Criterium moves from its traditional final day slot

THE traditional Island Games finale, the cycling criterium, has been moved to the second day in Rhodes. The action-packed race that sees competitors speed around a short course in dangerously close proximity of each other is always an entertaining spectacle. It was a highlight of the Guernsey Island Games in 2003, as the cyclists raced up and down the Town front.

In this summer's Games, the criterium circuit will be within the walls of Rhodes town, but it will start in the early evening of Sunday 1 July.

The Guernsey Velo Club president, Gary Wallbridge, says that he would have preferred it if it had been on the last day, the following Friday.

'We wish it was the other way round,' he said.

'It's good for spectators and it's always been the closing event. We're hoping it can change but we don't think it will.

'We're disappointed but we've all got to do the same.'

The usual order of events for the cycling competition sees the time trial followed by the road race and then the criterium.

And according to Wallbridge, there is a good reason why the criterium comes last.

'You can have accidents in the criterium and then you are unable to compete for the rest of the week,' he said.

'It's fast and furious, so you can have some fallers.'

Guernsey Island Games Association secretary Roy Martel said the reason why the criterium had been moved was due to the Mediterranean island being at the height of their holiday season and the Games organisers have not been able to get authorisation to close the town's roads during the week.

'Their explanation is that the traffic will be bad,' he said.

'One hundred and twenty thousand hotel beds will be taken up by holidaymakers and the Games as a whole will take up 2,000 during that week. There is going to be a lot of people who are going to be about.'