Perhaps the largest squad of cyclists to compete together overseas leaves Bermuda tomorrow for two days of competition in the USA.

Eight Island riders are flying out to Boston for the Palmer Library Road Race on Saturday and the Monson Road Race on Sunday.

Representing the women will be Commonwealth Games cyclist Melanie Claude and relative newcomer Lynn Patchett, while flying the flag for the men will be Kent Richardson, Andy Kain, Andrew Davis, Jean Nicholas Bertrand, Marcelino Fereira and Ricky Sousa.

Claude and Patchett, who will ride in the pro women race, and Richardson and Bertrand, both riding in the pro-3 mens' event, have been selected for the Bermuda team that will be competing in the Island Games in Guernsey in June. They will be joined in Europe by Geri Mewett, Wayne Scott, Karl Outerbridge and Julia Hawley.

Davis, meanwhile, has been selected for the Island Games mountain bike squad. He will team up with Garth Thompson and Neil De St. Croix in that discipline.

All those mentioned will be using the event in Boston as a warm up for their national team duty.

Fereira, meanwhile, who trains with the other riders, and Sousa are travelling to Boston largely for the experience, the latter only competing in the final day's race.

Claude travelled to Boston for last year's event with Hawley but didn't make the first race after they got lost!

"We did actually go on the course to experience it. It has its challenging moments but nothing too gruelling," said Claude. "It will be a good race for the group that is going."

Claude said the men would be using the race to experiment with team tactics ahead of the Games.

As for Patchett and herself, she said it would perhaps make more sense to work on a solo basis.

"I think at this point with this being Lynn's first road race she needs to experience it on her own," she said. "Our goal when we get to Island Games is to work as a team, especially with Julia coming along as well and we hope to maybe do another event next month that we could do together, but for this one I think we are best to ride our own race."

As the Island Games and the World B Championships get ever closer - the latter following in Switzerland within a few days of the former - Claude said she was taking her preparation "one step at a time".

"I am actually just getting over the flu so I am not really sure where I am at health-wise," she said. "I had a bit of a challenge last weekend where I was unable to finish a race so I am not sure if my level of fitness is right up there yet.

"I am not going in with high expectations in this race. I just want to have a strong ride if I can and hopefully there are no side effects from the flu."

Davis said the Boston race would be a good test even though it does not involve mountain bikes.

"Total endurance and fitness is what I am trying to achieve right now," he said. "The majority of my training is done on the road bike for endurance and then I go out twice a week with the guys to keep on top of the technical side of mountain biking."

He said his main aim this weekend was to finish both races.

"This will be my first overseas bike race ever, so I am not too sure what to expect," he said. "But I do all of my training with the group that is going so I am hoping that we can just feed off each other and have a great race."

As for the Island Games, Davis said he was preparing harder than he ever had before.

"I am taking it seriously," he said. "The competition level is going to be great and I think it's a great opportunity for Bermudian athletes to go away and compete at an event that is more realistic, where you go away and have positive results as opposed to going to something where we make the qualifying time but . . . Basically, this is a good lead up for bigger games."

This is the first time that Bermuda will be represented in mountain biking, but Davis denied that meant there would be added pressure on the team's shoulders.

"We have nothing to lose, basically," he said. "The three of us are planning to go out there and give it our absolute best shot.

"We plan to come away from there with Bermuda recognised as a very strong cycling country."