While neither compares to the Tour de France, a cycling epic that celebrates that country’s magnificent countryside and ancient cities, the Gran Prix of Beverly and Witches Cup in Salem offer area racers and racing fans a taste of top-flight competition in two of New England’s most historic venues.

The two events, separated by a fortnight and the Danvers River, are even more spectator-friendly than the Tour de France, where the long, point-to-point races have competitors flying down the road.

By comparison, the Beverly and Salem races are criteriums — “crits’’ for short — held on closed, looped courses, with racers passing the same spectators repeatedly while constantly jockeying for position at speeds of up to 35 miles an hour, and closer to 45 miles per hour during the final sprints.

The action starts Wednesday, July 27, with the eighth annual Gran Prix of Beverly, followed Aug. 10 by the Witches Cup, which returns to Salem Common after a one-year hiatus.

“They are both special events, being in the center of a town, and also on a weeknight,’’ said racer Alex Grabau, 39, of Framingham. “Beverly . . . is incredibly fast. It’s one of the fastest, hardest races I’ve ever done.

“Salem has a few more racing categories, so I don’t have to race with professionals,’’ he said. “So my chances of a good finish at Salem are better.’’

Organizers of the events, which last roughly an hour each, expect full fields of more than 200 amateur and professional racers from throughout Massachusetts and beyond, and local crowds exceeding 1,500.

The Beverly layout, running through portions of the downtown including Cabot Street, is considered one of the most demanding courses in New England.

“It’s a technical criterium, with six corners, which I really enjoy,’’ said Easthampton’s Ellen Noble, the 20-year-old defending state women’s champion. “There are always a lot of spectators, and the crowds really motivate the action.’’

Noble’s assessment speaks to the fact that each race presents unique challenges. The Beverly course, designed by former professional racer Tim Johnson of that city, puts a premium on bike handling and the ability to maintain speed through tight turns.

“The Witches Cup is a significantly faster course, with longer straightaways and a longer finishing stretch,’’ said race organizer Kurt Maw.

Hopedale’s Peter Goguen, a 19-year-old racer with Team CF (Cystic Fibrosis), said the variety at each end of the fortnight makes for “two of my favorite races.’’

For the second straight year, the Gran Prix will spotlight the women’s Massachusetts state criterium championship among its four races. For competitors like Boston’s Lydia Hausle, 24, who started racing at Boston University, the designation is an important one for the women’s field.

“Hosting the Mass. state crit championship at Beverly is a perfect way to highlight the depth of women’s cycling in New England,’’ Hausle said. “We’re so fortunate to have a strong and growing contingent of women showing up to these big criteriums. Just last month at the Longsjo [Classic, staged around Fitchburg], we had nearly 50 women every day,’’ which she called “unheard of’’ elsewhere in the United States.

Meanwhile, for the first time, the men’s state champion, determined at the Gran Prix for seven years running, will be crowned at the Witches Cup.

“The cycling community is a tight community,’’ said Gran Prix director Paul Boudreau. “Sharing the state championships with our friends in Salem lifts up both events. We hope people who see the state champion crowned in the women’s race in Beverly make the trek south over the bridge to see the men’s championship.’’

Separating the title events also allows teammates to help each other, said Jamaica Plain’s Meredith Uhl, 31, of the Green Line Velo squad.

“We’re an amateur team,’’ Uhl said. “Our men’s elite team is usually busy warming up and preparing for their own race while the women’s elite team is racing. But this year, they’re excited to be able to provide race support to the women’s team after their own race.’’

While the midweek races are a minor inconvenience for racers who have to leave work early to make the starting line, the schedule allows organizers to avoid conflicts with weekend events such as the Wells Ave Training Criterium series in Newton.

Maw, the Salem race organizer, said he’d like to see even more criteriums held in the region.

“If I had my dream, it would be to set up an entire midweek North Shore criterium series that would include, of course, Beverly and Salem, but also maybe something around the Lynn Common and maybe downtown Haverhill, Newburyport, or Amesbury,’’ he said. “I think any place that has a ‘common’ or a pedestrian-friendly downtown could be a great potential venue. It’s all about having the vision, the racer and community support, town backing, and the right sponsors, and great things can happen.’’

Great things for local bike racing is exactly what Randolph’s Ben Ryan, 18, of the Cannondale Sports Lingo Jingo team, said he has in mind.

“I hope that, in the future, bicycle racing in the United States will rise to a level that it has been in the past,’’ he said. “And I think these two races are a big part of it here in New England.’’

For details on for the Gran Prix of Beverly, visit www.granprixbeverly.com. For the Witches Cup, visit www,witchescup.com. If you have an idea for the Globe’s “On the Move’’ column, contact correspondent Brion O’Connor at brionoc@verizon.net.