Julia Hawley's bid for World B Championship success takes her to the west coast of the USA this week.

The Bermudian cyclist will compete in the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California as she begins her tune-up for the World Bs in Switzerland between July 5 and 9.

She will join more than 10,000 other cyclists for the massive Sea Otter race, which incorporates many of the sport's disciplines.

Hawley, who represented Bermuda at last year's Commonwealth Games in Manchester, will link up with American rider Nicole Freedman as part of Team Basis for the four-day stage race.

She will be one of six team members and expects her role to be that of a `domestique' or worker.

"I have to be a bit careful because it's actually a UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) race and they will be awarding points. The thing is that for the World Bs I can't actually hold any UCI points," Hawley said, before adding with a laugh, "So I can't do that well."

Tomorrow sees the riders set out on a 40-mile circuit race, comprising four laps.

"I think it will be a bit of a climb because there is apparently a 900 foot elevation overall in the ten miles," said Hawley. "That will be a challenge, definitely."

There then follows a time trial, criterium and finally a road race as the event concludes on Saturday.

Travelling to the west coast represents a considerable commitment for the worker-mother cyclist, but Hawley believes it will be of great benefit.

"I wanted to go somewhere where I was more guaranteed of the weather. I had debated going to the Jefferson Cup (cancelled because of snow) but I felt I could afford the time to get out to California and I wanted to ride in a big race," she said.

Hawley said she wanted to have "one or two good days" in California in an effort to see how far she had to go before the World Bs.

"World Bs is definitely the number one focus," she said. "I am still getting race ready. We have been training pretty hard and now it's a question of getting some good racing in.

"It really does bring out the best in you when you go to these bigger races. The race I am going to will feature all the top women in the whole of North America. It raises your game. It's really hard racing but it does raise your level."

Hawley refuted a suggestion that competing against the pros might be a demotivating factor if she did not perform as well as hoped.

"It's not at all like that for me and I think I can speak for anyone who is going off to these races," she said. "To me it is totally motivating. The thing with cycle racing is that you can be in the right place at the right time and you can actually do pretty well. You do all the training and then go off to a race and see that you can actually finish pretty well despite the fact you are not part of a team and are not racing every weekend.

"The important thing for Mel (Claude, Bermuda team-mate) and I is that it gives us confidence. You are racing the same people as, for example, at the Commonwealth Games. If you have already raced them before you know what to expect."

Hawley, a seasoned rider, believes she is still improving and is hopeful of adding to her successes this year.

"I feel like I am better than I was last year," she said. "Personally, I think my training has been going really well. I have had a couple of really good time trials. I raced in Surrey in England a couple of weeks back in a men's category two race and did well there and finished in the bunch in a very fast race, so I feel right now I am in good form."