor country. He added, “I didn’t realise that they had the Russian alphabet there so that was a shock… people on horse and cart and kids cheering you on from the roadside was a bit surreal.”

Some parts of the journey were not without risk. He said that he coped with the language barrier with “universal hand gestures” and GCSE German, which was allegedly the standard language in Croatia and Greece as well. He also admitted that the mountain roads in the Balkans were “very dangerous… you wouldn’t want a lorry coming past on those roads”.

After flying back from Istanbul, Parry was greeted by a welcome party at Saint Bar in Leamington. It was a pre-planned event but Parry was still pleased with the reception: “It was a very good turnout and it was great to be able to share my stories [with fellow students].” But there was better news “I got a free tab for the evening… so I got merry!” In addition, Warwick Sport helped fundraise with a ‘Luke Parry Challenge’ cycling contest taking place for the duration of his trip – attempting to match the distance.

This may not be the last of Parry’s odysseys judging by his enthusiasm post-event. He is considering doing a similar cycle challenge soon. For now though, his ‘London2Istanbul’ page on Virgin Money is still taking donations.