Our friends from the 3100 Miles crew have begun their mad mission to cycle across America for charity. Here, our pal Paul from their support crew reveals what kind of challenges they've faced in their first couple of days:

"After a fragmented arrival at San Diego airport the team soon got settled in to a comfortable living routine. The whole team had never spent any length of time together, especially living in such small confines (the RV). However, building on the team skills acquired in our professional lives we were able to adjust easily. The admin side of things - unpacking, building and setting up of the bikes - took a bit longer than originally estimated. We therefore opted to delay the start of the ride by one day so that we were all in the right mindset. We used Saturday to ensure that the bikes were fully set up so that we are comfortable for the long epic journey ahead.

Immediately it was evident that the climate (it's redders!) will be a major factor/restriction in our ability to cover the daily distances (185 mile average). We officially started our ride at 0500 on 23 Sep 12 in the cool morning air.

Days 3 and 4 were a real challenge - travelling through the mountains of Arizona, cycling through day and most of the night. We were forced to stop early high in the mountains because of the falling temperatures and the bear that decided to pay us a quick visit on the road.

We started day Day 4 with a good full breakfast (cooked in the RV) and a good cup of Yorkshire Tea to get the body going. Day 4- 135 miles, which is good, considering the climb. The riders stopped off to help a fellow cyclist, who was visiting from Japan on his own, but was suffering with a puncture. The team stopped to help assist and pass him some extra water as the temperature had reached 33 degrees (not as bad as day 2/3, which reached 44!).

As we head off into the morning heat, things are getting tough, but with team-work and a good sense of humour, we will overcome the challenges that the USA has to offer!"

Good luck gents!

Look out for more updates from the 3100 Miles team coming soon...