The aficionados of cycling in Bermuda will have their eyes on the top local riders when they battle it out to win one of Island's most prestigious races in Hamilton on Sunday morning, the IBC Front Street event.

But there will be as much, if not more, support for the popular 'Pee-Wee' races for children aged four and over who are expected to fill Front Street for a series of short 'just for fun' races.

One thing will be certain, the streets of Hamilton will be a hive of activity as Bermuda Bicycle Association stage their first major event of the season with six races scheduled to take place, starting at 8.20 a.m. with a junior race for the more experienced youngsters and a novice event for senior riders. In all, seven age categories will be contested.

The event offers a chance for the four-year-olds to take centre stage in a series of 'Pee-Wee' races that traditionally see every style of cycle on display from tricycles to bikes with training wheels and brightly coloured streamers.

Over 100 youngsters are expected to get their first taste of bike racing, albeit just for fun, with parents running alongside them in support.

These races will be followed at 10 a.m. by a 30-minute criterium for the 13-14 boys, 15-16 girls, female intermediate and male Citizen categories.

The final race of the day will see the top riders in action at 10.45 a.m. with the male 15-16, male Intermediate and the male and female Open categories all starting together along with the Open category riders.

The Open riders will race for an hour and the Intermediate and male 15-16 riders for 45 minutes in what is sure to be hard-fought racing from the gun.

With the prestigious Sinclair Packwood Memorial Race just over a month away, Sunday offers a chance for the riders to see who is in form after the winter months of training.

The tough, technical course which starts at the Flagpole will see the riders having to negotiate the Birdcage, travel back to Burnaby Hill and climb the steep incline before making a right turn onto Reid Street.

It will then be a high speed decent before making two sharp right hand turns firstly onto Court Street and then back onto Front Street before starting the lap again with the top riders expected to complete each lap in less than two minutes.

Meanwhile, the BBA will host their Spring Criterium Series race at Morgan's Point this evening, starting at 6.30.

The site, which was cleared of all debris on Saturday, is the venue for the first race of three in the series, and a BBA spokesman said the Association were thankful for the opportunity to use a small piece of the former US Naval Annex.

"We have been given permission to use a small piece of the land at the Base on a monthly basis, so we are basically short-term tenants.

"Depending on how we get on with this project, we can sit down further and discuss more options.

"However, there are some stipulations such as knowing all of those on the premises and so forth, so we are taking it one step at a time and thankful for this chance."