Steve Sterritt would appear to be a strong favourite to win Monday's Heritage Day cycle race at his first attempt.. .at least with those in the know.

Past winners Sinclair Packwood and Carlos DeSilva as well as defending champion Damion Wilson all quickly called off the Irishman's name as one to beat in the popular Somerset to Hamilton race.

But Sterritt himself insists: "There is absolutely no pressure on me to win.'' "I've never done the race before and from what I've seen, which hasn't been a lot, it seems like a wide open race. It's only 12 miles, a bit of a lottery really,'' adds Sterritt, who in past years has run the Marathon Derby.

"I really don't think I have the advantage over anyone particularly. Whoever is left coming onto Front Street ... it's a bit of a shoot-out at that point.

"If there is a favourite, then any past winner has the upper hand. I'll be up there somewhere, I hope.'' DeSilva, a two-time time winner, plays down his own chances, though that's not to say he isn't going all out for victory.

"My chances of getting a record third victory are very slim,'' said the Bermuda Bicycle Association president. "My energy this year is going into running the association. I haven't had time to do hardly any training at all.

"My fitness level is at an all-time low right now. I'm just counting on my experience to pull me through to the finish.

"The race does require quite a bit of luck and knowledge of positioning for the last part. I'll be in there at the finish gunning for it, that's for sure.'' DeSilva thinks defending champion Wilson and Sterritt are the two to watch.

"Damion is still riding strong this year, he won Front Street so he's in good form,'' said DeSilva. "He's a sprinter so it's his sort of race.

"Also there is Stevie Sterritt, who is extremely dangerous on the corners and the last three quarters of a mile are all fast corners. His bike handling ability is good and his fitness level is top notch right now.

"Whayman (Butterfield) is one you can't rule out. He's had an up and down season but this race brings out the best in a lot of people. He's been there before and knows what it takes to win.'' Added DeSilva: "You don't really wear anybody out on the way down. Whoever drops off on the way down shouldn't have been there in the first place. I'll be there at the start and if all goes well I'll be there at the finish.'' Wilson is hoping for the same as he bids to defend his title. "I guess I have as good a chance as any,'' said the champion.

"I'm having an okay season, the field looks strong and all the guys on the national team are very strong. But Steve Sterritt is above and beyond anybody else at the moment.

"He's been on form for a few months now. He's got some kind of training secret that the rest of us don't have and that we would like to have. What he's doing in training is working.'' Added Wilson: "The racing was more of a mental game last year, it didn't look like anybody was going to get away. People stopped thinking about getting clear and started thinking about positioning, watching for anybody else who might go and making sure they were in the `break' if there was one.'' One of the drawbacks is the race's comparatively short distance, but considering that they were only allowed on the roads 10 years ago, local cyclists are grateful for the exposure it offers.

"This race is less than a third of the size of most of our training rides,'' said Wilson. "A few riders are training for races 75 miles or longer. For most of the guys, by the time we get to town that's just a warm-up for any other race.'' DAMION WILSON -- last year's winner can expect a stiff challenge from Steve Sterritt.