The Island’s cyclists will be back in action this weekend when a ten-mile time-trial takes place tomorrow at Clearwater Beach and five high school students compete in the New York Mountain Biking League’s first race of the 2014 season.

Originally scheduled to race in Long Island, New York, two weeks ago but postponed because of heavy rain in near-freezing temperatures, the race this weekend will be held in Sprain Brook Park in Yonkers, New York, under much more comfortable conditions.

Gabriella Arnold, of Warwick Academy, Deshi Smith, of Bermuda Institute, Shomari Steede, of CedarBridge Academy, and Saltus students Tristan Narraway and Christian Oatley are joining high school students from New York in a rapidly growing league. Smith participated in the league in the same park last year and the Bermuda Bicycle Association has expanded this opportunity to more students this year.

Peter Dunne, the BBA president, will accompany the student athletes to the competition and is pleased to see that after the delay they will still get the opportunity to race.

“This league, an offshoot of a programme begun in California several years ago and now run by National Interscholastic Cycling Association, is a tremendous opportunity for our local high school students to compete in off-road racing against their peers,” he said.

“From my observing the race last year, this is a very well-run organisation who are focused on the development of the sport of mountain biking in schools. This mirrors the BBA’s goal and we have increased our funding to bring a larger team to this event.”

Locally, tomorrow’s individual time-trial will be the first of the season for the BBA. Riders will tackle a new course, starting at 8am, and race from Clearwater Beach up to St David’s Road and then out to Swizzle Inn in Bailey’s Bay and back to complete a 10.3-mile loop.