A PENSIONER will rely on pedal power to complete a 3,640-mile trip across the US.

Durham county councillor Len O'Donnell, 69, will embark on the challenge to raise funds to replace some of the 35 fire engines and other equipment destroyed in the September 11 terrorist attacks.

The former chairman of Durham and Darlington Fire Authority aims to be in the saddle for 50 miles a day as he cycles from Los Angeles to Washington DC.

He is being sponsored by Cycle Force, of Durham, which presented him with a new bike on Wednesday, and American supermarket chain Wal-Mart, which will provide him with refreshments.

Coun O'Donnell, who represents Wingate and Peterlee, County Durham, has completed the UK's Coast-to-Coast challenge twice and, two years ago, rode from Land's End to John O'Groats.

But the retired miner said this would be his toughest challenge.

"It's going to be hard, I know that, but I'm determined to do it," he said. "I have been training hard and I feel confident."

Coun O'Donnell will stay overnight at firehouses, where a meal and a bed will be provided.

An event is planned to mark his passage through North Carolina, which is twinned with Durham.

Coun O'Donnell said: "My plans have already generated significant media coverage across the US.

"They have also been spread across the Internet, and I hope that all the coverage will help boost funds for this worthy cause."

Coun O'Donnell will generate further cash by selling a CD dedicated to the Trimdon Grange Colliery disaster of 1882, called Where Explosions Are No More.