January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.

Butterfield to race in CD&P Grand Prix


By James [email protected] | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

Bermuda's pro cyclist Tyler Butterfield is the surprise late entry in the field for a revamped 'spectator friendly' CD&P Grand Prix, which starts tomorrow.

Butterfield, who has been racing in Europe with his American team Slipstream, only registered for the race last week.

And, with the bulk of last year's race cancelled because of Hurricane Florence, the Bermudian rider will be the unofficial defending champion on the back of his 2006 win.

It will be a very different race this year, though, with the Southside Road Race ditched from the schedule and replaced with a circuit race, which will return the event finale to Hamilton.

"Tyler is bringing in three team mates and he'll be here racing which is great for the event," said director Dannielle Bezant.

" They were a last-minute registration. It's great for the event. He's Bermudian and he's the defending champion."

Geri Mewett, who races in the States, is also coming back for the event while a familiar filed of race regulars, including teams from Britain and the States, will make up the Bermudians' main rivals.

Mewett will also have the chance to renew his rivalry with some of the cyclists he competed against at the Island Games in Rhodes.

The biggest change this year, though, is not in the field, but in the format.

The road race - which used to be the deciding factor in the four-day event - has gone.

Instead there will be a... lap two-and-a-half mile around the town, circuit race - including a grueling stretch along Corkscrew Hill. The idea, said Bezant, was to create a more spectator friendly event, with crowds lining Front Street to watch the climax.

She said the new format would ensure an exciting finale with at least 15-20 riders still in with a chance of winning on the last day.

"The time differentials won't be that huge from the first three days, so it is all going to come down to Sunday's race in Hamilton.

"It makes it much more exciting for the spectators. Road races are great if you've got a helicopter and a commentator but without that you just watch the riders go by once and then they're gone. This should be a more exciting finale and hopefully it can help bring back some of the glory that it used to have."[[In-content Ad]]

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