TWO men are preparing for a 3,800-mile USA coast-to-coast bike ride to raise money in tribute to a 12-year-old boy who died from a brain tumour.

Nick Entwistle, 51, a builder who lives in Crawshawbooth, and John Hargreaves, 47, a stonemason from Water, will set off on March 26 from San Francisco.

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They hope to arrive on the East coast at Yorktown Virginia around six weeks later.

Nick and John are raising money for children’s hospice Derian House in Chorley where their friends’ son, Tom Smith, a keen Burnley FC fan, died in 2006.

Nick has previously done other bike rides for the hospice, riding from Turf Moor to Fulham’s ground between Clarets games and an epic John O’ Groats to the Olympic stadium trip in 2012.

Apart from the effort of the challenge itself, both men are self-employed and are giving up six weeks’ earnings to undertake the journey, during which they will cycle around 90 miles per day.

They have chosen the longest and highest and therefore the most challenging route across the States.

Conditions varying from the heat of the Arizona desert to the snow and ice 11,000 ft above sea level in the Rocky Mountains.

Father-of-three Nick, said: “It’s going to be very tough but we’re both looking forward to it.

“I hadn’t seen John for a while but we bumped into each other on Tesco car park in Rawtenstall.

“I said half-jokingly ‘how about crossing America’ and John immediately took me up on it. We’ve been planning in ever since. We’ve bought specialist Surly long-haul bikes and plan to camp out in the open most of the time but if temperatures are low we’ll check into a hotel.

“The Rocky Mountains stage will be hard but at the end of that section there is a stage we’re doing which is 127 miles – mostly downhill, so that day will be good.”

Nick is also concerned about the food along the way, as he is a vegetarian.

He added: “A lot of the roadside diners are very highly meat-based.

“In fact, I’ve been told if I ask for a ‘garden-burger’ it will be just a slice of lettuce and tomato on a bun.

“We will need to consume around 7,000 or 8,000 calories a day for energy, but I’m sure I’ll be OK.”

Those wishing to support Nick and John can go to www.justgiving.com/Nick-Entwistle.