of Navarre in Spain yesterday, finishing 85th among some 128 starters in the 127 kilometre road race through the Pyrenees. Claude had to take a cautious approach after her rear brakes malfunctioned at the 16 kilometre mark, leaving her with just front brakes over the hilly terrain. At the end, she was five minutes, 30 seconds behind the front pack but, according to her husband Paul, was not discouraged.

"Tomorrow she is going to try everything to stay with the front pack,'' said Paul after speaking with his wife. She was third among her team-mates, with one finishing 26th and another 38th.

Claude is part of a five member French team, Etoile Cycliste Conde-sur-Noireau, which boasts three former national champions and former world champion Isabelle Nicoloso who has over 30 major international wins to her credit.

The event, which finishes on Sunday, is a major international race on the European female cycling calendar with over 22 teams from a dozen countries signed up.

The second stage today will be a 6.8K time trial which will be followed by an 80K road race. The final event is the 103K road race back in the Pyrenees tomorrow.

BERMUDA BEATEN BY HOSTS HOC Bermuda beaten by hosts Bermuda will battle for seventh overall place in the fourth Women's Pan American Junior Field Hockey Championships in Barbados today after going down 2-0 to the host country on Thursday.

That classification round win for Barbados moved them to the fifth and sixth place play-off today while Bermuda will battle with Venezuela for seventh or eighth overall among the nine countries.

In front of the Bajan crowd, Bermuda started brightly but after 13 minutes a series of mistakes from the normally reliable Bermuda defence allowed Barbados to score a scrappy goal.

In the 19th minute Megan Spurling went within inches of converting a penalty corner, and towards half-time Bermuda 'keeper Alex Lewis had to make two saves, one a brilliant diving stretch from a penalty corner.

Bermuda then gained two penalty corners and three long corners as they put Barbados under pressure at the beginning of the second half when both Caroline Black and Spurling were denied by the 'keeper.

Spurling then picked up the ball near the half-way line and beat the Barbados defence and the 'keeper only to be denied on the goalline by a covering defender.

As Bermuda piled on the pressure, Barbados broke away in the 21st minute of the half, ran the length of the pitch and eventually scrambled the ball into the net.

Spurling was suspended for a stick tackle two minutes later, but Bermuda continued to push forward with Cathy Hay firing a shot that was saved at the near post. Then Black had a corner pushed wide by a defender's stick before Jessica Sousa shot wide with two minutes to go after receiving a pass on the penalty spot.