From 7-9 June this year I'll be stepping out of my comfort zone and saddling up for the Football to Amsterdam bike ride for Prostate Cancer UK.

I'm normally one of those people who thinks 'what will be will be' but hearing the stats about prostate cancer shocked me.

Prostate cancer affects one in eight men in the UK and that stat worsens to one in four if you are a black man, which really brought things home. Thinking about the amount of football I've watched this year and equating that to one man dying every 45 minutes, that's shocking. And that's why I signed up for this great cause.

I've met some of the people affected by this disease having joined the Football March for Men last summer. It was inspiring to meet them and hear their stories and you just want people like that to live their lives to the full and enjoy it.

This will be the first time I've done anything of this magnitude too. When I lived in Malaysia the roads were better and the drivers certainly gave cyclists a lot more respect. I'd go out for an hour and a half, so the 145 miles from Stratford to Ajax's Johan Cruijff Arena is a new challenge.

I'll check in with my old teammate and friend Les Ferdinand, who I know has ridden to Amsterdam before. I also know about his personal link to the cause but I'm sure he'll give me some good advice.

It's going to be tough, but I'm really looking forward to it, and knowing the money raised by all the riders will go towards stopping prostate cancer being a killer is all the motivation I need.

Thanks for supporting me on this quest.