strong field will battle for Sinclair Packwood's title in the men's division when the popular Heritage Day cycle race takes place on Tuesday.

Packwood will have a host of top riders aiming to prevent him from a third straight win when the cyclists leave Somerset at 9 a.m. on a ride that will take between 25 and 30 minutes to complete by the time they arrive at Cedar Avenue in Hamilton.

Last year Packwood won in 27:12 which was slower than his 1992 winning time of 26:27. If he is in a good position when the race develops on Front Street or Queen Street then the 31-year old Packwood, as the island's sprint champion, will have a good chance of making it three in a row.

Also entered are CAC participants Mike Lee, Clarke Tear and Dana Henry, previous winner Earl Godfrey and up-and-coming McGuinness Looby, who is already creating a storm in his first season and could be a major threat.

Also, there are the likes of Vance Stevens, president of the Bermuda Bicycle Association, Damien Wilson and Darren Dowling. Tear, still trying to win the race for the first time, was second last year while Wilson and Dowling were third and fourth respectively.

Former runner Jeff Payne, who was the first veteran rider and ninth overall, is again the favourite in that category which also includes Vic Ball while the two novices are Trevor Hedges and Derwin Cann.

The women competitors include Melanie Claude, Margaret Hateley and Patrice Burchall.

The registration deadline is on Saturday at 4 p.m.

SINCLAIR PACKWOOD -- Won last year's race in 27:12.