QPR’s director of football Les Ferdinand opened up on his reasons for signing up to Prostate Cancer UK’s Football to Amsterdam bike ride at a Q&A session on Tuesday night.

The 50-year-old, who lost his grandfather to prostate cancer, will be cycling from London to Amsterdam from June 9-11, travelling a gruelling 145 miles during that time.

He said: “My grandad was the biggest influence on my life, so it was devastating when he passed away. Football is a macho industry. People think everything is fine all the time, but that’s not always the case.

“As well as my grandad, my dad and uncles have had the disease, and they’ve thankfully come out the other side and beaten it. One in eight men in the UK will be affected by this disease in their lifetime – but as a black man, my risk is even greater.

“One in four will be affected, and if there is a history of the disease in the family – like mine – those odds are even shorter. I make sure I get regular check-ups now as a result.”

For information about taking part in the 2017 ride, go to prostatecanceruk.org/amsterdam, call 020 3310 7034 or email cycling@prostatecanceruk.org.

Sign up for the biggest ride in football with the code TRANSFER25 by January 31 and get £25 off the registration fee.

You can sponsor Les here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Les-Ferdinand