looks to be the man to beat in the third race of the Bermuda Bicycle Association's Winter Mountain Bike Series at Admiralty House Park tomorrow.

In the absence of his fellow Commonwealth Games riders and previous series winners Steve Sterritt and Macinnis Looby, Hedges looks the man likeliest to take over.

Hedges, the reigning national champion in both the time trial and road race disciplines, is home on a Christmas break from his studies at Philips Academy, Andover, near Boston.

He is competing tomorrow purely for fun and sees mountain biking as a good way for cyclists to do some cross training and to stay on a bike through the winter.

At the other end of the spectrum is first-time bike racer Chris Pimental, who feels the short, technical courses in mountain biking will suit him well.

The course at Admiralty House will run for 10 laps over a 0.75-mile loop, with juniors racing half the distance. It is the fastest and least technical of all the courses in the series and with two climbs on each lap, overall fitness will be a key factor.

Other riders sure to challenge for the top three places include Duncan Simons, Peter Matcham and Milton Hill.

All riders wishing to take part must have helmets, arrive well before the 9.00 a.m. start and must have paid their 1999 BBA membership dues (juniors $7, adults $15).

BLACK MAKES HER MARK HOC Black makes her mark Bermudian Caroline Black has become a key member of Springfield College's field hockey team in only her first year at the school. Black, who plays locally for Swifts and was the scorer of the Bermuda goal when they beat hosts Venezuela for their only win at the CAC Games last summer, helped the team finish the season with a 20-5 record, which surpassed the previous best season of 16 wins set in 1990.

Springfield College, of Springfield, Massachusetts, placed first in the inaugural New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) during the regular season with an 8-0 record.

Black, a centre-back, ranked fourth for the team in scoring with 21 points from 10 goals and one assist. She played in all 25 Springfield games during the season and was named to the All-Tournament team at the Springfield Invitation earlier this fall in which the `Pride' won by defeating Westfield State of Massachusetts and Montclair State (New Jersey).

Black scored two goals in a 3-0 win against nationally ranked Hartwick College of New York that gave the team 300 victories in their 36-year history. Black also netted two goals in a 5-0 victory over Connecticut College.

"Caroline is a tremendous asset to our team,'' said 29-year head coach Dottie Potter Zenaty. "We look forward to her continuing to help us in the future.'' Black, a junior majoring in sports management, graduated from Lakefield School (Ontario, Canada) in 1998 when she was captain and MVP for the field hockey, basketball and swimming teams. She was also named an All-Star at Bermuda's East v West basketball game in 1996.