It's been seven years since the America's Cup bike race was last held in Salem. Tomorrow, professional cycling makes its return to Salem as the Witches Cup takes place around Salem Common. Starting at 4 p.m., there will be an amateur men's race (5 p.m.), an open women's race (6 p.m.) and finally a professional men's race (6:50 p.m.).

"In Salem, there was a string of big races in the 80s and then in 1999 and 2000," said Witches Cup race director Paul Boudreau. "They were all part of a regional series. This race is a regional race so you're not going to see the big Olympians that you would have then but we will have national-caliber riders."

Attracting the big names in cycling to a new event takes time and lucrative prize money, which is the direct result of powerful corporate sponsors. This particular race was the brainchild of Dan Shuman, owner of Salem Cycle (the main sponsor of the Witches Cup), who saw the need for another elite race locally and enlisted Boudreau, who has been race director of the Grand Prix of Gloucester since 1999.

"He has wanted to put it on for a few years," Boudreau said of Shuman. "The Grand Prix is an internationally ranked race in the fall. Shuman wanted something that would be able to grow. For instance, we started out with 150 riders in Gloucester and now it spans two days and has over 600 riders competing from all over the country. That's what Dan eventually wants to see with Salem."

The Witches Cup is a criterium, meaning a short but fast bicycle race requiring a mix of good technical skills. In particular, riders must have the ability to corner rapidly, sharply and repeatedly accelerate hard from turns on the straightaways. These races can last anywhere from 45-60 minutes and they are filled with lots of excitement as the top racers average 35-45 mph.

Since this event will take place on a summer weekday afternoon in such a busy part of Salem, event organizers had to consider all the possible obstacles in hopes of making the race go off as smoothly as possible for the athletes and the public.

"The city has been really good," Boudreau said. " is an event planner for Salem and Heritage Days and she's been really good about helping me and connecting me to the right people around Salem. Everyone has been really enthusiastic about it. I think we have 30-35 volunteers for race day and a police detail with 16 officers closing off the roads and doing crowd control. Finally, there will be an award ceremony on the common after the professional race where Salem mayor Kim Driscoll will present the awards."

Some top riders headline the women's and professional races. Canadian Olympian and cyclocross champion Lyne Bessette will compete in the women's race. "She's one of the fastest women in the world," noted Boudreau.

Middleton native Tim Johnson, team captain of the HealthNet Pro Cycling Team and a multiple national cyclocross champion, will return close to his hometown for the race.

"The Witches Cup is a spectacular race course and I look forward to racing in front of family and friends," said Johnson, the winner of Australia's Herald Sun Tour in 2003. "After traveling around the country, I can't wait to get back in front of the home crowd."

Another local rider who has made a name for himself on the world stage is former Beverly resident Jesse Anthony.

"I grew up on the North Shore and my family is still here," said Anthony, a seven-time National Cyclocross Champion who currently resides in Boulder, Colorado. "I am psyched to have world-class racing right here in Salem."

Also, 2007 Tour of Taiwan winner Shawn Milne (a Gloucester resident) is set to appear.

Comprehensive Racing is the other main sponsor, along with Salem Cycle. There are a variety of prizes for the amateur men's race while the top woman receives $1,000. The top finisher in the men's race receives $1,500.

"When you look at other races, this is a pretty good prize pool," Boudreau said. For the sake of comparison, the Grand Prix of Gloucester awards $5,000 a day, something it has done every year since 1999.

Unlike long cycling races, where fans have to pick a spot and wait for one quick view of the cyclists, spectators at the Witches Cup will get to see riders countless times during the race as they will be circling the common.

"It's the kind of the race where you will see the racers a bunch of times," says Boudreau. "Along with this, we have a racing announcer (Richard Fries of Arlington), who is good at breaking down the race. He'll be there telling people what's going on. He's done commentary for cycling on the Versus network."

Ultimately, the Witches Cup will be judged on its staying power, rather than just the amount of racers in tomorrow's race. The challenge for Boudreau and Co. will be to not only sustain the race but hopefully watch it grow over the next few years in terms of number of entrants and fans.

"If it were a weekend race, that would bring a lot more out of towners," admitted Boudreau, who said it might have to switch days in the future. "The summer calendar is tight as far as racing in New England goes. I really wanted to get this one off the ground, make sure the city was behind it and make sure people are going to come (100 pre-registered). There are plenty of good signs that I can carry this over to next year. To take it to the next level, I need to get it scheduled for a more favorable time in the calendar and arrange it so there are no conflicts with other big races in the area."