With the start of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia, just a month away the Island?s cyclists are making their final preparations for one of the most important competitions of their lives.

Tyler Butterfield, who celebrated his 23rd birthday on Sunday, is presently racing in France with is Vendee U team and finished a creditable seventh in his first race on Saturday having got himself in an eight man breakaway for the last 30 kilometers of the race.

The following day he again worked himself into the lead break of ten riders who stayed away from the chasing field for over 60 kilometers, and then with five kilometers to go the young Bermudian was one of five riders who made a break for the finish only to be caught by the pack with two to go. He still managed a creditable 12th place finish.

After less than comfortable preparation in icy cold, wintry conditions since his return to Europe in January, Butterfield is happy with his progress this early in the season.

?It has been very cold and tough conditions, but I am beginning to feel strong on the bike and am happy that I am making the breaks in these races, it certainly gives me good conditioning for the more important races later,? he said.

Butterfield was racing in the Espoir (Under 23 category) in 2005 but has just been promoted to the Elite 2 category which will see him racing in some of the biggest amateur races in Europe this season, and is a stepping stone to riding at the full professional level.

?The Commonwealth Games is my main focus right now. I have about seven more races over the next week or so and then go to South Africa to race and make my final preparations.

?The weather will be much more favourable there before flying to Melbourne for the Games.?

With the timing of the Games so early in the year, it has been very difficult for riders to find races in what has basically been the off-season for the sport in many Commonwealth countries.

As such Geri Mewett and Julia Hawley, both Commonwealth Games participants in Manchester four years ago, are having to travel to California this week where the race season has just started, and will compete in the Valley of the Sun stage race and will be joined by Kent Richardson who will race in the veterans category.

National coach Greg Hopkins who will be travelling with the team to Melbourne, said: ?The timing of the Games is not good for most countries.

?Luckily Tyler raced in Australia when he was there in December and of course is racing a lot now, but Julia and Geri have just had to make do with training on very rigid schedules for their preparations. This weekend will be a good gauge for where their conditioning is.?

Hopkins also touched on the very sensitive issue regarding the other local rider who has qualified for the Games, Lynn Patchett.

?Lynn is in awesome physical shape but unfortunately we still have no definitive word on whether or not she can travel with the team,? he continued.

?I do not want to get into the politics of what is happening but I know that if Lynn goes then she is more than ready to compete. This has been and continues to be a very unsatisfactory situation for Lynn.

?The powers that be have to make sure that an athlete is never subjected to this uncertainty again in the future. Psychological preparation is as important as physical especially this close to the competition.?

Both women, assuming Patchett makes it, are scheduled to compete in the Games time-trial on March 21 as is Butterfield, and then all four riders will race in their respective road races on the last competitive day of the Games, March 26.