Devon cyclist ready for final leg

The final 800-mile leg will complete a 12,000 mile epic journey

A Devon cyclist is preparing for the final leg of an epic 12,000-mile trip from Exeter to Shanghai.

Edward Genochio, 27, from Exeter, has reached the Chinese capital of Beijing after surviving a fierce sandstorm in the Gobi Desert.

His journey has been punctuated with potential disasters, including giant Siberian horseflies and a pair of motorcycle-mounted muggers.

The worst was in August when his bike was stolen by a Mongolian horseman.

Mr Genochio was asleep in Ulan Bator, the country's capital, when the thief tied a rope to his bike, which was locked to his tent, and galloped off with it, ripping the tent in two.

His plight triggered offers of help and a new tent and bike were shipped over to Ulan Bator to allow the journey to continue.

Mr Genochio says the Gobi Desert was a challenging experience, with much of the time spent pushing his bike.

He was carrying about 20 litres of water, considerably adding to the weight of the bike.

And when he was about 100 miles into the desert, Mr Genochio was hit by a sandstorm with wind speeds reaching up to 40mph.

He said: "Sometime you can't see your outstretched hand. Half the time I had to stand still and shut my eyes.

"The sand fills up your panniers as well. When I got to the end of the day, I found I must have been carrying another three or four kilograms of sand."

The extra weight of sand added to the water he was carrying resulted in another mini-disaster when his rear luggage rack broke.

Mr Genochio crossed the border into China and arrived in Beijing last week.