sport's top athletes.

The CD&P Grand Prix came to a close on Sunday after four days of intense racing, which saw Islanders mix it with professional riders from the United States and Europe.

The top female prize went to team Autotrader, while Team Shaklee took the men's accolade.

Autotrader team member Melanie McQuaid, who figured highly throughout the event, said after the racing was over: "I thought that this was going to be an easy event -- Bermuda being a holiday destination and the races coming at the end of the season -- but the courses were really challenging and I was amazed at how hard I had to work to do well.'' The Grand Prix is getting bigger each year and Deborah Middleton of sponsors CD&P said the 2001 race would be no exception.

"We anticipate even more teams next year because the cyclists enjoy the whole Bermuda experience so much,'' she said. "Ray Cippolini, manager of Team Navigators, told me he came with the team last year for the first time, fell in love with the Island, and has been back on vcacation twice since then.'' Race Committee chairman Paul Claude is currently gathering feedback on how the event can be improved.

"With more and more riders competing, the logistics of organising the event become increasingly complicated and we need to be ready for an even larger gathering of overseas teams next year,'' he said.