For a brief moment Bermudian Kaden Hopkins locked horns with the Olympic champion Richard Carapaz and gave hope that he could shock the cycling world.

After two laps around the streets of Santiago at the Pan American Games, Hopkins led the road race with only one of cycling’s superstars for company, as the two riders attempted to make an early break from the peloton.

But while the young Bermudian may look back with pride at the chance to test himself one on one against the world’s best in the heat of competition, Hopkins’ breakaway companion was not part of his plan.

“The point of my attack was to literally get out in front of one person and it was him, and then he was the only person who followed me,” Hopkins said.

“Obviously, when I went I had different plans than going with him but then he ripped my legs off on the next lap, he was so strong.”

After Carapaz and Hopkins were first pulled back, a group of about eight riders, including Carapaz, broke away with the Olympic champion leading out fellow Ecuadorean Jhonatan Prado Narvaez, who won the gold medal after nine gruelling laps, which included a tough climb.

After using up some of his energy reserves attempting an early break, Hopkins was forced to settle for a spot in the main pack, finishing 24th of the 34 finishers.

“I was okay the lap we got caught,” Hopkins said. “But after that I just looked ahead and there was eight guys up the road, and the three guys from Ecuador went to the front and when they hit the base of the climb they just ripped it and they just blew the group apart.

Twitter

“I’ve definitely done harder climbs but the repetition of it, nine times over, is pretty rough. They had the strongest team out there today but I’m proud of what we did.”

Conor White, who won Bermuda’s only medal at these Games when third in the time-trial a week earlier, finished a fine fourteenth and was involved in a sprint finish with local rider Hector Quintana Vidal after the main group splintered on the final lap.

“I got a medal in the TT and after that I just wanted to come out here today and see what I could do,” White said.

“The first lap the climb was soaking wet and the first three laps were okay, but the fourth lap I was trying so hard and going backwards. There is not much you can do sometimes against the World Tour guys, but I hung in there in the second group and finished second in that.

“From the top of the hill to the finish it’s all downhill so if you’re sitting in a group you are not even pedalling, but it’s the top part that’s hard. That climb was tough nine times.”