Cycling's biggest annual dinner has attracted a star-studded cast.

The Dave Rayner Fund have reached the notable landmark of their tenth anniversary, and Eddy Merckx - the greatest cyclist ever - is the chief guest at the Bradford Hilton Hotel a fortnight today (6.30pm).

The legendary Belgian, now 59, won both the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia five times, the Tour of Spain once and was world champion four times, three of them as a professional.

In addition, Merckx notched 35 stage wins in the Tour de France and held the yellow jersey for a record 96 days. In the Giro, he notched 25 stage wins.

He held the hour record (49.43 kilometres) for 12 years, won a string of one-day classics, and on December 15, 2000 was named Belgium's Sportsman of the Century.

But Merckx is far from being the only notable name at the dinner, which is a 602-seat sell-out. There is also a glittering array of Olympic talent, including Bradley Wiggins, who in August was the first Briton to win a full set of medals in one Games since 1964.

He won gold in the individual pursuit, silver in the team event and a superb bronze in the madison with Rob Hayles, who will also be present.

Hayles missed out on a medal in the 2000 Games in Sydney after a last-lap crash, but picked himself up off the track in Athens with 90 laps to go to earn his place on the podium.

And there are former Olympic gold medal-winners in Jason Queally (1km individual time trial, Sydney 2000) and Chris Boardman (4000m individual pursuit, Barcelona 1992), who broke the world hour record the following year. Former Tour of Spain sprint king Malcolm Elliott, still winning titles at the age of 42, former world track points champion Chris Newton and Mirfield's Brian Robinson, the first Briton to win a stage in the Tour de France, are other notable guests.

And the commentators aren't being left behind either. They are represented by the BBC's Hugh Porter, himself a former world pursuit champion, and Eurosport's David Duffield.

And showbiz is represented by cycling fanatic Alan Dunne, the Rolling Stones' road manager.

Dinner organiser and Dave Rayner Fund trustee Derek Smith said: "The dinner is so big nowadays that the British Cycling Federation book a table at the dinner and hold a board meeting on the premises during the afternoon!"

Smith added: "We are delighted to have Eddy Merckx as our chief guest. Lance Armstrong may have won the Tour de France six times, but for an overall record you cannot look beyond Merckx.

"Armstrong puts all his eggs into the Tour de France basket and comes down the pecking order of the top bike riders when compared to Merckx.

"Eddy was competing all year round - and racing to win every time. Eddy is the greatest cyclist ever ahead of Bernard Hinault."

Shipley-born Rayner died aged 27 in 1994 after an incident outside the Mecca Nightclub in Bradford.

The former East Bradford Cycling Club and Bradford Wheelers rider was twice a winner of the under-22 award in the Milk Race.

The fund helps ambitious British riders further their careers on the continent. Rayner went to Italy from 1984 to 1986, riding for the GS Porcari-Fanini-Berti team with Mario Cipollini and Andrea Tafi.