Experience, speed and guile are expected to combine in spectacular fashion tomorrow morning in the annual IBC Front Street cycle races.

All eyes will be on the top-flight men?s battle (Category Two) in which familiar faces such as Kris Hedges, defending champion Garth Thomson, Wayne Scott, Greg Hopkins and Kent Richardson will vie for supremacy in the one-hour criterium in the city.

The Naude twins, Evan and Riaan, should feature in Category Three while, with last year?s winner Melanie Claude having retired and Julia Hawley and Lynn Patchett not competing, the women?s title is truly up for grabs. Sisters Deanna Thomson and Kim McMullen are favoured for the honours.

?Front Street is a big race for the cycling community and if I can be a part of it, sure, but I haven?t been riding nearly as much as I used to. I?m in relatively good shape and I?m going to come out and have some fun. Nothing serious, no pressure,? said 25-year-old Hedges, who gave up pro riding late last year.

Chuckling, he quipped: ?We?ll see about the competitiveness.?

Scott hardly considers himself a contender, insisting he is ?beginning to drift off into the sunset? as a frontline cyclist.

?I think that, reality having finally caught up with me, I will be doing my best just to hang in there. I?m so busy these days and I have not been out training,? disclosed the 38-year-old.

Veterans champion Peter Dunne is bracing for a keen tussle with Paulo Medeiros and Vic Ball, the latter a long-standing force in this division.

?It?s always a great atmosphere and it?s exciting. From a veteran?s perspective it?s a really tough race because it?s short and intense. The key to this race is staying with the main pack of top riders as long as possible.

?The guy who can hang with the pack is going to win the Veterans? category. It?s more difficult for us because we are older and not as fit as the younger riders,? noted Dunne, adding that climbing Burnaby Hill is the most challenging part of each lap in the 45-minute event.

However, what they lack in athleticism the older guys compensate for with experience.

?There are a lot of guys who have cycled for many years and they have great race sense. They understand the dynamics of the race and that can take you quite a long way.?

Regarding ambitions of retaining his title, Dunne sees Ball as his main threat but he has got the better of his rival already in a sprint this year.

?I don?t know if my endurance will keep me going. It?s so intense but if you spend too much time thinking about it you could find yourself off the pack,? pointed out last year?s Veterans? winner.

Among the juniors, Ricky Sousa Jr and Timmy Fox (15-16 boys); Tyree Amstrong (13-14 boys) and Sophie Adams (11-12 girls) are favoured in their respective categories when action starts at 8 a.m.