This Thursday will mark the 20th year since the Island’s cyclists were officially given the green light to race from Somerset to Hamilton on Heritage Day. And appropriately enough, since 1999 the event has been named in memory of one of the sport’s driving forces behind gaining the right to do so, Sinclair Packwood.

At the time The Royal Gazette reported then Public Works Minister Quinton Edness as saying: “It’s not the kind of thing we’d like to do frequently. For now we thought it wise to make it a one-off thing then decide. If it’s successful and the community responds to it, we’ll think about allowing it annually.”

Little could he have imagined at the time how the event would mushroom into one of Bermuda’s biggest and most prestigious races.

And this Thursday morning should again witness an exciting 12-mile dash that will culminate in another fast and furious finish on Cedar Avenue as all of the Island’s top riders battle it out for a title that ensures their place in local cycling folklore.

This year’s edition is expected to offer the thousands that line the route a race to remember with powerhouse Garth Thompson widely regarded as favourite after some dominating performances already this season.

With an impressive victory in the Front Street Race Series in March, and time trial results that have left all the other top riders in his wake, it’s no secret that Thompson is hungry for success in the only local event that has alluded him.

However, in a race that has historically seen a favourite falter, either under the pressure of expectation, or simply because the desire that the event’s prestige gives the rest of the field of 50 riders to propel a less likely candidate to victory, being the ‘man to beat’ is often regarded as an unwelcome title.

Few would question Thompson’s ability to put the top field under severe pressure but whether or not he has enough to get away from last year’s winner, 16-year-old Ricky Sousa jr, back on the Island to defend his crown, or the more experienced 2004 winner Wayne Scott remains to be seen.

One thing is for sure, he won’t want it to come to a final last-gasp sprint — the only questionable weakness in his otherwise impressive arsenal, especially with Scott and Sousa both excelling at this discipline.

Sousa, back training and racing after a bout of mononucleosis is a young rider with exceptional talent and confidence that are both necessary in a sport that is not for the feint of heart, and are especially necessary ingredients to win Thursday’s race which crams, tough, demanding hills, 40 mph descents, long leg-draining flat sections and technically difficult corners, into a short course that should see a 25-minute or less winning time.

What 40 year-old Scott may lack in Sousa’s youthful energy he more than compensates for, putting his vast experience, his never-say-die attitude and desire to win to good use.

He’s rarely out of contention in the closing stages of any race, and when he has the finish line in sight few would bet against Scott’s ability to win, especially as he looked to have his second victory all but sealed in last year’s event before his chain got tangled in the last 50 metres, relegating him to second place behind Sousa.

Veterans of the sport, Carlos DeSilva, Mike Lee and Greg Hopkins, all previous winners of the event, will be on the start line on Thursday, the only three remaining riders from the original 35 ‘invited’ riders for the inaugural 1987 race, but even they would admit it is now more of a nostalgia trip down memory lane with their best years behind them.

However, with 50 cyclists on the start line including five previous winners and a host of new faces all looking to claim the coveted crown, it seems sure to be another race to remember.