TWO women who reached a self-confessed mid-life crisis have decided to take to the road on Harley Davidson motorbikes for a US road trip in aid of a cancer charity.

Friends Liz Atkinson, 54, from Northallerton, and Tina Oxley, 48, from Bedale, met four years ago when both got into motorcycling and decided to plan their trip of a lifetime after talking about their personal bucket lists.

The women – calling themselves the Fairy Bikers - will ride on Harley Davidson bikes for the first time on the trip embarking from Las Vegas and finish in Los Angeles, taking in San Francisco and Yosemite National Park on the way.

Ms Atkinson said: “About 18 months ago we hit a mid-life crisis and started talking about things we would love to do – I told Tina I’d love to ride a Harley Davidson in the US and she said she would like to too.

“Then over Christmas we decided to take the plunge and we started organising it, and now we are planning to leave on May 9.

Ms Atkinson had enjoyed riding motorbikes as a teenager but stopped when she became a mother to her two children, now grown up.

She said: “I started to get my life back so I took my test and have really got into biking.

“There aren’t as many women as men that ride bikes but it is great fun to go out with a group or on your own – especially when the weather is good.”

The women decided to support Breakthrough Breast Cancer after Ms Oxley’s mother was diagnosed with the disease, and plan to document their 1160 mile journey on film and in a book when they return.

Ms Atkinson added: “We want to record all our adventures and mishaps and hopefully sell the book and film to make some more money for the charity.”

To donate visit https://www.justgiving.com/fairy-bikers, or search for the Fairy Bikers on Facebook.