Davidson, now based in Christchurch, is a former member of the Otago University club.
In 2005, he became the first runner from the club to win the Otago cross-country since international Euan Robertson 30 years previously.
A favourite going into last month's national cross-country, Davidson won the title and came close to winning the Oceania title held in association with the event.
Both he and Australian Tim Rowe recorded 38min 13sec for the 12km course at Halswell Quarry, and Rowe was given the title in a photo finish.
Davidson's winter season has been spectacular, to say the least, and he is deservedly considered the favourite in today's national road race on the Butts Rd course in Dunedin.
He outsmarted 2007 national cross-country champion Edwin Henshaw (Auckland) to win the North Island title in Taupo, and beat Dunedin marathon champion Rowan Hooper to win the Canterbury title in an impressive 39min 27sec.
Added to the mix are fellow Canterbury champions Matt Ingram and Thijs Hubber, along with Kim Hogarth (Wellington) and Otago champion Matt Lambert.
National junior 10,000m champion Tony Payne (Otago) will be contesting his first race at this level as a senior athlete and his progress will also be of interest.
It appears unlikely defending women's champion Shireen Crumpton (Otago) will be able to defend her title, due to soreness from competing in the world marathon championships in Berlin two weeks ago.
Crumpton said if she was to run, it would only be to assist the Otago team's chances of a medal, but she was unlikely to be competitive because of the need to recover from the Berlin event.
This opens up a chance for Otago's Rachel Kingsford to redeem herself from a poor performance at the national cross-country championships last month.
Kingsford was still suffering from the affects of flu at the time and she finished a disappointing fifth after winning the North Island cross-country title just a few weeks before.
But Kingsford was back to top form three weeks ago when she won the Otago road title on the Clyde to Alexandra course in 35min 9sec, heading off national cross-country silver medallist Kellie Palmer (Canterbury).
It will be a tough ask for Kingsford, without the pace of Crumpton to guide her, as the pre-race favourite is national cross-country champion Fiona Crombie (Canterbury) with Sarah Biss (Waikato Bay of Plenty) also highly rated.
Otago has another good prospect in Barbara Roy, who should relish the pace the Butts Rd course offers in the race for the national junior women's title.
Otago athletes are also favoured to be among the medals in the junior men's event, with in-form Daniel Balchin and Campbell Garry heading a strong team.
NZ road championships
Logan Park, today
9.30am: Race walking
11.20am: Junior women's 5km
1.55pm: Junior men's 8km
2.30pm: Senior men's and women's 10km
