The head of Epsom and Sutton's hospitals is joining 150 of the world's top cyclists to raise money for pioneering research into kidney disease.

The Chief Executive of Epsom, Sutton and St Helier hospitals, Matthew Hopkins, who himself suffers from kidney disease, will be getting on his bike tomorrow for the South West London Institute for Renal Research.

He will be joining 20,000 cyclists – including 150 of the world’s top cyclists - for the RideLondon-Surrey 100-mile event through London and Surrey on a similar route to that of the London 2012 Olympic Road Cycling Races.

He said: "I cycle to work most days, but the difference between a seven-mile commute and a 100-mile ride is obviously significant! This is a big challenge and one I will be pleased to achieve".

Dr Mark Dockrell, the lead researcher at the South West London Institute for Renal Research, based at St Helier hospital, said, "Kidney failure is a devastating disease that is largely caused by the cells making too much scar protein causing a continuous vicious circle of decline.

"At the Institute we have been developing pioneering experiments that can nudge the kidney cells back towards health."

Starting at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the RideLondon-Surrey 100 will travel through the capital and onto Surrey’s country roads before finishing in central London. The event is part of the two-day Prudential Ride London cycling event is expected to attract large crowds of spectators across the capital and Surrey.