Charity cyclists caught up in tornado

Andrew Hall, Ben Brown, Adam Kent and Matthew Tulloch

But the four Edinburgh friends cycling across America for charity instead found themselves in fear of their lives as they were caught up in a natural disaster.

Their fundraising coast-to-coast cycle for cancer charity Maggie's Centre was little over halfway through when they cycled straight into the tornado zone in Missouri last week.

Since then they have been rushed from a motel to an emergency shelter underneath a church, cycled through cars piled four high and pedalled through entire neighbourhoods wiped out by the high winds.

Despite the setback, 28-year-old Andrew Hall, Adam Kent, 25, Matthew Tulloch and Ben Brown, both 21, are still on course both to complete the journey in the 35-day timeframe and surpass their financial target of 10,000.

The men are keeping their supporters informed of their progress through a blog and social networking, and have recounted their experience of the tornado-hit town of Joplin, which alone has lost nearly 150 residents.

Ben, who is also documenting every one of their 3300 miles across 11 states, told of the night the tornado hit, describing it as "the most terrifying experience".

Devastation in Joplin

He said: "We were in the middle of watching Rocky in our motel room when we could hear thunder in the distance.

"We stepped outside our rooms to watch the lightning. We knew the storm was coming our way but never imagined how bad it was going to get.

"Next thing, the storm sirens wailed out - we had to sprint and get ourselves to the van and head for the storm shelter. You could see huge funnel clouds spiralling above and the wind howled and the rain smashed into the door.

"The TV showed that twisters had killed people - it easily could have been us."

On Friday they emerged from the shelter to trek through the debris the storm had left behind.

"We were exhausted and shaken," he added.

"It felt uncomfortable and we didn't say much to each other.

"All downtown Joplin was annihilated, cars piled three or four high, and you wonder how this could be.

"It was a circus - houses literally flattened to the ground, debris following in the twister pattern."

Adam's father, Tony, from Portobello, told the Evening News: "We were quite concerned when we saw the weather forecasts for that part of the world.

"They were taken to emergency accommodation in the middle of the night at one stage.

"We have been keeping regular contact and thankfully they seem to be through the worst of it."

He joked: "I think their hay fever is causing them more problems than anything else because they've been cycling through so many fields.

"The important thing is the money they raise, they're already nearly past the 10,000 target."

For more information on the charity cycle, visit http://blog.cycleusa2011.com