cyclists were likely extinguished here on Sunday, as a mixture of mechanical problems and a hilly course conspired to do them in.

MacInnis Looby was the only Bermudian to finish the Mount Tolmie Cycling Road Race over the 160-kilometre, 15-lap route. But even Looby was lapped, as he finished 14 circuits of the course just behind the top seven race finishers.

Dana Henry dropped out after seven laps with back problems, Mike Lee finished five laps before succumbing to the hilly course and Carlos Sequeros dropped out after four laps with gear problems.

To qualify for the Commonwealth Games, the Bermudians had to finish in the top 25 percent of Sunday's field, which numbered 82. Canadian Peter Wedge was the winner in four hours, 25 minutes and 10 seconds, with American Olympian Tim Peddie second, Canada's Cheslaw Lukasevic third and Canadian national road racing champion Matt Anand -- who spent the spring in Europe riding for a French team -- fourth.

Looby was in the main group on the third lap when he punctured a tire. The neutral support van arrived, but it took five minutes to fix the tire and get Looby on his way. "I was basically out of the race after that,'' he said.

"All 30 or 40 riders in the group went by me. I just decided to race and finish after that.'' The course, with a steep climb up Mount Tolmie that reaches a pitch of 13 percent just before the summit, proved too much for both Henry and Lee.

"The course was very hard, the grade of that hill was very steep -- I've never seen anything like it,'' said Henry. "By the time I had finished seven laps, my back hurt -- the climb was just too much for me.'' Henry started the race well, and was in the main group on lap four when another rider pulled out the quick release on his seat. That sent the seat down, and with Henry fixing it, the main group passed him. "I got back on the rode a few more laps, but I'd rather finish the race not being lapped,'' he said, explaining his decision to pull out.

Lee finished five laps of the course. "I'm just too heavy for that hill,'' chuckled the 34-year-old. "Even at my own pace, trying to make it up that hill was a struggle. The pack had dropped me before that, and I was riding by myself for a few laps. There was just no sense chasing them -- I never would have caught them.'' Sequeros had just finished his third lap when he made the sharp turn onto Mount Tolmie. "I dropped down a gear, but it just didn't catch,'' he said.

"All the riders went past me and by the time I got my gears adjusted, they were gone. It took about a minute while riders went around me.

"Once I got the gear fixed, I got up over the hill, and I could see the main group, I kept them in sight for a whole lap, but I couldn't bridge the gap. I finally got tired of chasing them. I could have kept riding, but I didn't come here for a training ride -- I came here to qualify for the Games.'' That seems unlikely now. The deadline for making the qualification standard in July 18, and with all four riders holding down fulltime jobs and having to fund their overseas qualification bids, this was probably their last opportunity.

"I think this was our one and only chance,'' Henry said, and Sequeros and Lee agreed. Looby still holds out hope that the Bermuda Olympic Association will recognise his 27th-place finish at a 110-competitor race in Massachusetts recently. But that appears to be his last hope to qualify for the Games.

Bermuda's riders, who made the 12-hour trip to Victoria on Friday, rode the course for the first time on Saturday and raced on Sunday. They returned home yesterday.