More than 28,000 cyclists took part in this year’s London to Brighton bike ride and are expected to raise more than £4m for the British Heart Foundation.

The 54-mile event, which starts in Clapham and took place on Sunday, is the BHF’s flagship fundraising event - raising £4.1m last year.

According to the heart disease charity it is the oldest and largest bike ride in Europe.

Tristam Jones, head of events at the BHF, said: “The London to Brighton Bike Ride is the flagship fundraising event for the BHF.

“I’d like to say a massive thank you to all the cyclists and their sponsors for their support.

“We would also like to thank everyone who came to help at both the start in Clapham and the finish in Brighton. Our cyclists rely on the hundreds of volunteers who give their time to make the bike ride possible.”

The event is one of a series of London to Brighton cycles the BHF runs that also include a night ride in July and an off-road event in September.

In 2015, the event will be in its 40th year, with 750,000 cyclists, pedalling more than 40m miles and raising more than £60m for the BHF, the charity said.