Alyssa Rowse has her sights set on a third straight time-trial title at the XL Catlin Junior Caribbean Cycling Championships at Clearwater Beach tomorrow.

The 18-year-old, who won gold in Barbados last year and in St Lucia in 2016, also hopes to win the road race in what will be her final championships.

Rowse is cautiously optimistic, however, as she has experienced a busy school year, which has hampered her training.

“I will be attempting to keep my title in the time-trial and will be going for the road-race title as well,” Rowse said.

“I’m not as confident as I have been in previous years, as I have had a busy and challenging year, which has hindered my training.”

A pair of golds would be the perfect way for Rowse to finish her junior career as she prepares to continue her development in the sport at university in Manchester, England.

“It would be a great achievement to end my junior career on a high note by doing well in this competition,” said Rowse, who won silver in the road race in 2016 and 2017. “I plan on racing as hard as I can.

“I’m enlisted on the performance squad [at university] and plan to continue to grow as an athlete while studying international business.

“The performance squad is excellent as it offers me many advantages which I don’t have in Bermuda, along with putting me in contact with other riders of my age. I’m also eager to get on a velodrome and try to race track, as I have always wanted to and will have the opportunity at university.”

Rowse was first chosen to represent Bermuda at the championships in 2015 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, but was ruled out in near-tragic circumstances.

“I wasn’t able to compete due to an injury from a crash a week before the team was scheduled to fly out,” she said.

“I had a skull fracture, a severe concussion and road rash, which forced me to stay off the bike for six weeks.”

Also competing in their final championships are Matthew Oliveira, the defending champion in the time-trial and road race, and Kaden Hopkins.

Ziani Burgesson, Nazarai Fox, Alexander Miller and Nicholas Narraway, who won silver in the time-trial last year, will represent the island in the Juvenile Men’s category.

All of Bermuda’s nine riders will race in the road race in Prospect, Devonshire, on Sunday, but Fox and Miller will miss the time-trial because each country can enter only two riders per category.