WTG Jane !

Cancer sufferer Jane Tomlinson has been praised by Tony Blair as she enters the final week of her 4,200-mile cycle ride across America on Monday. The hand-written letter was delivered to her in Washington during the latest stage of her journey.

It read: "Well done on all your fundraising efforts. It's a fantastic achievement. Good luck, Tony Blair."

Mrs Tomlinson, 42, from Leeds, hopes to finish the ride from San Francisco to New York on Friday.

The mother-of-three and her co-riders Ryan Bowd, 27, and Martyn Hollingworth, 40, were joined by about a dozen members of staff from the British Embassy in Washington for Monday's leg of the ride.

"It's been good that they could join me and give me a bit of company," she said.

"The overwhelming feeling is one of relief. It's relief that the end is in sight - I'll be home with the rest of my family next week."