The brakes have been firmly put on Bermuda's quest to have Trade 3 cyclists ousted from the World B Championships in Switzerland.

President of the Bermuda Bicycle Association (BBA) Danielle Bezant's efforts to get the professionals barred from competing in the Olympic qualifier has been met with major stonewalling by the sport's world-governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) who maintain their regulation against pro riders does not apply to those in Trade 3 as it did two years ago.

As a result, the Island's six-member team - four men and two women - face a much tougher battle to secure Olympic berths in tomorrow's road race. The top 15 finishers among the men and the top nine in the women's race automatically advance to next year's Olympics in Athens, Greece.

Since arriving at the World Bs Bezant has repeated her association's opposition to the inclusion of pro riders, contending they will have an unfair advantage over smaller nations. She also copied her written complaint to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

However, she has been warned that her continued protests could have damaging repercussions for Bermuda.

"I've been told not to push it any further, that it would be detrimental to Bermuda in the future," Bezant told The Royal Gazette yesterday.

Though declining to say who advised her, the BBA chief referred to "friends within the UCI who know what's going on".

Asked if considered this a threat, Bezant replied: "Oh yeah. definitely. They hold the power. They are the governing body.

"I'm between a rock and a hard place.

"I have to think of my athletes first and I don't want to ruin our future relations with the UCI. I can't do that.

"We'll make one more protest. It's going to depend on what happens on Sunday.

"It's a really hard pill to swallow but at this point I can't subject my athletes to any more stress. They are the important ones.

"I have to think about the future of the sport and where our cyclists might want to go, so our decision is that we are here to compete and that's where I need to focus my attention right now."

She acknowledged the situation could set a "dangerous precedent" where smaller, less influential UCI members are railroaded into submission on various issues.

Other countries, she said, have expressed support for her privately but are reluctant to do so in the technical meetings where she has confronted the UCI hierarchy.

"There are some countries which didn't realise this was happening . . . a lot of the smaller countries and even some of the bigger ones are behind me - Turkey, Antigua, Chinese Taipei and others.

"There are delegates who are supportive but I've said to them `I can only take it so far. We've got to unite and stand up but I'm not going to be standing up there by myself and get black-balled'.

"I can't ruin Bermuda's chances that way. This is not just me against the UCI."

Sounding frustrated, Bezant explained that every question she posed in the meetings was deftly avoided.

"It was like being in a political arena. Every question I asked, they skirted around it. I asked to see the change in writing and I quoted the rules, they skirted around that.

"It was just like being in a political battle and that's what this is. The only thing we can do now is race our best on Sunday and then lodge a protest after the event which is the time when you would lodge any official protest regarding something you thought was not correct during the race," she said, adding that efforts to meet with the UCI president have been futile so far.

"I have been to the desk every hour, on the hour, saying `When is my appointment? When can I see him?' and I'm not getting anywhere."

In another bizarre twist, Bezant disclosed that a new ruling by the UCI could leave some nations out in the cold for the Olympics.

That's because countries with world rankings between one and 30 in cycling are ineligible to compete in the World Bs and automatically have Olympic spots. However, the UCI has decided that Olympic spaces will depend - not on the current rankings - but the rankings as at April 30, 2004.

"Which means for instance, if a country is ranked 30th right now they would automatically have two Olympic spots and be ineligible for the World Bs. But by next April if they have slipped in the world rankings to 31st or 32nd place they would have no Olympic spots and they would not have come to World Bs (to try and qualify).

"That would be it for them, they would be done. So they would not have any chance of going to the Olympics. This could affect any country that's borderline in the rankings, say around 28th to 32nd. Some of them could really be in a sticky situation.

"A few people were shocked today in the technical meetings. It was the first I had heard of it," said the BBA president.

There's a possibility this could impact Bermudian cyclists.

That's because any country finishing in the top 15 or top nine in tomorrow's men's and women's road races respectively, but then moving into the top 30 by next April, would have their Olympic berths - gained at these World Bs - passed to the next finisher in line as they would now have automatic Olympic spots.

Therefore, if a Bermudian cyclist were the next finisher in line they could snag a last-minute ticket to the Olympics.