Philippe Mauduit's greatest achievement as national cycling coach may well come in the future form of Bermuda's number one rider, Kris Hedges, but every cyclist, regardless of ability, will be better for having met him, his predecessor has declared.

Despite the fact he was only contracted to Bermuda Bicycle Association for five months last year, Mauduit played a key role in the continued development of the sport.

The Frenchman, who left Bermuda at the end of last year, has recently begun a second stint as coach with the Chinese Cycling Federation training their Olympic hopefuls. And former national coach Greg Hopkins believes his mild, unassuming manner meant he departed without really being given the credit he deserved.

Mauduit, a former top rider and now a Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) coach, was involved with every sphere of the sport while here, from taking junior clinics at Clearwater Beach to shouting instructions to national team riders at events such as the Pan-Am Games in the Dominican Republic.

"I think it was a surprise to some extent to have a coach of his level," said Hopkins in reference to Bermuda's size and potential compared to that of China. "But the thing was, the people that really embraced him as a coach, whether it be that they were at national squad level or whether it be that they were a novice, a veteran or a junior, anybody that worked with him as closely as some of us did, felt very, very honoured that they had the opportunity."

Hopkins said Mauduit had a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience in the sport, both as a coach and a cyclist, and he was only too willing to impart it. Sadly though some of those closest to his heart, the juniors, did not benefit as much as they might as his arrival coincided with the summer holidays.

"The thing about Philippe was that it didn't matter if you were a national squad rider or a rider just getting into the sport, he had the same passion, enthusiasm and commitment regardless of of your ability, experience or potential," he said.

"One of the things that we all felt with Philippe was that, under the circumstances, we were fortunate to have someone with a great personality as well as this knowledge and experience. There was an immediate rapport as soon as you came into contact with him. He was very, very easy going but very, very committed and very precise and concise about everything to do with cycling."

To train in Bermuda for competitive cycling you really have to get up before Johnny Barnes in order to avoid the clogging traffic. Though not used to this way of doing things, Mauduit happily embraced it, said Hopkins.

"For a guy in his position to get up at 4.20 in the morning and to meet us at Crow Lane roundabout at 5 a.m. every morning, rain, blow or shine was really a testament to his commitment to us while he was here," he said. "I don't think any other coach from anywhere else would have made that sort of commitment. He used to say we were crazy, but it never stopped him from coming out."

As he held the same post as Mauduit, Hopkins is arguably the nearest to him in terms of knowing the ins and outs of sport and the needs of the cyclists. However, he said even he improved as a rider.

"I learned a lot from him, absolutely, and still am," he said. "I am very grateful for the opportunity to have worked with him. He left us all a 'bible' that he had formulated himself for our winter training and there are a number of us who are going to utilise his coaching online."

The fact he was French and English was not his first language was in no way a problem to the Island's riders, Hopkins said.

"It was never a problem," he said. "I find that when English is not necessarily somebody's first language, they tend to be far more concise about what they are asking you and give you a much more simplified explanation as opposed to flowering things up and talking unnecessarily.

"He doesn't speak Chinese and I am sure the Chinese riders he is currently working with don't speak French, but the fact they wanted him to go back out there so much is testament to his ability to communicate with that level of difference in language. It was certainly never a problem for anybody here that worked with him, rode with him and trained with him had at all, ever."

Hopkins said in terms of tangible successes seen since Mauduit was here Hedges landing a deal with a top French team was probably the most obvious.

Hedges had been with the Snow Valley outfit in the US, but through Mauduit's connections and on his recommendation he signed with VC Pontivy, an Elite One outfit based in Brittany in the west of the country.

Europe is widely recognised as the place to be if you aspire to be a top cyclist and Hedges hopes to take his career to the next level there.

"He was solely responsible for Kris being with his team in Europe," he said. "It certainly would not have been easy for Kris to be on the team that he is right now. Philippe organised that, co-ordinated it, got him the contacts etc. That is a success just from knowing Philippe."

But Mauduit was not interested just in those that sought to emulate the likes of Lance Armstrong, Hopkins said even the Sunday morning rider was given equal attention.

"Each individual will gauge what their benefits were," he said. "He dealt with young people like Jean Bertrand, those who have got it all ahead of them, and also people like Melanie Claude who are getting towards the end of their international career, but he was equally prepared to work with somebody who is basically over the hill, like me at 50 years of age, someone doing it just for the enjoyment and the passion of the sport."

The BBA said last week that they were in no rush to replace Mauduit as the national team were going through something of a hiatus. The next international event, the Caribbean Championships, is not until the end of the year and the association's executive see no need to have the team in training until nearer that time.

So would Hopkins consider a return to the helm?

"My time has been and gone," he said. "There are new people in charge and they have their ideas and their ways of doing things and sometimes you have to move on and accept that there are changes."