Retired primary school teacher Dermot Higgins from Rush is coming towards the end of his epic bid to become the oldest man to cycle around the world.

Dermot, from Rush in north County Dublin, is currently pedalling his way across the vast expanse of the United States, from the west coast to the east.

He has less than two months left on the road and while personally, the epic journey has been a personal triumph, one aspect of his challenge is not going as well as he hoped.

He explained: "Okay, so Gogodermo is nearly over! On April 1, I hope to return to Dublin, having achieved my objective of becoming the oldest person to cycle around the world. I'd also hoped to raise significant funds for Irish aid agency, Trocaire.

"AlasMaybe I'll find that people will support me and keep me safe despite our differences in opinion.

"After all, I didn't expect much from the Antipodes and looking back now, as I fly over the Pacific Ocean, having left Auckland a few hours ago, it seems that I'm now rating Australia and New Zealand as the favourite leg of Gogodermo."

But just a few days later, as Dermot reached Arizona, his view of America had changed completely.

He said: "The US of A. is an absolutely incredible country. I love it! And today has been by my best day so far, in the USA.

"I'm sitting in a Mexican bar , with a handful of amigos, in the small town of Buckeye just outside of Phoenix, Arizona, while the rest of America