Have you heard the story about the Estate Agent and the Banker, two bikes and a ridiculous challenge? An alliance of rogues or two good souls looking to raise some money for a couple of cracking charities.

The intention is for Karen and Steve to cross the USA by bike, the pedal variety, from St Augustine in Florida to San Diego in California in October this year. The total distance is 3,097 miles or the equivalent of 3.5x the journey from John O'Groats to Lands End. The anticipated journey time is one calendar month which will mean averaging 100 miles per day. We shall cross deserts and mountain ranges climbing to a height of over 8,000 ft or twice the height of the highest mountain in the UK. Add to that our combined age is 100 so we have a challenge on our hands!

We are raising money for two major charities, Hospiscare and the C Group. Hospiscare provides support for terminally ill people and their families in the Exeter, East and Mid Devon area. Regrettably we will all need or have loved ones who will  need the services of a local hospice one day. The C Group is the dedicated support charity for the Royal Marines who are currently deployed in many of the worlds most troubled areas. The charity aims to provide support for injured soldiers returning from the front line. Please be aware that the money raised will be split equally between the two charities.

We believe that both the Challenge and the two charities are worthy of support and hope that you agree. Unlike a lot of challenges there is no guarantee that we will successfully complete the task in hand but rest assured we shall both give it our very best shot. If you are inspired by our little story then please can we ask that you make a donation worthy of our effort.