Just as he was last year, Mark Hatherley, of Winners Edge, is leading after the first stage of the Butterfield Bermuda Grand Prix.

Hatherley recorded the fastest time in the Hill Climb in St George’s last night, more than a second faster than last year’s time for the 600-metre climb up past the Unfinished Church. His time was 47.116sec, with team-mate Darren Glasford second in 47.437.

Lawrence, who was third in the time-trial last year in 51.773 but won the event after a late surge, posted a faster time of 49.135 this time around to sit fifth behind his Tokio team-mates, David McComas and Matthew Ackland. He knows from experience that anything can happen today and tomorrow when action swings over to Southside for the road race and then the criterium in Hamilton for the final stage.

“I couldn’t get a good warm-up because registration was a bit late, but again I can make up the time tomorrow or Sunday,” the defending champion said. “It’s all about being focused and composed and good, hard training.

“I’m confident, but you still have to look out for the Winners Edge team, — Mark Hatherley and Darren Glasford — who ride well, but Team Tokio is putting it together nicely.”

Promising youngster Chequan Richardson is farther down the table in fourteenth place among the men after posting 51.298, but is confident he can make up some of that time today and tomorrow.

“I’m feeling pretty good, especially how things went with the [recent] Winners Edge Road Race and I hope I’m carrying enough form to perform on the weekend,” Richardson said.

“The good thing with this [event] is that the gaps aren’t too much, but you don’t want to be too far behind, so you still have to put in a good effort. If you’re too far behind, you can get desperate and anything can go wrong.

“With the road race it is a very flat course and with how the weather is predicted, it is going to be a hard race. The wind is supposed to kick up and for a light guy like me that could be very hard to deal with. The good thing is everybody has to ride in the same conditions.”

Nine women are gunning for the title won last year by Nicole Mitchell, who is abroad. Karen Bordage, of Tokio, is setting the pace after clocking 59.955, the only female to break the one-minute barrier. Sarah Bonnett, of Madison Digicel, lies second in 1:00.338, while Zoenique Williams of Winners Edge, who missed last year’s Grand Prix because she was competing overseas, is just two seconds behind the leader in 1:01.203.

“This is a hill sprint and I know seconds count, but you can always make that up in a road race or crit [criterium],” Williams said afterwards. “It’s a nice social event, seeing all your team-mates and everybody who’s been training or not been training. It’s fun and I’m having a good time.

“I was unable to race last year because I was overseas racing in a men’s event in which I placed in the top half of my category.”

Rico Smith, of Winners Edge, produced a climb of 47.088, the fastest time of the evening, which gives him the lead among the Male B competitors, with Manuel Lonfat, of Tokio, second and Rajul Matthie-Shakir third.

Malik Smith leads in the Junior Male 13-16 after posting 1:07.917, while Rebecca Harrison is leading the 13-16 girls after her time of 1:06.605, which gives her a slight lead of Tristan Narraway and Lynsey Palmer.

Megan Hands leads the 12-and-under girls and Z’Dao Dill the 12-and-under boys.

Tomorrow’s criterium starts at 9am with the junior races before the Male B and Male A riders go off at 10.05 and 10.55 respectively.