Everything is going to plan so far as the Hope 66 team have passed through the New Mexico desert and are now heading through Arizona.

From the photographs being posted on Facebook and our Gallery showing the spectacular and unusual scenery of the parts of the US we’ve already covered, you might think the riders and support team are on some sort of ‘jolly’. Sure, the scenery and experiences the riders had in the New Mexico desert will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

What probably isn’t apparent from the images is the sheer hard work being put in. Every day is an early start with alarms going off at 6ish. We’re travelling long distances, so even though cycling may be only 70-100 miles, there’s then 140-200 miles each team needs to make in the RV to get to the hotel. After a meal and a couple of beers the team are completely shattered and usually in bed by 10ish.

Yesterday each team covered 97 miles each, with many of the riders choosing to do an extra three to make it a tonne! Today has been particularly tough with epic climbing through the mountains of Arizona in driving rain for most of the day. The cyclists have been literally soaked to the skin.

Around half of the riders have completed previous GM Fundraising cycle rides, including Ride 4 Hope – a coast to coast trip across the US – but the consensus seems to be that this ride is the most difficult of all.

We’ve now finished 10 days of cycling and everyone is safe and in good spirits. We’re on the downward stretch, and yet there’s still quite a bit of climbing to complete before the cyclists can dip their wheels in the Pacific Ocean.