Bowditch may not defend her golds

GOLDEN girl Ann Bowditch may not be defending her Island Games medals in Shetland next year. Bowditch, winner of four golds, a silver and two bronzes in the 2003 Games - and the proud holder of the Total CI 2003 Sports Personality of the Year award - has said she will go only if there will be a worthwhile competition.

'I just want to make sure there'll be enough people to compete,' said Bowditch.

'I'm sure Bermuda will go - they are mad for it and will race anywhere. But I've heard that Jersey may not be sending a full-strength side. And I don't think that the mountain-biking will happen.

'Rhodes said that they would have a side in the last Games and didn't. It's just not worthwhile if there's hardly anyone there.'

Bowditch, 33, raced away with the women's cycling honours in a glorious week of success last summer, culminating in a thrilling criterium victory in St Peter Port in front of hundreds of spectators.

However, Shetland would be a long way to go for an easy procession to the podium, or, worse, to discover that there would be no medals at stake - a fate that befell Tina Coutanche in the mountain-bike cross-country in the Isle of Man in 2001.

Instead, Bowditch's sights are set on the National 10 and 25 time trials.

She placed ninth last week in the National 50 in 2hr 13min. 21sec., but said that long-distance TTs were not her fortes.

'I am having problems with the longer TTs and having to take fuel on board. Short and sharp is what I'm training for.

'If I looked more at longer TTs, I'd make improvements, so I can be philosophical about my time; it's not the be-all and end-all.'

It was Bowditch's first 50-mile TT in the UK; her personal best in Guernsey is 2hr 09min.

The winner, Julia Shaw, blasted away the rest of the field to win in 2hr 06min. She had also come third in the National 25.

'She was minutes ahead of the rest of us; she looked as if she was on a mission.

'It was not a particularly fast course; it was very lumpy. It rose for the majority of the way out and the roads were very rough. There were quite a lot of potholes, not deep, but enough for you to worry about. I spent a lot of time out towards the centre of the road. But there was not a lot of traffic.

'The conditions didn't bother me to a huge extent and they were the same for everyone. But I was thankful for my mountain-bike training.'