MAKKAH – Eight British Muslims have reached Madinah, Saudi Arabia, after cycling more than 3,000 km to perform the lifetime journey and raise money to help refugees.

“The ‘Hajj Ride’ is the first ever cycle ride for charity set up with the end goal being the performance of the most challenging physical worship in the five pillars of Islam, the hajj pilgrimage,” a statement from the group’s website read, Al-Arabiya reported on Sunday, August 20.

Biking in six-week long journey from London, the riders finished the trip across France, Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy, Greece and Egypt.

The trip, according to the British riders, was aimed at conveying a picture of Islam as a religion of peace and tolerance among the countries they passed through.

The group of cyclists also hope to raise one million British pounds on their journey for Syrian refugees through the charity Human Aid UK.

Arriving at the Prophet’s mosque in Madinah, the riders were overwhelmed with emotions and crowds gathered around them to welcome them.

They were assisted in Saudi Arabia by local cycling groups Saudi Cyclists and Taibah Cyclists who helped them overcome obstacles they had faced.

Mohammed Ehsaan, one of the eight cyclists, said “words cannot describe the feeling,” Ilmfeed reported on Sunday.

One of the riders, Dobbir Uddin, went live on Facebook on the Hajj Ride page as he cycled to the gates of the Prophet’s Mosque.

Muslims from around the world pour into Makkah every year to perform hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam.

Hajj consists of several rituals, which are meant to symbolize the essential concepts of the Islamic faith, and to commemorate the trials of Prophet Abraham and his family, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon them.

Every able-bodied adult Muslim who can financially afford the trip must perform hajj at least once in a lifetime.

Hajj is officially expected to fall this year between August 30 and September 4, with the climax falling on August 31 when the faithful descend the Mount `Arafat.