LOCAL racing cyclist Craig Battersby takes a tour of the Commonwealth Games road racing course over Rivington.

He checks out the climbs, the high spots and the best places to watch the unfolding drama.

SHORT tough climbs, a twisting circuit and a fast finish will test all the riders on the Rivington course.

The toughest part comes immediately after the riders cross the Anglezark reservoir with a nagging two-part 1km climb on narrow roads.

There are lots of places where a lone rider could get out of sight very quickly as the road twists and turns but very few places to recover. With only a 20 second lead, or even less,the bunch will not be able to see you.

Also, there is nowhere on the circuit where the roads are straight enough or level enough for a team to chase a break with any rhythm.

It will probably be won with an individual effortand it is not a course where you can bank on a team bringing back a rider once they get away.

The climbs on the back part of the circuit are followed by a 40-50mph descent and then the finish is only 3km away from the last climb making it the perfect place for a late breakaway attempt.

However, with the last kilometre being slightly downhill a bunch sprint will be spectacular.