TWO aspiring Army officers shrugged off the hottest weekend of the year by going for a bicycle ride... to Rome.
Cheered on their way from the O2 in London by family and friends, Craig Carter, 21, of Porchester Road, Billericay, and Nick Sava, 20, of Langdon Hills, Basildon, are cycling the 1,200 mile challenge for Help for Heroes.
The Brunel University students have been friends since they were 12 and wanted a challenge.
Their training regime started four months ago, but the pair are not experienced cyclists.
Mr Carter, who studies sports science, explained: "We only started cycling in our first year of university when we got our bikes."
However, the sporty duo are seasoned explorers, having travelled across Asia together and also sailed around Scotland. The friends also recently completed the Three Peaks Challenge.
The former Billericay School pupils plan to join the Army when they finish university, having been in the cadets from the age of 12 to 18.
Mr Carter said: "I have always wanted to join the Army – we both have – but decided to go to university first and see the world before taking on the commitment."
Mr Carter added: "My mum's worried – she thought I was a bit mad.
"But it's the sort of thing I've been doing for years, so she wasn't so surprised."
They plan to travel 100 miles a day and hope to get to Rome in 10 days, camping overnight along the way.
As they have no back-up crew they have to carry all their gear on their bikes.
"There is a lot that could potentially go wrong," said Mr Carter.
"Crossing the Alps will be tough and when we travel downhill at speeds up 55 miles per hour, if something breaks we would be in trouble.
"I'm a little worried about the heat too, as the last few days have been unbearable.
"Most of all I'm looking forward to it – it will be an amazing experience."
Mr Sava, who studies civil engineering, added: "I'm excited, I'm just looking forward to it.
"We have been aspiring to be in the Army for a long time, so it's a natural charity for us to support and something we have close ties to."
The pair explained that to help cope with the heat they will be cycling four hours, breaking for four hours and then cycling again for four hours, so as to avoid the hottest part of the day.
To date they have raised nearly £1,000 for Help for Heroes.
To sponsor them visit www.justgiv ing.com/London-to-Rome-H4H
