Bermuda's leading female cyclist yesterday branded the decision not to award her sport a wild card entry to this year's Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia as grossly unfair and personally disappointing.

Melanie Claude had a dream to compete at the September Games, now her's, as well as that of top male rider Elliott Hubbard, will go unfulfilled and they will be but spectators.

Bermuda Olympic Association president Austin Woods revealed in a newspaper article yesterday that the decision not to award cycling any wild cards had been revealed during a recent conference in Brazil.

"That's disappointing, it makes it very difficult for small countries, especially in areas such as cycling, to qualify for such an event even in the future, because of the fact that we have limitations in being able to compete in world class events based on the size of the Island,'' said Claude, who has made momentous strides in the discipline over the past two years after transferring her full allegiance from triathlon to cycling.

"It's a disappointment for Elliott and I this year, but it will make it even more difficult for future cyclists in upcoming Olympic events. What it means is that people will have to try to make an effort to do certain events overseas to have a possibility of qualifying and there's only a few events they can do to qualify.

"Last year we only had the World `B' (Championships) as one way of doing it, but Elliott was unable to do that because he rides as a pro, so he didn't even have a chance to attempt to qualify for the Olympics.

"I think it's really unfair, but I can't dictate what committees are announcing. I guess one would have to accept one's final decision on that.'' Claude intimated that the world governing body -- UCI -- who are charged with organising and running the cycling events in Sydney had previously indicated that they did not favour honouring wild card requests for cyclists.

Still, she an Hubbard had held out hope of them relenting on the stance and that at least one place would be offered, most likely to Hubbard. Both have been training intensively, with Hubbard based overseas, while Claude has on occasion hooked up with French outfit Etoile Conde-sur-Noireau and recently took part in the Montreal World Cup -- a two-day event -- along with fellow locals Julia Hawley and Jeana Godfrey.

"I think both Elliott and I were training in hopes one (wild card) would be granted, because I know that in the earlier months they had indicated that they were going to allot one to a cyclist,'' said Claude, who was the first female and 13th overall during the Sinclair Packwood Memorial Race.

"But I know that there has been a little bit of an issue in reference to the UCI... "Because of (Elliott's) calibre of cycling compared to mine and because he's a pro cyclist and he's more experienced, I figured there were more odds in his favour than there was in mine.

"It was a small dream for me, and obviously a dream that didn't come true, but what it does mean now is that, rather than focussing on trying for the Olympics this year, I'll try to make it to the Female Tour de France in August.'' Still, Claude added that there needed to be an investigation into exactly what can be done to allow cyclists more options in terms of being able to qualify, especially if the policy of not allowing wild cards remains.

Out in the cold: Cyclist Elliot Hubbard, one of Bermuda's most successful athletes at major Games during the 1990s, now looks almost certain to miss out on the Sydney Olympics in September.