Last year, 384 racers rolled into Lawrence to participate in the first Tour of Lawrence.

This year, race organizers are expecting that amount to nearly double.

“A lot of people who came last year came by themselves or rode with other riders,” race director Eric Stuckhoff said. “But, this year, not only are those people coming back, a lot of them are bringing five or six people with them, too.”

That promises to make the second edition of the annual event even more exciting than the first, which also took place during Fourth of July weekend. Because 2009 was the first time the Tour had come to Lawrence, there were a few wrinkles that needed to be ironed out involving timing, flow and having so much happening in such a small area.

Stuckhoff said event organizers pared down the event during the planning stages, and he’s more optimistic that this year’s event will run smoothly.

“The biggest challenge is definitely the logistics of the whole thing,” Stuckhoff said. “Not only do you have to coordinate the race, but you also have to coordinate everything that goes on around the race.”

That includes live music, kids races, a kids zone and, of course, fireworks following Sunday’s races.

The event kicks off today with the Eldridge Hotel Street Sprints at 7:30 p.m. The women’s field, which is expected to be about 20 percent of the men’s field, will ride first. The men will follow around 8 p.m., with all of the racing set to finish at Seventh and Mass. streets.

“The sprints are basically the same distance you see the guys in the Tour de France sprint at the end of each stage,” Stuckhoff said. “Except this is from a dead stop.”

Saturday, the action moves to the campus of Kansas University, where the competitors will compete in a circuit race that starts and ends in front of Wescoe Hall. The course is a four-mile loop that includes one full mile of climbs, something Stuckhoff said was difficult to get in a true urban setting.

Saturday’s action begins at 9 a.m. with the Masters race and runs into the evening. The women’s pro field is set to begin at 4 p.m. and the men’s pro field is set to begin at 5:30.

Sunday’s racing returns downtown, where participants will race against time, not necessarily distances. The course, a one-mile figure eight that criss-crosses throughout downtown between seventh and 10th streets and Vermont and New Hampshire streets, promises to deliver plenty of excitement for spectators and quite a challenge for the competitors.

“Downtown is fast, wide-open and safe,” Stuckhoff said. “And it has a little bit of a climb at the end so you get a blazing-fast finish. All of the courses are really super-competitive.”

The finish line for Sunday’s “Downtown Criterium” will be at Ninth and Mass. The women’s pro field will begin at 4 p.m., and the men’s will follow at 5:30.