Arthur Pitcher will be out to defend his title when the Tokio Millennium Re road race is held tomorrow morning at John Smith’s Bay.

Pitcher recorded a time of 1hr 45min 40.39sec to edge out Dominique Mayho in an exciting finish to last year’s race. Mayho completed the course in 1:45.40.41 while Shannon Lawrence, 1:45.40.77, and Darren Glasford, 1:45:41.08, were the other cyclists in the sprint finish in Adult A category.

The race will serve as a build-up to the Sinclair Packwood Memorial race in three weeks time and Pitcher is expected to be tested by the likes of Lawrence, Glasford, Mark Hatherley and David McComas who won the recent Grand Prix. Mayho is training and competing in Belgium.

Action will start at 7.45am with the Junior B race, followed a minute later with the start of Junior C before the Adult A riders head out at 8.10am. They will cover six laps of the course, some 41.4 miles in total. They will be followed by the Men’s B, C and women’s riders at 8.15, 8.20 and 8.25. Zoenique Williams, who also won a first Grand Prix title, will be one of the favourites in the women’s race which covers 27.5 miles (four laps).

Men’s B will cover 34.5 miles (five laps) and Men’s C four laps.

The races will start at John Smith’s Bay and take the cyclists east towards Mid Ocean golf course before turning left onto Paynter’s Road and heading towards Devil’s Hole and onto Harrington Sound Road towards Flatts. They will turn left up Flatts Hill and then left again on Verdmont Road before turning left at St Mark’s Church and heading back towards John Smith’s Bay.

Registration opens on the morning of the race at 7.15am.