THE last of this season's open events on southern roads takes place in West Sussex tomorrow.

This is the 28-mile Goodwood Classic, a Bognor Regis CC promotion offering an intermediate prize worth eight times more than the £25 which awaits the winner.

The Maestro Cycles cheque for £200 will go to the rider who reaches the finishing point of the world cycling championships when they were held on the Goodwood Estate in 1982 in the fastest time.

It was won last year by Richard Prebble (Team Clean Fresh Start) on his way to winning the race for a third time, setting a new record of 1 hour 9 minutes 4 seconds and he made himself firm favourite to win again after slicing over a minute off the old record on his way to victory in the Tour of the Milland Valley time trial last Sunday.

Paul Rogers (VC St Raphael Waite Contracts) winner of the Glenn Longland stage race last weekend and six times a past winner at Goodwood, will be joined by clubmates Malcolm Cox and Rowan Horner to form the most formidable team, and other notable entries in the 76-strong field include the Isle of Wight Festival champion, Graeme Stirzaker (Anglia Sport Condor).

North Hampshire RC stage round four in the Wessex Cycle-cross League with an open meeting at the Crabtree Plantation on the outskirts of Basingstoke, while Sotonia CC give their members one final chance to improve their 10-mile times with a race round a New Forest circuit at Lyndhurst.

Over 300 leisure cyclists are expected to ride round a 100 kilometre course in another part of the New Forest, titled the 'Gridiron 100' in recognition of the many cattle grids encountered on the route, this CTC promotion offers no prizes for the first to finish, but instead promises everyone an enjoyable day out on quiet country lanes.