Dominique Mayho will take part in the “hardest race of his life” this afternoon at the UCI Road World Cycling Championships in Richmond.

The Bermuda rider is entered in the under-23 road race and will compete against some of the best cyclists in the world.

Mayho qualified for the event by virtue of his continental ranking, which had him 55th by the August 15 cut-off date. He will be the first Bermuda cyclist to take part in the under-23 event since Tyler Butterfield in 2005.

Up against some of the top cyclists in the world, Mayho is under no illusions as to the task he faces in Virginia just keeping up with riders he fully expects to be competing in the Tour de France in a couple of years time.

“Tomorrow is going to be the hardest race I have ever done in my life, it’s the best guys in the world at my age,” Mayho said. “I am just going in for the experience and to just try and stay in as long as possible.

“I’m hoping to finish the race, that’s my main goal because I’m not at a level where I can compete for the win, they are the best guys in the world.”

Today’s course takes in ten laps of downtown Richmond, with some steep climbs, tight corners and cobblestone streets all combining to push the riders to their limits. Mayho got a chance to view the course first hand during the course preview yesterday, and managed to get in three laps.

“Hopefully it doesn’t rain too much,” Mayho said. “The course has three main hills, and two of them are cobblestone, so that’s going to be hard. The last hill going to the finish is probably going to be the hardest hill all day.

“The race is going to be a really hard race because it’s right in the centre of town, so there are a lot of corners and it’s going to be a fast race.”

The preview did at least afford Mayho the opportunity to cycle alongside some of the more well-known members of the sport, with teams from Australia, Belgium and the United States all taking to the roads.

“You’re riding along and you see people that you watch on television all year round, that was pretty cool,” Mayho said.

With no team members to help him along, Mayho will have to go it alone in a race that Peter Dunne, the Bermuda Bicycle Association president, said was typically a “brutal affair”.

“While larger cycling countries will have teams of as many as five riders, Mayho will be on his own in what is often the most competitive race of the weeklong championships,” Dunne said.

“With younger riders all trying to impress the bosses at the upper echelons of the sport, the under-23 typically is a brutal affair which is fast-paced from the outset.”

Dunne is in Richmond to support Mayho and said he was thrilled that the Bermuda cyclist had qualified.

“His focus this year has helped him prepare to meet this challenge, and I’m looking forward to seeing him race in Richmond,” he said.

n Cycling’s governing body has announced a new tour for women’s cycling, promising more races and greater visibility for what has largely been a neglected part of the sport.

The WorldTour replaces the antiquated World Cup system. It will run from March through September and include 17 events in the US, Europe and Asia. The top 20 professional teams will be invited to participate, much like the men’s version of the WorldTour.