The competition hasn?t started yet but women are already the big winners in this year?s CD&P Bermuda Grand Prix.

The Island?s annual cycling showpiece ? scheduled for September 23-26 ? will be the finale in the four-stage Women?s Prestige Cycling Series (WPCS).

The top ten teams after the first three legs ? which will take place in the USA ? of this newly-formed series will be invited to Bermuda to vie for top honours.

At least 15 women?s teams (of four members each) have committed themselves to participating in the full series and this major coup is expected to generate invaluable publicity for the Island as a sports and tourist destination.

?In addition to expanding the number of professional women participating in our event, being a part of the WPCS will bring Bermuda a significant amount of publicity in North America,? said president of the Bermuda Bicycle Association Danielle Bezant, adding it also provides ?a fantastic venue for showcasing the abilities of our local elite women riders?.

National team cyclist, Melanie Claude, also endorsed the Grand Prix?s link with the Prestige races, noting ?it?s not often we get top female competition here?.

?This is a rare opportunity for cyclists like myself to compete with the top North American athletes on our own soil. The depth of the field and overall level of competition this year will be greater than ever and I will be working hard to put on a good showing at the Grand Prix,? said Claude, who is unsure if she will just compete in the Grand Prix or be part of a team for the entire Prestige circuit.

Bezant explained that teams contesting the Prestige event would accumulate points throughout the Grand Prix (two criteriums, a time trial and a road race) and those points would be added to what each team has previously amassed to determine the final winners. Prizes worth $12,000 will be awarded for individual and team excellence in the four-segment race.

The other three stages of the Prestige series are: Redlands Bicycle Classic (California; March 24-28); Nature Valley Grand Prix (Minnesota; June 9-13) and The International/Tour de Toona (Pennsylvania; July 26-August 5).

Meanwhile, $12,000 in prizes (plus primes in the Classic Criterium) will also be up for grabs in the Grand Prix which is expected to attract more than 200 riders, including 120 professionals plus foreign and local amateurs. Between 30 to 60 Bermudian cyclists, including juniors, are likely to compete.

Event Director Peter Dunne said organisers were currently looking at ?potential alternative courses to show off Bermuda visually as well as to provide good technical courses? which will challenge riders.

CD&P?s Head of Marketing, Ross Webber, underlined his company?s support for the Grand Prix, saying it?s a well established and widely anticipated event which is ?a great advertisement for Bermuda?.