Four weeks ago, he and some of his friends flew to Chicago. They stepped into Canada briefly to see Toronto and Niagara Falls then, from the border started their epic cycle ride down the East Coast of the United States. Actually, Rob is one of the sane members of the 6-strong crew; he’s driving what he lovingly calls ‘the monster truck’.

The disparity in effort involved between driving 2500 miles and cycling 2500 miles is reflected in the relative goals the team have in terms of sponsorship. You can sponsor Rob or any of the three cyclists to complete the journey. They’re raising money for a mix of charities, including WaterAid, Motor Neurone Disease Association, Van Mildert College Young Persons’ Project, Nightingale House Hospice, and Dr Kershaw’s Hospice.

They seem to have been having a whale of a time – visiting places, meeting the locals, eating ridiculous amounts of junk food, and experiencing Harry Potter mania U.S.-style. As he’s having to exert less physical effort than most of the others, Rob has been lugging his monster laptop around to maintain their official Team America 2007 blog to record their adventures. It’s been a way for their families to keep up to date with their exploits but they’re now apparently getting hundreds of hits a day, including one from a certain Bill Bryson.