Garth Thompson won a duel with Andrew Inglis to win the one-hour criterium on a morning when more than 300 cyclists of all ages and abilities came out to compete in the IBC Front Street Races.

Sunday’s Bermuda Bicycle Association-organised event saw some hard-fought competition, coupled with some less serious events that involved almost 250 children in the Pee Wee races for the eight and unders.

In the Association’s first major road event of the season national mountain bike champion Thompson clearly stamped his authority on the field of top riders in one-hour Open event around the City streets, with an impressive display of powerful riding, that could only be matched by visiting American Inglis, a former Snow Valley Team-mate of Kris Hedges.

With a number of riders attempting to break away in the early stages, Thompson looked content to sit in the pack as each move off the front was pulled back in what was developing into a tactical battle with none of the favourites showing their cards.

As the pace quickened some riders of the riders dropped off the pace and with about 40 minutes gone the lead pack made another accent of Burnaby Hill together, but when they emerged from Court Street onto Front Street, Thompson and Inglis had broken away from the field and began working together to open their lead.

Last week’s race winner Wayne Scott, Mark Hatherely and Kent Richardson tried to bridge the gap, and at one point Scott looked like he might do it alone but was forced to drop back under the pressure from the two leaders’ unrelenting pace.

With two laps to go, Thompson made a huge effort on Burnaby Hill and finally broke free of Inglis and soloed to a well deserved victory, with Inglis following in second, clearly happy with his performance. Scott took third in a sprint finish that saw Hatherley almost crash as his foot came out of his pedal on the finish line, still placing third and Richardson fourth.

Reflecting yesterday on his victory Thompson said the plan had been for his RMS team-mate Neil de St. Croix to push on ahead and then for Thompson to use his climbing prowess to attack on the Burnaby Hill section of the course at some stage.

“I made a surge up the hill to test the legs of the others and see if anyone would be willing to come with me,” Thompson said.

“When I turned back onto Front Street, I saw that Andrew was the only one who had come with me. From early in the race I could see that Andrew was a strong rider. It’s good to have that kind of competition.

“This is one of the biggest races on the calendar so it’s great to win it. I’ve won it before, but I’ve also lost it in a sprint.”

In the new Intermediate category newcomer Brian Drea turned the tables on last week’s race winner Mark Lombardi in what appeared to be a tactical battle that saw numerous solo break-away attempts from this highly competitive category.

In the latter stages of their 45-minute event, the two riders had eventually separated themselves from the rest of the field and it came down to a fast and furious sprint on Front Street, that saw Drea edge out Lombardi on the line to take his first victory of the season.

In other categories, Deanna Thompson won the Female Open category beating her sister Kim McMullen, Nigel Godfrey took honours in the Male Citizens category after a tough battle with Jeff Amaral.

Heather Cooper won the Femal Citizen category, while in the 13-14 age group, Nathan Amaral was the first boy to finish and Izabella Arnold the first girl.

Mark Godfrey won the boys’ 11-12 event, while Molly Pilgrim won the girls event in the same age group. Nicole Amaral won the female 10-and-under event.

In one of the most impressive performances of the day Justin Ferreira not only won the boys 10 and under category but rode away from everyone in the first event of the day.

In the Sprint Championships that saw riders race from a standing start at the Cenotaph to the Flag pole Wayne Scott won the Open category, Philip Woolridge the Junior male and Sophie Adams the Junior Female.

However the biggest excitement of the day was without doubt the fun Pee Wee events with almost 250 children, some even on tricycles riding up and down Front Street, often with even more excited parents running behind them.