ALMOST 500 cyclists have descended on the Tweed for the Velo Battle on the Border event, held over the next three days.

Some of the best competitive cyclists from South East Queensland and Far Northern New South Wales have will contest the Tour de Tweed, while more than 150 others will cycle in the participatory event, the Tweed Daily News Grand Fondo.

A Great Britain pedaller, Thomas Collier has even registered in the elite A category.

Murwillumbah Cycle Club coach Peter McMahon reckons Byron Bay's Reuben Donati, who trains regularly with the Murwillumbah club, will give the elite A category a good crack.

Donati has represented Queensland, and won at a national level recently, and will be hard to beat.

There are 16 MCC members competing all up.

Kasey Clark is expected to give the elite B group a push.

“He will be in the top 10 by the end of the weekend,” McMahon said.

“He really is a solid young rider.”

For teenagers George Kettl and James Newell, competing in the under-17 division is about taking their cycling to another level.

“For them, it is a bit of a maiden run, to test the water above club level,” McMahon said.

“Both are really looking forward to racing. They've been involved at club level for about three months now and are improving on a weekly basis.”

McMahon is riding in the masters C group himself. He expects the course to favour the all-round rider, with sprint specialists unlikely to take the event out.

Tweed cyclists

Masters A: Mark Dippelsman. Elite B: Kasey Clark, Adam Davidson, Lachlan Hutch. Elite C: Mitchell Shepley. Under 17: George Kettle, James Newell. Masters B: Jeffrey Harris. Masters C: Steve Johnson, John Anderson, Aaron Curtis, Michael Doolan, William Host, Peter McMahon, Neil Pollock, Andries Smit.