one-man show last night, virtually lapping a world-class field.

The American Navigators rider made a solo break just 17 minutes into the 32-mile Conyers, Dill & Pearman Classic criterium and none of the other 61 riders got near him from that point onwards.

His team-mate Elliot Hubbard, who thrilled his hometown crowd by winning the event last year, was this time content to play second fiddle to the unstoppable Klasna, and placed 12th.

The night was a total success for Navigators as Todd Littlehales won a tight sprint finish, just ahead of Linda McCartney's Russell Downing, for second place to give the New Jersey-based team the top two spots on the podium.

With three laps to race, Klasna had lapped all but two riders, but he dropped back from the pack in the latter stages to rule out any chance of a crash which might have robbed him of victory.

Winning so comfortably enabled him to milk victory and well before he crossed the finishing line at the Flagpole in one hour, three minutes and 53 seconds, he held his arms aloft and smiled broadly to the cheering Front Street crowd.

After his amazing solo performance against opposition including four of the top five teams in the US, the 29-year-old from Pine Valley, California, speaking almost as fast as he could pedal, said: "I expected to do really well, but I never thought I'd be able to lap the field going off by myself.'' And despite the fact that he rode like a man who didn't need any help, he was keen to give a slice of the glory to his team-mates.

"I really want to thank my team-mates and I think any one of the Navigators team could have won it tonight.

"I've never raced in Bermuda before, but it's a great place and the course was ideal for me, with the (Burnaby) hill in the middle of it and then a good flat (Reid Street) to recover.'' The race was the curtain-raiser to the three-stage CD&P Grand Prix which starts today with a 9.3-mile time trial at Southside, St. David's.

And Klasna felt last night's success had left the Navigators in prime position to win the main event as well.

"Everyone will be out to get us now we've got this one-two finish and any one of us could win it, not necessarily me.'' But Klasna, who earlier this month won the biggest stage race in the US, Killington, finishing first in each of the three stages, must now be the red-hot favourite to take the overall Grand Prix title.

For Hubbard, it was a case of mission accomplished.

"For us, it went pretty much according to plan,'' he said. "We had to work really hard to control the pack and keep the pressure off Trent.

"I was playing more of a supportive role than last year, it was totally a team effort and you can't do much better than first and second.'' Klasna was so dominant, he had a 90-second lead by the half-hour mark and caught up with the back of the main pack four minutes later.

Three riders, Saturn's Chris Wherry, Linda McCartney's Chris Lillywhite and Shaklee's John Lieswyn made a half-hearted effort to chase Klasna and by the 48-minute mark, they had been joined by Lillywhite's team-mate Dave McKenzie.

McKenzie's efforts were rewarded when he pocketed $1,000, the night's biggest sprint premium, 10 minutes from the end of the race. But the energy the gutsy Australian burned up in winning the big money cost him any chance of a podium place and he fell back to finish 19th.

The Grand Prix will return to Hamilton for the final 90-minute stage on Sunday morning.

HOW THEY FINISHED BERMUDA CLASSIC CRITERIUM Following were the only finishers from a starting field of 62 in last night's Bermuda Cycling Classic in Hamilton: 1 Trent Klasna, Navigators 1.03:53 2 Todd Littlehales, Navigators 1.03:53 3 Russell Downing, Linda McCartney 1.03:53 4 Graeme Miller, Sha 1.03:53 5 John Lieswyn, Sha 1.03:53 6 Robbie Ventura, Saturn 1.03:53 7 Chris Lillywhite, Linda McCartney 1.03:53 8 Sean Yates, Linda McCartney 1.03:53 9 Rob Reynolds-Jones, L.McCartney 1.03:53 10 Alexandre Levallee, Canada 1.03:53 11 Mark Walters, Navigators 1.03:59 12 Elliott Hubbard, Navigators 1.03:59 13 Eric Wohlberg, Shaklee 1.03:59 14 Christian Vande Velde, US Postal 1:04.03 15 Chris Wherry, Hot Tubes 1.04:03 16 George Hicapie, US Postal 1.04:03 17 Tim Lefebre, Ital Pasta 1.04.03 18 Seth Pelusi, Saturn 1.04:36 19 David McKenzie, Linda McCartney 1.05:31 20 Matt Koshara, Navigators 1.06:18 Photos by Ras Mykkal Lapping it up: Last night's CD&P Classic winner Trent Klasna (above) celebrates on the winner's podium after lapping most of the field and (below) his Navigators team-mate Todd Littlehales (centre) wins a sprint finish for second place as the Front Street crowd look on.