THE road and mountain biking takes place at the scenic Rivington Pike, near Horwich, where it is free for spectators.

The time trial - where competitors set off one by one at one minute intervals - is on Saturday, July 27, starting at 9.30am when the women kick off.

The mountain biking - making its first appearance at the Commonwealth Games on what has been described as a 'world class' course at Rivington -takes place on Monday, July 29, with the women off at 10am and the men at 1pm.

The road racing - an endurance race quoted as 'long and gruelling' - is on August 3. England has, among others, double Olympian Max Siandri, who got a bronze for Great Britain in the 1996 Olympics and Charly Wegelius, from York, a silver medalist in the European Championship time trial in 1999, competing.

THE track cycling, featuring Chorley's Olympic gold medallist Jason Queally, starts at the Velodrome from July 27.