A TEAM of three cyclists who set out to cycle from Bury St Edmunds, to Kigali are due to reach the Rwandan capital on Monday.

Peter White, 31, from Bury St Edmunds; Peter Goodwin, 29, from Colchester; Julian Claxton, 31, from Lowestoft, are nearing the end of their 6,000 mile and 70 day cycle ride to raise money for Sport For Rwanda.

Residents and schoolchildren are set to welcome them when they reach Kigali at approximately 4pm Rwandan time, 5pm London (UK) time.

The Cycle 2 Rwanda team have faced many obstacles including illness, technical difficulties, equipment malfunctions and the gruelling mileage and deserts of the Sudan.M

Mr Goodwin said: “The trip has been one of extremes. Extreme highs and lows, emotionally, physically and geographically. From the very best days when the bikes are in good shape, we are in good shape, the weather is kind, the people are kind and you have time to enjoy what surrounds you - to the days when everything seems to be against you, whether it is the wind, the 50 degree heat or the 12 percent gradients - you know only one thing... you have to keep going.

“What the trip means has changed as it evolves, you pass through each country and you have new realisations. I think our arrival in Rwanda will give us the perspective we need when we meet the children we did this for and it will allow us the hindsight we need to truly understand what it has done for us personally.”

The Rwandan Olympic and Paralympic teams will train in Bury, in July and August, before leaving for the Olympic Village in London.

The Sport For Rwanda appeal was set up as part of a project to leave a lasting legacy and relationship between Bury St Edmunds and Rwanda beyond 2012.

The appeal aims to raise �80,000 to leave a lasting legacy in 140 schools in the country by giving them sports equipment, a place to store it and educational materials to help teachers. This appeal will give more than 100,000 schoolchildren the ability to take part in sport.

The team hope to raise around �10,000 for the appeal and have cycled through Europe before flying across the water to Egypt and continuing through Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda to Rwanda.