James, and another 12 young men who laugh in the face of pain, will be setting off on their bikes on 28 May. This is not so much a sponsored ride as a sponsored tour; the cyclists will be traversing France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

The fundraising ride will take five days and cover around 350 miles (and more if they get lost en route). The punishing schedule is as follows:

Day One: Paris to Saint-Quentin =102 miles
Day Two: Saint-Quentin to Mons = 71 miles
Day Three: Mons to Antwerpen = 71 miles
Day Four: Antwerpen to Rotterdam = 62 miles
Day Five: Rotterdam to Amsterdam = 45 miles
Day Six: straight back to work at 5.30am (just kidding, James!)

James has chosen the Hospice of the Good Shepherd, a local charity for adult patients with incurable illnesses. It provides pain and symptom management and respite care so that each patient can live life to the full within their capabilities; however, the charity’s running costs are over £6,000 a day, so any support from fundraisers is much appreciated.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - we raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now!