The Riders of Shaam’s six-day odyssey ended in dramatic style on the evening of 10 August when the group arrived at their final destination, in front of Notre Dame cathedralPhoto: Riders of Shaam Riders of Shaam

The Riders of Shaam’s six-day odyssey ended in dramatic style on the evening of 10 August when the group arrived at their final destination, in front of Notre Dame cathedralPhoto: Riders of Shaam Riders of Shaam

The Riders of Shaam’s six-day odyssey ended in dramatic style on the evening of 10 August when the group arrived at their final destination, in front of Notre Dame cathedral, and group leader Amin Omar fell from his bike.

“There was a hole in the ground and the tyre went right in it. It’s my own fault, I should have seen it. I had to arrive in style!” he told Delano on Wednesday.

Despite a few “nicks and bruises”, the organiser and his team managed to see some of the grand duchy’s capital the following day and check out some restaurants before boarding a flight back to the UK.

“It’s a beautiful city. I never realised it’s so hilly…The architecture and buildings are beautiful,” he said.

2017 marks the sixth year the Riders of Shaam have embarked on a fundraising European cycle ride. Originally founded by students at De Montfort University to support victims of the siege of Syria (Shaam refers to an ancient region which incorporated modern-day Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan and most of Syria), the group sets out on their bikes for a different European destination each year, selecting the route based on accessibility and journey time.

“It’s almost like a holiday because we get to go out with friends we meet along the way...Luxembourg is a country we had not done before so we’ve ticked it off the list,” Omar said.

The team, accompanied by a support vehicle, set out from Leicester at 10am on August for Harwich where they took a ferry to the Hook of Holland and wove their way down through Belgium and Germany to Luxembourg.

Powered by mainly tinned food they cooked themselves along the way on a camping stove, each night they stayed in hotels in order to be fresh for the following day's gruelling bike ride.

“Hands down, Holland is the best country I’ve cycled in. Not only is it flat, but you have your own cycle path. That was amazing!” said Omar, adding that the most memorable moments for him were travelling through the European countryside.

This year the team raised over £70,000 for two charities: the Penny Appeal and local hospice Loros.

To find out more, visit www.ridersofshaam.com