A TORNADO and the unwelcome attention of dogs were just some of the experiences of two West Devon men who have just completed an incredible 4,400 mile charity cycle ride across America.

Stewart Pearce of Crapstone and John Crossley of Dousland started their journey from Astoria in Oregon. Their route took them through the Rocky Mountains and over the planes of the mid-West to eventually finish at Yorktown, Virginia.

The couple?s marathon cycle started on July 17. Despite cycling through temperatures which frequently reached 100 degrees fahrenheit, Stewart said they were generally lucky weatherwise ? apart from a tornado in Kansas.

?We were warned about it and you could see it coming, but it was quite frightening,? said Stewart.

?The tent was totally destroyed, it ripped it right out of the ground and we couldn?t find it. Luckily we were right near a building so we could shelter ? it was probably the most dramatic storm I?ve ever been in.?

Stewart and John eventually found their tent the next morning, mending it as best they could with duck tape.

They followed a route prepared by the American Cycle Association, which took them through the centre of the United States.

Stewart said: ?We averaged about 70 miles a day. We only had one day off, really out of choice as a lot of the places we were in were in the middle of nowhere. We ate in these wonderful cafes and we cooked quite a lot, we had our pots and pans with us.?

He said they had some great encounters with other travellers along the route and said the Americans, particularly in the West, were very friendly.

?They were very talkative and really helpful ? if you were ever in need they would always help you out. People offered us drinks, we had a couple of invites to peoples? homes.

?You weren?t allowed to camp in one town we went to. We went to the tourist office and the lady there said we could pitch our tent in her garden, so we slept in there amongst her vegetables!?

Stewart said his favourite area of America was Oregon, which he said had a real ?frontier atmosphere?. Kansas was ?flat, dry and hot? ? and he wasn?t keen on the dogs in Kentucky.

?Throughout Kentucky there were a lot of these mobile homes and they all seemed to have dogs. They would come steaming out of the woods and chase us. We never actually got bitten, but we had a few close shaves,? he said.

Despite the huge mileage Stewart and John clocked up, they only had one puncture throughout the whole journey and used just one set of tyres.

?The bikes were fantastic ? we were really pleased with them,? said Stewart.

And Stewart and John paid tribute to Dartmoor Cycles and Tavistock Cycles for the help and advice they received before setting out on their journey.

Stewart and John?s cycle ride has raised about £1,500 in sponsorship for Children?s Hospice South West.