National cycling coach Greg Hopkins has resigned at the beginning of one of the busiest years in the sport's history.

Hopkins, who has held the position for the past five years, made the decision last week and members of the Bermuda Bicycle Association were informed by new BBA president Dannielle Bezant yesterday.

Hopkins, a partner at the Winners Edge cycle shop in Hamilton and a father of three, said there was nothing suspicious in his motives for stepping down at the start of a year which will see the Island represented at the Island Games, World B Championships, Pan-Am Games and Caribbean Championships.

"I have had a passion for this sport for many years," he wrote in his resignation letter. "And as such in many ways its development and growth and my desire to be a part of it engulfed me, often at the expense of more important things. "My family and my business and even my own personal goals were forced to take a back seat. The latter being relatively unimportant because I have enjoyed many wonderful experiences through others achieving their goals.

"But in retrospect, my business and most importantly my family have suffered the most."

Hopkins said he had actually decided to call it quits in October last year following, among other events, successful trips to the Commonwealth Games in Manchester and the Caribbean Championships in Curacao. But he had allowed himself to be swayed into staying on.

"It is now time for me to look at my priorities and as such I know I must concentrate my energies elsewhere other than cycling," he said.

"It has been a major part of my life for a long time and you have no idea how hard it is for me to let go. Unfortunately, for some time now the `labour of love' has become far more labour and regardless of the successes of our national team riders and my great pride in them, and the general growth of the sport, the spark and enjoyment has dwindled."

Hopkins went on: "There is no controversy, no rift, no disagreement and no scandal.

"It is simply a matter of someone who knows when it is time to leave and that time is now."

Contacted yesterday, Hopkins said he felt that "sometimes people get into positions within organisations . . . and they stay too long.

"I believe that the longer you spend in a position the more you are in danger of believing that you indispensable, almost to the point where you can actually believe that the organisation is yours, and that your way is the only way," he said.

"I think not only do you get tunnel vision, but if you are in an influential position with a degree of control, so does the sport itself and as such development becomes stunted because there is generally only one person's viewpoint that is affecting the way a sport moves forward.

"I don't think I got to this point because I was always aware of it. However, I still think despite the fact I recognised it, the need for change is vitally important. This, of course, has to come at the right time, in other words, when the organisation is stable and has strong leadership to follow up.

"This is definitely the case with the BBA. It now has very strong foundations, with dedicated leadership. I do not feel that I am deserting a sinking ship, rather a yacht under full sail."

President Bezant said it was with great regret that the resignation had come about as in recent years Hopkins had been a driving force behind the advancement and development of the sport.

"In his role as national coach he has helped the national squad grow and develop into a `force to be reckoned with', as was very apparent over the last year and in particularly their performance at the Caribbean Championships," she said.

"The Association is losing a great advocate and his shoes will be very difficult to fill. His vast knowledge and experience of the sport of cycling have been invaluable and it will be a challenge to his successor to match his knowledge and especially his 100 percent commitment."

As an Association, Bezant said, the BBA had to look ahead to a year which was going to be extremely busy with four international races and a full local racing calendar.

"However, with the groundwork having already been laid with the help of Greg's efforts we look forward to another successful year," she said.

In June the likes of Kris Hedges and Melanie Claude will be representing Bermuda at the Island Games in Guernsey before heading off to Switzerland for the World B Championships. The Pan-Am Games in the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean Cycling Championships in St. Vincent and the Grenadines come later in the year and so it will be imperative for the BBA to get a new person at the helm soon.

"As yet we do not have a replacement in mind," said Bezant yesterday. "Jennifer Hedges took on the additional position of National Team Administrator this year and as such she will be co-ordinating the administrative side with the support of the executive.

"The Caribbean Championships have now moved back to October so that buys us a little bit of time, but replacing Greg is one of our top priorities."