Action Medical Research’s 2011 cycling programme features 28 events and will be showcased at next week’s London Bike Show.

Heading up this year’s schedule is the charity’s annual London to Paris tour, which is now the biggest event of its kind in the charity sector. 

More than 800 cyclists, with a choice of five routes, will leave the capital on July 20 and 21, with a three-day 300-mile route on offer for serious riders.

All arrive in Paris a day ahead of the final stage of the Tour de France and ride in convoy down the Champs Elysees to finish at the Eiffel Tower before the pro sprinters lock horns.

The inaugural Three Cities Challenge will start in London on August 31 and take in Amsterdam and Brussels, arriving to coincide with the annual Belgian beer festival.

Closer to home, the 100 Series of one-day regional UK rides will offer 22 graded events in stunning locations, including five new ones.  Most events offer both a 100-mile and 100km route option.

Additions to the series include the Lake District 100, promising a breathtaking course with tough climbs and thrilling descents through some of the UK’s premier scenery, including the picturesque lakes of Derwentwater, Buttermere and Thirlmere.

The toughest challenge in the Action calendar, the RIDE24 endurance relay, has a new location for 2011 at Goodwood Motor Circuit, Sussex.

Olympic road race champion Nicole Cooke, who is Cycling Ambassador for the charity, said: “I am very proud to be an ambassador for Action Medical Research and it was the charity’s passion for cycling which initially brought us together.

“Action Medical Research is about excellence and achievement through the work it funds. This excellence is also apparent in the challenging events the charity encourages everyday cyclists to get involved with.

“Action has a passion for cycling which is second to none. I would encourage all to get involved, get on a bike and take on something amazing.”

Money raised by the charity through its cycling programme helps fund vital medical research into conditions affecting babies and children.

Research currently being supported by Action Medical Research includes work around meningitis, epilepsy, cerebral palsy and premature birth, as well as some very rare and distressing conditions that severely affect children.

For more information about the Action Medical Research cycling programme visit the website www.action.org.uk/cycling