Back on home soil with his new team, top cyclist Elliot Hubbard is excited about being a part of Bermuda's biggest ever Grand Prix.

And while his team, the New Jersey Navigators, will be using the competition to prepare for upcoming races in Europe and other events later in the season back in the US, Hubbard knows the expectations from the local crowds won't allow him to take it easy.

"I'm not in peak condition right now, I'm fighting off a flu virus,'' Hubbard disclosed. "I had a slow start to the season, aiming to peak later in the season.

"I could be in better shape, but there's something about racing at home that makes you want to try to rise to the occasion.'' The Navigators leave on Sunday night for races in Spain before returning for more competition on the east coast of the United States. Hubbard is gearing up for the Commonwealth Games in Malaysia in September.

"I must say if it wasn't for Conyers Dill and Pearman footing the bill we probably wouldn't have made it, it wasn't a big race on our programme,'' said Hubbard.

"They really wanted us to race here and that was the deciding factor. This wasn't, with my training programme, initially one of my goals for this season.

If I was racing in Europe I would not have come back.'' Hubbard and his team-mates arrived on Monday and yesterday morning were out on the road in preparation for the four-day event which kicks off with a criterium on Thursday night on Front Street.

"The criterium is going to be something to see,'' Hubbard promised.

"This is going to be the fastest racing ever seen on the Island. This is not going to happen every week so I would recommend people come out and catch it while they can. It's going to be a good show.'' As for his own team's chances? "I have some strong team-mates who I have confidence in and we're here mainly to train and prepare for some races later in the season so we're not putting a lot of pressure on ourselves.

"But obviously I'm putting pressure on myself because I'm the local boy. We leave here on Sunday to do some racing in Europe and that is all part of our training programme in that we aim to be riding stronger when we get back from that. This is just a part of the stepping stone.'' The $20,000 Grand Prix event has doubled in prize money in each of the last two years thanks to sponsors CD&P. As a result the line-up is even more impressive as three of the leading teams, Navigators, Shaklee and 1997 winners Saturn are rated among the top five teams in the United States. "It's going to be a good show,'' acknowledged Hubbard, the 1996 Grand Prix champion. The 24-year-old Bermudian is accompanied by three team-mates, Robbie Ventura, a sprinter with numerous wins in the US this season, Adam Laurent, a US Olympic competitor and manager-rider Ed Beamon. They will go up against seven other visiting teams in the professional field, including Hubbard's former team, One Plus Inc., Snow Valley, the Canadian national team and a team from Britain.

Things have been looking up for Hubbard after his hopes of riding again in Europe this season were dashed by his former club in Italy, AKI-Safi, and then Belgium outfit, Cedico, for whom Hubbard declined to sign for after reading the contract.

"Once things didn't work out in Belgium I flew right to the States and have been racing on the domestic scene in the United States ever since,'' said Hubbard.

"I'm trying to work my way into fitness slowly this year so that I can maintain my peak longer and later on in the season. I've got the Commonwealth Games at the end of the season and I want to have a more heavy impact on the end of the season than the first half.'' Hubbard is hoping his success abroad can inspire young local riders to greater achievements. Three of them, Tyler Butterfield, Jonathan Herring and Nuri Latham, will be competing this weekend against top overseas juniors.

"I hear they are riding strong but I haven't seen it first hand, but I guess I'll see it this weekend,'' added Hubbard.

"That's one of the things I hope will result from any success I've had, that I can open up doors for riders of the future. It kind of shows anything is possible and that they can have high hopes as well.'' THREE'S COMPANY -- Elliot Hubbard and Navigator team-mates Adam Laurent (left) and Robbie Ventura (right) will be working together in this week's $20,000 Bermuda Grand Prix.