A new category has been added to the island’s cycling races to encourage more women to take up the sport.

As more and more women take to the roads, the Bermuda Bicycle Association is sponsoring a new novice division to encourage those women who ride for fun to try racing.

A series of five races, beginning at the Team Tokio Criterium on Sunday, will form the new Women’s Novice Series, with road races of 12 to 20 miles combining with criteriums, where each race will be approximately 20 minutes over multiple laps of a short course.

The idea for the series came out of a Women’s Cycling Night hosted by Wenda Roberts and April Galda Joyce.

“While many women cycle regularly, only a small percentage race, so the discussion focused on how to create an environment that’s fun for women new to racing,” Joyce said.

Women who are interested in taking part can sign up at www.runsignup.com. The entry fee for the five-race series is $100, with those wishing to only compete in individual events charged $20 on the day of the race.

The first race of the season will start at 11.15am at Victoria Park in Hamilton on Sunday, with other races scheduled for May 1, 15, and 29, with the final race on June 5.