less competitive, cycles as Bermuda's top riders battle for honours in the IBC Front Street race series this Sunday.

At stake will be the `King of Speed' title in the sprint championship and `King of the Road' in the road races.

In the day's feature event, the men's road race, which will see riders compete for one hour plus a lap, a new champion is expected to be crowned. Last year's winner, MacInnis Looby, is due to leave the Island on Sunday morning to resume his racing in the United States.

In his absence, the winner of the first race of the season, Steven Millington, will be one of the strong favourites especially as the race invariably comes down to a sprint.

The Englishman, new to the Island, has already given the rest of the riders a taste of his abilities and will be one to watch. Another strong contender should be the in-form Whayman Butterfield who was forced to drop off the pace in the season opener with mechanical problems when he was riding strongly.

Mike Lee could also be in the reckoning.

The women's field is expected to come down to a battle between the two strongest female riders on the Island, Melanie Claude and Laurie Orchard. And it should be another close race between team-mates Tyler Butterfield and Jonathan Herring in the juniors while a tough race is expected in the highly competitive veteran men's field with Vic Ball, Paulo Madeiros, Merv VanPutten and Jim Butterfield all expected to be in contention.

In the sprint championship, the Island's top power riders will be pitted against each other in a series of elimination races which culminate in a one-on-one final to decide the fastest man and woman over the short 400 metre course which starts at the Cenotaph and finishes at the flagpole.

Last year's surprise winner in the men's field, Earl Smith, will be expected to make one of his rare appearances on the race scene to defend his title with previous winner and beaten finalist last year, Whayman Butterfield, looking to reclaim his crown.

In the women's event Melanie Claude should challenge last year's winner, the in-form Orchard.

For the first time this year there will be a separate sprint title for the juniors with Butterfield and Herring likely to challenge each other after renowned sprinter Nuri Latham elected to move up to category three for seniors this year.

Meanwhile, the Island's young, aspiring cyclists will get their chance to impress with a series of `pee wee' races for the under-eights.

Last year almost 100 youngsters, on anything from tricycles to bikes with training wheels, enjoyed the fun races.

Entry forms are available at Winners Edge.