AN Andover man has begun his 5,000-mile cycle ride across America and Canada to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

Wreford Stewart, 26, is on a 90-day trip from San Francisco to New York, taking in 19 states and two Canadian provinces along the way.

The route takes him through some seriously challenging terrain, including Death Valley, the hottest, driest place in the US, where temperatures regularly top 54°C, and across America’s largest super volcano in Yellowstone National Park.

The ride will also see him getting up close to some of the country’s most dangerous animals, including black and grizzly bears, wolves, lynx and mountain lions.

Wreford said: “My family and friends have been really supportive, despite their concerns that I’ll end up getting eaten by a bear! I’ve been training hard and now I can’t wait to get started.”

Online donations can be made at justgiving.com/Wreford- Stewart, or you can donate £10 by texting TABR99 to 70070.