Hardy cyclists who join in the so-called RAT ride (ride against tacks) will stop for meals and toilet breaks but will otherwise pedal on around the clock. Organiser George Mihailides​ said he expected hundreds more would cheer them on.

Mr Mihailides said the ride would prove to whoever was leaving tacks on the road that cyclists would not be deterred from riding the boulevard, a highly popular recreational cycling route.

There have been other protest rides in recent weeks. One ride, on May 3, attracted about 1000 people but was almost sabotaged after tacks were strewn on the road the night before and many protesters had their wheels punctured.

Mr Mihailides said it was only a matter of time before a rider was seriously hurt and surveillance cameras were needed to catch the attacker.

"The perpetrator is quite cunning, it's a secluded piece of road and they're probably throwing the tacks from a car, or maybe on foot," he said. "They're not going to do it when people are around watching so you've got to have some method of locking down who it is," he said.