Former Olympic silver medallist and world champion Craig MacLean has launched the 19th annual Liverpool-Chester-Liverpool, which will take place on Sunday July 8.

Riders will have the opportunity to cycle en masse through the Mersey tunnel, which is usually closed to cyclists, on a range of five routes.

“It’s a fantastic event for families to get involved in, cyclists of all levels can do it with the choice of routes,” said MacLean, who won team sprint silver at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney before claiming gold at the 2002 World Championships in Copenhagen.

“It’s one of the very few days cyclists can pass through the Mersey tunnel, which is an experience in itself. With nearly three miles under the Mersey, it’s going to be different to anything they’ve ever done before.”

Organisers hope to attract 3,000 riders and the 2011 event raised more than £22,000 for Claire House Children’s Hospice.

The Wirral Circular, Chester-Liverpool, Liverpool-Chester routes are all 25 miles long, while the Liverpool-Chester-Liverpool ride is 50 miles and the Liverpool Challenge, taking on the lumpy Delamere Forest, is 90 miles.

MacLean continued: “The more people we can get on bikes the better; cycling in this area has certainly experienced a boom so it’s great to see all these people on bikes.

“I’m going to give it a go, I’ll try and pick the shorter route as I’m not really made for big miles, being a track sprinter, but I’ll be here on July 8. I hope to see lots of people there.”

Head to www.liverpoolchesterliverpool.com for more information and to enter.