Spinning some excitement around the Hub

There they'll be, with their featherweight bikes and those cool helmets, a hundred of the world's top riders whizzing through the Back Bay while thousands of fans pack the sidewalks and convoys of help wagons and support vehicles follow the pack. They'll whiz down Charles Street. They'll whiz away down Storrow. Then they'll come back and do it again.

And again.

And again.

For the final stage of an eight-day Montreal-to-Boston bike race being planned for August, officials are proposing a 9-mile loop that would close major roadways while riders make up to 10 laps to decide the victor.

Boston tourism officials who are helping to put together the Tour de France-style time trial are proposing the race start on Charles Street near the Boston Common and make its way to Storrow Drive, where riders will cruise along the Charles River to Soldiers Field Road. Then, they would turn around and race the other way on Storrow, possibly getting off at the Fenway, and head back to the starting point. The race would make its way back to Charles Street through the Back Bay, but officials have not yet settled on a specific path. The state, which controls Storrow Drive, has not yet given permission to close that road for the race.

The officials say the race is what Boston needs to help boost its image and recast itself as something more than the place where Paul Revere began his ride, but they also acknowledge that motorists could face some headaches.

"We are taking the traffic implications very seriously, and the [Boston] Transportation Department and Police Department are taking enormous time to make sure the course is designed to minimize impact to businesses, residents, and travelers," said Julie Burns, the city's director of arts, tourism, and special events.

The race is scheduled for Aug. 12, a Sunday, and officials are hoping to avoid disrupting church services in the morning and want to have the race cleared before evening traffic picks up as residents return from weekend trips.

But, playing host on the final day of a race that will start in Canada and have stages in Vermont and New Hampshire before it finally comes to Boston, they are also hoping for an onslaught of media and crowds.

"The great thing about being the finish of the race is that there will be seven days of coverage of bikers making their way down from Canada," Burns said. "People will already be following the races. People will follow the stories, and by the time they get to Boston, people will want to come and see them firsthand."

She said the promotional value of the race will outweigh any inconvenience .

"It highlights Boston as a sports town, as an international world-class city," Burns said. "And with cameras on the course, it will highlight Boston as a beautiful place to be. It hopefully generates future events or future leisure visits."

Burns said city officials see an opportunity to play on Boston's image as a European-friendly city. Spectacle bike races have long been a European staple, but in recent years, especially with the popularity of riders Lance Armstrong and Marblehead native Tyler Hamilton, they have been a phenomenon in the United States. Some places have seized upon them as economic opportunities. The Tour de Georgia, a seven-day race that travels around the Peach State, started in 2003 and last year brought in $23 million. The Amgen Tour of California, a 700-mile race that starts in San Francisco and ends in Long Beach, made its debut last year and had 1.3 million spectators. Philadelphia has an annual bike race that would be similar to Boston's, involving a 10-lap, 14.4-mile circuit.

The race from Montreal will have its first four stages in Quebec. The fifth stage will go through Vermont, from the Jay Peak ski resort to the Sugarbush ski resort in Warren. The sixth and seventh stages will go through New Hampshire's Franconia Notch and then Concord, Manchester, and Nashua before arriving in Boston.

The course will be reversed each year .

Daniel Manibal, the race organizer, started planning about two years ago. He said he is expecting teams from South America, Mexico, Europe, and the United States.

Race spokesman will be Ray Bourque, a former captain of the Boston Bruins who is originally from a Montreal suburb . Last month, Bourque presented Mayor Thomas M. Menino with a cycling jersey from Italy's national team.

Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com.