Cyclist Nic Narraway coped with more than 2,500 metres of climbing to finish runner-up on the second stage of the Redlands Classic on Thursday.

Narraway, competing for Team California, powered his way up Onyx Peak, which is situated in the San Bernardino Mountains and is the highest mountain pass in Southern California, to cross the line in second.

The performance was enough to propel him into third in the General Classification and the leading under-23 rider with two of the five stages completed.

After his exertions, Narraway spoke to The Royal Gazette and revealed his delight at his performance.

“It felt really good and I don’t think it’s sunken in yet,” Narraway said.

“I think in a few days it will really kick in and I’ll be very very proud of what I accomplished but I couldn’t have done it without my team. They supported me throughout the day.

“I wouldn’t say I was the leader but we had three riders in a good spot for today’s stage with it being a climb, and with that I was a protected rider and the team got me water when I needed it and got me in position, so I am very grateful for their efforts.”

While most onlookers would have suspected a climb of more than 2 kilometres would punish the legs, Narraway was surprised at just how good he felt during the race.

“To be honest, it wasn’t that super hard of a stage,” Narraway said.

“In my opinion, if it was a little harder it may have actually suited me even more, but you never really know. The power in the legs was high but I didn’t really feel it as such, which is how I knew I was on a good day and I knew that I could compete for the win if the situation looked right for me.”

Narraway has represented Bermuda on a number of occasions and has won medals at the Caribbean Championships, but this huge performance in the professional ranks could well be the highlight of his burgeoning career.

“This is definitely up there and probably surpasses it,” Narraway said.

“In the cycling world this is probably a little more important. The Caribbean Championships is significant for the country and what we’ve achieved as such a small island, but I’d probably say that this is more important in terms of my career as a cyclist.”

With three stages of the Redlands Classic left to complete, Narraway is in contention to finish as the top under-23 rider and in with a shout of a top-ten finish overall, with Friday’s stage a Time-trial over 11.7 miles.

“In the coming stages we just have to see how it looks,” Narraway said.

There is a time-trial tomorrow and it’s not something I’m a specialist in but it is not something that I am weak at.

“I had a pretty good time trial at the Caribbean championships and was not very far off Conor [White] and Kaden [Hopkins], so anything can happen.

“I’ve been working on my position and equipment, so I’m hoping it comes together and I have a good result. It really depends on that as to my future goals of the race.”