Donate nowLFC Academy staff to complete charity cycle from Big Ben to Eiffel Tower

John Thompson, head of coaching for the foundation phase, is leading a group of 12 on the gruelling 300-mile challenge, which will be completed over three days.

He will be joined by colleagues Paul Gow, Gareth Cook, Conor Hannah and Vikas Sharma to raise funds and awareness for the treatment of hydrocephalus, a build-up of fluid in the brain.

John's father, a scout within the Reds' youth set-up, will also be a support mechanic on the journey from London to Paris.

"My middle child, Rueben, who's now three years of age, had hydrocephalus," John explains. "He was treated by Alder Hey hospital for it and he's now got a VP shunt in his head.

"Last year I did the abseil down Liverpool Cathedral, so I thought to myself that I wanted to do something a little bit more difficult because I actually quite enjoy doing stuff like that.

"I thought, 'None of us really ride bikes, let's look at riding from Big Ben to the Eiffel Tower.' The fact that I've trained a little bit for it, I should have the distances in my legs, so I feel quite confident.

"I'm looking forward to the trials and tribulations that it'll bring and having a good time with the lads while we're doing it and seeing what it brings up. I suppose I've got a mixture of excitement and nerves."

John, his family and friends have set up the fund Reuben Research as they look to pay for a PhD student to complete a research project to support others with hydrocephalus.

He continued: "Rueben is doing amazing now. The big thing for me is to try to raise awareness of what hydrocephalus is.

"We were really lucky that we went to go and see a GP. The symptoms of sun-setting eyes and a bulging fontanelle in his head were things that we didn't even know about because you don't know what you don't know. Luckily enough, the GP we saw was really fast-acting and said, 'Right, you need to go to Alder Hey straight away.'

"We're so lucky we've got such an incredible facility right on our doorstep with amazing and talented people who do the jobs that they do there – such as Conor Malucci, the neurosurgeon who Reuben is under the observation of at Alder Hey.

"Any support that you give – no matter how big or small – will be greatly appreciated and I'd like to thank our incredible sponsors: John Lennon Airport, Next Energy Solutions, Selwyns Travel, 7 Elite Academy and VP Civils and Surfacing and Northgate Vehicle Hire."

• You can make a donation to Reuben Research here