Dozens of riders were ready to brave blustery conditions to compete in the Ride Raro cycle race event.

The cycling event, which starts and finishes in Avarua and takes the riders around the full 31km of Rarotonga, got underway on Tuesday afternoon not long after the heavy rain subsided.

Rarotonga Triathlon president and competitor Roland Neururer said just before the race began that the conditions would be ideal for competent, competitive cyclists.

“It’s a very tricky situation, it’s going to be hard and fast,” Neururer said.

“But it’s a great opportunity to ride with some gun cyclists, some of them are just tops.”

Shortly before the race began, Neururer said he expected about 70 riders to participate.

He was also pleased with Infrastructure Cook Islands attending to a few dangerous potholes around the island before the race began.

“We called them and they fixed them straight away,” Neururer said.

Seasoned rider Bryn Parry said he has been competing in the event since 2013. He had previously worked in the Cook Islands as a teacher at Tereora College.

“I like the event, and I like the people. I come back from New Zealand nearly every year to compete in this. It’s a good excuse to combine holidaying with fitness,” Parry said.

“It’s a fun ride, but it’s also really competitive. As a rider, it’s going to be a bit sketchy in places here. The final sprint is going to be a challenge, it will come down to raw power.”

Triathlon vice-president Lucy McDonald said it was traditionally a very close race, with riders eyeing up the record time of just under 42 minutes.

“The last 100m is going to be very interesting,” McDonald said prior to the race.

“I think the winner will be the one who deals with the headwinds the best.”