There was a good five minutes of calculations to be done before the crowd could discover officially whether Sarah Tillotson?s inspired breakaway had been enough to dislodge Karen Brems from top spot in the overall classification.

Brems, the winner on opening night in Hamilton, went into yesterday?s racing 19 seconds ahead of Quark?s guest rider Tillotson and intent on spending her afternoon worrying about the progress of last year?s overall winner Lauren Franges.

Franges had taken Saturday?s road race and closed the gap behind Brems to just six seconds. With early breakaways securing the early five second time bonuses, Brems and Franges battled it out for the scraps, with Franges winning the first two to reduce the deficit to just two seconds.

But thanks to some hard work by her Webcor team-mates, Brems was in position to take the third prime ? the five second boost looking to be enough to secure victory.

And then Tillotson went.

The 28-year-old, whose break was designed to help team leader Grace Fleury, ended up helping herself to a $200 prime and a 12-second victory ? as well as another five second bonus to go with one she took earlier on.

The rider from Chicago was left tired and bleeding from a bit lip after her grandstand finish, but with early guesstimates suggesting that it was all worthwhile and victory was hers.

But accurate calculations proved otherwise and Brems had indeed held on for the win courtesy of her bonus prime.

?That?s fantastic,? said Brems, when informed by of her victory ? although only after refusing to be interviewed until the team manager had confirmed the news.

?Wow, we?ve had some close ones this year. We lost one by a second earlier this year and won an event by two seconds. It shows the level of cycling that it comes so close.

?It was a great move by Sarah. My aim was to stick with Lauren. She won the first two bonus sprints and I really needed that third but even right at the end she would have been a threat.

?If she had won and I?d finished outside the top three then she would have beaten me.

?Sarah can count herself as very unlucky. It was a great move and she made back a lot of time ? we thought it was enough to win but obviously not.?

While Brems, normally the team manager but happy to come out of semi-retirement to race Bermuda a second time, just smiled, her younger more enthusiastic team-mates were jumping for joy when they belatedly heard of their victory.

And they will be doing all the riding again next year while Brems will once again be taking a back seat on the other end of her radio ? although there is a chance there might be a new member of the team.

Tillotson, here as a guest for Fleury?s Quark squad, is looking for team-mates for next year after a year of solo racing.

And her clever and well executed move could well serve as a major influence for those interested in taking her on.

?Maybe we?ll talk to her,? said Brems, after Tillotson had sportingly approached her and her team-mates to offer congratulations.

?That really was a great move.?

The women?s Masters event was won by Annabell Holland, a winner yesterday in Dockyard and second-placed finisher on Saturday.