Almost 300 cyclists will cross the Channel as part of a four-day ride from London to Paris on Wednesday to coincide with the finale of the 100th Tour de France and help raise around £600,000 for children’s charity Action Medical Research.

They are due to set off from London’s Tower Bridge and pass through Kent during the afternoon, arriving at Dover at around 4pm.

The event finishes in Paris on Saturday with the cyclists riding in convoy down the Champs Élysées to the Eiffel Tower the day before the 100th Tour de France race finishes along the same streets.

Cyclists taking part in the annual ride will be raising money to fund medical research to help save and change the lives of sick and disabled babies and children.

With the help of its supporters, Action has played a significant role in many medical breakthroughs for over 60 years, starting with the development of the first UK polio vaccines.

The charity is currently funding research into many conditions, including preventing early labour and developing treatments for babies affected by premature birth, helping children with disabilities and tackling rare diseases for which there are currently no cures.

Some of the cyclists are taking part for very personal reasons – because their family has experienced the affects of a serious medical condition, to remember a lost baby or child, or to help others by raising funds for medical research to help babies and children. Some are devotees of the event who come back year after year and some are first-timers looking for a new challenge.

The charity is already recruiting riders for its next London to Paris ride in 2014. There will be three four-day routes to choose from and a new 24-hour challenge for teams of two. For more information click here