Robin Horsfeild continued his preparation for the upcoming Canadian mountain bike season with success on the road, clinching divisional victory in the Paris to Ancaster 70 kilometre race.

Despite competing on a mountain bike on a 70km course best suited to a road racing bike, the 22-year-old managed to remain in the main peloton throughout, claiming a highly respectable 17th-place finish overall from 1074 participants and victory in the men’s 20 to 29 category.

"I was pleased to be the main instigator of the major attack that split up the front group,“ said Horsfield, who built on the momentum of a successful return to the island in winning the Winners Edge Mountain Bike Championship title at the beginning of the month.

“Unfortunately there were only five of us who broke away and the rest of the group regained ground on us and we were reeled back in after about ten kilometres.

“I paid for this activity later in the race but ultimately this achieved my goal as this was to be a hard training ride before my real season starts in Quebec in May at the first Canada Cup."

The Paris Ancaster race is in its 28th year and is modelled after the famed Paris Roubaix race in France.