Mike Golding gets his chance to prove his pedigree in top class single-handed racing this weekend when the Route du Rhum gets under way tomorrow.

The transatlantic race from St Malo to Guadeloupe features a record 59 entries, and Golding will find himself racing his Open 60 Ecover alongside a large contingent of Brits including old rival Ellen MacArthur in Kingfisher and Miranda Merron in Un Univers de Service, another Open 60.

In addition, Nick Moloney will compete in his Open 50 Ashfield Healthcare and Conrad Humphries, who like Golding was a past winner of the BT Global Challenge is taking part in an Open 40 Syllogic.

For both MacArthur and Golding, this will be the first solo race since the Vendee Globe which finished in February 2001 and both are anxious to get back on the water.

"I'm really looking forward to it because although I have done quite a lot of crewed racing since the.

Vendee, I have not done any solo stuff and it will be good to get out theree on my own again," he said.

Golding and his team have made major changes to Ecover to improve her speed including a strong-er lighter mast tube and a reduction of the deck spreader length but none of these developments will give him any advantage at the start of the race since conditions are set to favour upwind performers, rather than Ecover which historically has been stronger downwind."

It is looking like it will be a tough start with 25 knots of wind, maybemore and very squally, which will not be good," he said.

"It is also an upwind start so it could be painful for me for the first five days and there is a chance that I could see the newer boats like Sill, Kingfisher and PRB pull away ahead of me but it is a long race and I have to just hang in there until the conditions become more favourable for me.

"The boat is looking very good and pretty much as I wanted it.

"We have done a lot of sailing since we finished all the improvements and have tested the new rig as rigorously as I can so I am out to beat the others and win the race."