A record number of entries have been received for the two-day event.

Cyclists aged between five and 16 years will travel from throughout New South Wales, Queensland and ACT for the championships, which comprises three separate titles for each age group.

On Saturday morning, the cyclists are lining up for the Individual Time Trial Championships.

Sometimes called “the race of truth”, individual riders start at 30-second intervals and race a set distance against the clock.

They will then back up for the Criterium Championships, a mass start race on the purpose-built 800m hotmix circuit, which the hosts built in 2007.

“As we have received more than 225 entries for this event, we are faced with having a number of heats before the finals, which will make the scheduling tight,” Port Macquarie Cycle Club president David Leigh said.

“It is testimony to the unprecedented popularity the sport of cycling is receiving in Australia at the moment.”

On Sunday morning, the riders will line up to contest the NSW Road Race Championships.

The racing takes place on the old Pacific Highway, now called Burrawan Forest Drive and Pacific Parkway, in the wheeled-sport precinct.

“We ask motorists to take care when using these roads, and indeed all roads around Port Macquarie this weekend,” Leigh said.

“We’ll have an increased number of children cycling on them.”

Fourteen local juniors will take to their bikes on the weekend, including members of the North Coast Academy of Sport cycling team Jesse Nagel, Billy Sewell, Jack Leigh and NSW country road champion Catherine Hawes.

The event is the last major one before the National Championships in Canberra next month.

The NSW junior road team will be selected from the championships this weekend.