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STORY: Location: Doha, Qatar

These Frenchmen cycled from Paris to the World Cup in Qatar

Mehdi Balamissa and Gabriel Martin left Paris three months ago

They cycled over 4,300 miles and crossed 13 countries

[Mehdi Balamissa, French cyclist and France supporter]

"It is true that it was not always easy to cycle through the Middle East. There were not really any GPS issues because there are not so many roads. For example, we spent four weeks crossing Saudi Arabia, it is very simple, there is one road and you follow it. But the conditions are very hard for cyclists, it is hot, there is a lot of wind in the desert, we sometimes found ourselves cycling through sandstorms in Saudi Arabia. And when you cross big cities, it is very difficult. Riyadh was extremely complicated, it is a huge city a little bit like Doha even though Doha is a little bit less big. They are only made for cars, cars are king and bicycles are outcasts. It was impossible to cross by bike so we navigated as much as we could and there were some moments that were a bit bad in terms of security. And it is a little bit similar in Doha although Doha has a different 'color' for us because it is the city at the end of the desert, at the end of this tunnel. It is the end of our adventure, our arrival spot."

The pair were deeply moved by the hospitality they encountered in the Middle East

like this man in Saudi Arabia who offered them water from the side of the road

Upon arrival, the French Football Federation offered them tickets to France's match