Cyclists the length and breadth of Bermuda may have a chance in this year’s Sinclair Packwood Memorial race after six-times champion Dominique Mayho revealed he will not be competing in this year’s event.

Mayho, who tasted more success when winning the Winners Edge Road Race on Sunday, will be off island on May 24 this year but is not too sad to be missing the big race.

“I’m going to be away this year and I’m going to miss it unfortunately,” Mayho said.

“I’m going to a wedding. It's a shame but I have the record and I will still have other chances, so I’m not too upset about it.

“Hopefully Jackson Langley can do something for my VT Construction team and he’s strong enough to possibly pull the win off.”

Mayho followed up his win around the streets of Hamilton last week with one in the Criterium around St David’s on Sunday, prevailing by just two seconds over Australian rider Matt Boys, who competes for Winners Edge, but Mayho was keen to give credit to his team for the win.

“It felt great to win and to finish off a great day for the team,” Mayho said.

“Our team rode really well with Steve Smith, Phil Mace and Jamie Bedford riding really hard on the front to control the breakaway. Once we reeled it in, Jackson Langley and I took over and we were in front with Matt Boys, the new Australian guy and Alexander Miller, so we were able to have a sprint finish and that suits me the best.”

A new local rivalry could be brewing with Boys but Mayho is just delighted to get the chance to face tough competition

“It’s good, especially with the other guys overseas all the time racing, as we don’t have many top guys here during the normal season,” Mayho said.

“But Matt is here now and he’s really strong. We both retired in 2017 and it’s pretty fun having him in the race. Today, he was by far the strongest guy in the race but we had a bigger team so good teamwork and tactics played a big factor today.”

The vastly experienced Mayho is also keen to pass on his knowledge to the younger generation of professional Bermuda cyclists and was thrilled to see Nic Narraway finish second in a prestigious mountain stage at the Redlands Classic this week.

“I definitely always follow them,” Mayho said.

“When they’re doing well they are obviously in good spirits but any time I see that they are a little down on themselves that’s when I would talk to them more, to make sure they know that it’s all part of the sport.

“Bermuda is small and when I was racing they were all juniors coming up, so we all know each other and are good friends. It’s pretty cool to watch them race and I was so pleased to see Nic Narraway in the Redlands Classic.

“That’s the biggest stage race in the US, so for him to get second on a mountain stage was amazing. With him, because he’s a climber, he doesn’t really get that opportunity at Championship races, but you put him on a mountain he’s really good.

“At the Pan Ams or CAC Games they normally don’t have a race that finishes at the top of a mountain, so he’s a lot better than the recognition that he gets because of that.

“I was shocked when I saw him finish second because anybody that races in the US focuses on Redlands as they know that’s the biggest race of the year. The only people from the US that are not there are the World Tour riders.”

As for Mayho, with the Sinclair Packwood Memorial no longer on his race calendar, he is instead focusing on the National Championships in June, which he has won eight times, and a new three-day stage race at the end of August to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Bermuda Bicycle Association.

“As soon as I heard about it, because I am not here for May 24, that became my goal as in the 50th year it will be a pretty cool accomplishment to win that stage race.

“The National Championships is also a big one so all those guys will be back from overseas and it makes it a lot harder when they are racing.

“It will be fun and I’ve won eight of them so I will see if I can hang on and make it a sprint. That’s just wishful thinking, though. I think I’ll be stuck at eight for a while.”