If you are out and about on the roads of Bermuda over the long holiday weekend you are likely to encounter some of the island’s best cyclists.

For the first time since Covid, the Bermuda Bicycle Association is holding a three-stage omnium, which consists of a hill climb in St George’s on Saturday at 6pm, a criterium on Front Street and adjacent Hamilton roads on Sunday morning at 8am and a road race in St David’s on Monday at 8am.

Peter Dunne, president of BBA, is pleased that the race has been introduced and is looking forward to a packed weekend of cycling.

“The BBA has had a stage race most years for the last 25 or 30 years,” Dunne said.

“For some reason we’ve backed off for a couple of years and Covid really scuppered a lot of plans but with our 50th anniversary we just thought it was time to start it up again and give it a try to see what the interest is.”

The omnium structure uses points rather than time to calculate finishing positions with the winner of a stage awarded one point and the runner-up two points and so on, with the cyclist on the lowest score after all three events declared the overall champion.

“Stage races are fun in a different way,” Dunne said.

“If you’re competitive it makes you consider your racing strategy rather than a one-day race which is all about first, second and third.

“We use this structure mainly because it levels things up and makes things more even. Somebody who could be horrible at hill climbing could lose a lot of time and be out of contention in a normal timed race but the omnium points system means all is not lost. That means it is usually quite exciting.”

With the BBA celebrating a milestone anniversary plans are in place to get some former stars of the sport back in the saddle.

“The 50th anniversary was a good kick in the pants to get this race started again from an operational standpoint but on October 27 we have another event, a Legends Ride, being organised,” Dunne said.

“That will be a big group ride and we’re hoping some blasts from the past will come out. It’s not going to be a race but it will be more social and bring people back together.”