WHILE Ilkley was cheering for the Tour de Yorkshire riders, a father-of-two and member of Ilkley Cycling Club was setting off on an epic 4,500-mile ride of his own.

Neil Harris, 44, flew out to Seattle on May 3 with the aim of cycling from the West Coast to the East Coast of the USA in just 50 days. He is crossing four time zones and travelling through 15 states on his trip.

The terrain along the course of the route equates to cycling up and down Mount Everest from sea level five times, and the total distance is equivalent to 28,000 laps of an Olympic velodrome.

He is doing the ride to raise money for Martin House Children’s Hospice and Médecins Sans Frontières.

Mr Harris said: "I’m aiming to cycle around 100 miles per day and as I’m doing it unsupported, I’ll be carrying everything I need, including rope so I can hang my food out of the reach of bears! It would be fantastic to raise £1 for every mile cycled."

He says he was moved by the sacrifices made by the emergency medical workers during the recent Ebola outbreak. The teams from Médecins Sans Frontières put their own lives on the line in horrendous conditions, and managed to save the lives of nearly 2,500 people.

"I also wanted to support a charity a little closer to home, and decided on Martin House because they do such a fantastic job to support local families, especially children," he added.