Local riders will be out in force when Otley Cycling Club stages the National Criterium Championship tomorrow.

The popular town centre event - which last year was part of the National Criterium Series and attracted more than 4,000 spectators - will once again bring a top-class field to the town for the title race.

A host of professional riders including last year's winner Russell Downing, the Yorkshire-born professional with the American Health Net-Maxxis team, will compete in the Elite Race (starting at 8.30pm), as will Stephen Cummings, part of the GB Olympic track pursuit squad and a member of the Discovery Channel team in Europe.

At the start of this month Cummings successfully completed his first Giro D'Iltalia at the first attempt.

These two, along with Rob Hayles (Team KLR), are lone riders with no team support, so they will need to pick their moves and be fully alert to the tactics of the other UK Elite teams.

The leader of the Premier Calendar road race series, World and Olympic gold medallist Chris Newton, is down to ride, while Yorkshire Champion Dean Downing leads a five-strong team from Rapha Condor.

The Plowman Craven-Evans Cycles team bring six riders to the event, including Simon Gaywood, who won the Otley event in 2003.

Riding for the nine-strong Sciencein- sport-Trek team will be Ian Wilkinson, currently third in the Premier Calendar. Wilkinson is the nearly man of the Otley race, having finished third in three of the last four years.

And former Tour of Spain points winner Malcolm Elliott is one of six riders from the Pinarello Racing Team, including British Best All-Rounder time trial champion Kevin Dawson and fellow Yorkshireman Adrian Timmis.

Last year's Senior Race winner Giles Pidcock (Fensham Howes CRT) will also compete in this year's Elite Race.

Local riders who will be aiming to upstage the big guns include Otley's Sam Webster (Glendene CC), while Mark Thwaites from Burley-in-Wharfedale and Keighley's Tom Barras are also riding.

Barras goes into the race in good form, having taken eighth spot in the recent Brentwood Town Centre Races to maintain his challenge for the National Elite Circuit Series.

The supporting Senior Race, which starts at 7pm, has proved to be even more popular than last year with a record entry of 110 riders.

Organising Club Otley CC is represented by James Cullen, while racing for Team Chevin Cycles are six riders: leader of the Race Organising Committee Mike Gill, Chevin Cycles Shop Manager Matthew Peacock, Christopher Hope, Craig Armitage, Mike Salkeld and Steve Whitehurst.

Other riders to watch in the Senior race are Otley brothers Jonathan and James Farnaby (Crosstrax RT), Otley teacher Barry Mordue (Crosstrax) and WGC Landscapes' Charles Warren.

The home town flag will also be flown by Lizzie Armitstead, now riding for the Global Racing Team and one of eight ladies taking part in the Senior Race this year.

The Great Britain rider and 2005 World Junior Track medalist is the reigning ladies National Circuit Champion, and is in form, having won the Capernwray Road Race at Aughton, Lancashire, last weekend.