Melanie Claude hopes her hot form will lead Bermuda to success in the Caribbean Cycling Championships.

Claude had an outstanding CD&P Grand Prix, coming second in the Front Street Grand Prix, third in the time trial, seventh in the road race and sixth in yesterday's Hamilton Criterium for an overall finish of fourth.

Her performances and those of her Bermuda Department of Tourism team-mates, Julia Hawley, Catherine Powers and Laura Schmidt enabled, them to grab overall team honours in the women's event.

Bacardi's Amy Jarvis was the overall winner, riding to victory in yesterday's stage to cap a fine outing.

Claude and Hawley, who took the difficult decision not to race yesterday after suffering severe cramp on Saturday, will both be flying the flag for Bermuda in Curacao next month.

"I am feeling very optimistic," said Claude. "It was a good weekend. I wasn't going in there with very high expectations, I just wanted to ride strongly and do a good finish and I think overall I did.

"We managed to do the Team GC which was a bonus. We didn't know what we were in for at the start but it seemed like we had a really good, strong team and things fell in our favour."

Claude said she had a lot of sympathy for Hawley.

"It was unfortunate because she is such a go-getter just like I am," she said. "To see her team-mates out there and not her because of illness, I can imagine how she was feeling. But having her on the side being supportive was great."

Yesterday was doubly special for Jarvis. Not only was she celebrating winning the event but it also marked her first wedding anniversary, husband Michael Moore planting a big kiss on her as she crossed the finish line.

"The whole week has been so much fun," she said. "The race was superb and I think this is the first time I have won a stage race so I am ecstatic."

Jarvis should have been racing in a prestigious stage race in Canada along with many of the other women but that was cancelled at the 11th hour, enabling her to come to Bermuda.

"There was a little voice in the back of my head hoping it would be cancelled so I could come to Bermuda with my husband and enjoy the last race of the season," she said. "It's one year (since the marriage), we made it and we are going to celebrate tonight."