yesterday's IBC Criterium do now.

The spontaneous addition of nearly $200 in lap incentives by spectators helped throw form out the window during the annual Hamilton race -- the second of Bermuda Bicycle Association's season.

When the all greenbacks had finally been counted, Damion Wilson was the overall winner, nipping Steve Sterritt in a sprint finish at the end of one hour and one lap of a course that took riders east on Front Street to Court, up to Reid, back west to Queen and down to the Birdcage onto Front.

Ironically, the big winner was the guy who got shut out in the trophy presentations. Jason Krupp picked up $150 in two separate lap bursts but had nothing left for the wild finish.

And Sterritt, ravaged by the 'flu all week, picked up an easy $40 on the other two -- but was almost sorry he did. And even Wilson, who fought temptation most of the afternoon, wasn't immune to the lure of cash -- a decision he too almost regretted later.

"When I heard it was $100, I just had to go for it,'' he said of his 27th lap burst at the 50-minute mark.

But Krupp nipped him at the line and to make matters worse, the rest of the pack blew past Wilson when he slowed. "I gave it as hard as I could (just to catch up),'' he said.

Wilson's recovery ultimately meant a bumping incident with Stephan Carpentier, a near crash on the final corner and a surprise victory over his favoured Pure Water team-mate, Mike Lee.

The field had been reduced to a nine-man lead pack 16 minutes in and -- with the exception of a couple of brief breakaways from Lee -- that's the way it stayed until the final lap. Wilson admitted he was as surprised as anyone when he found himself side-by-side with Sterritt barrelling along the final 100 yards toward the checkered flag.

"My job was to work for Mike,'' he said. "He's by far the strongest of the two of us at the moment.'' Even on the final lap the idea was to set up Lee -- but a funny thing happened on the sharp left turn at the Birdcage.

With other riders taking a sharp inside line, Wilson took the outside, going so fast, he said, "I don't even know how I kept my bike on the road.'' His momentum carried him past everyone except Sterritt. And when Wilson's foot came out of his pedal with 50 yards to go, "(Steve) looked like a sure winner,'' he said.

But Wilson didn't know how weak Sterritt was. A runaway winner in last week's season opener, Sterritt was surprised at being in the lead after enduring a sleepless, aching week in bed.

"I felt the strength draining out of me from start to finish,'' the Irishman said. "I was hanging on most of the way.'' Was he as strong as last week? "Absolutely not,'' he replied. How strong? "About 75 percent.'' Sterritt's perseverance was more than matched by Melanie Claude, who won the women's division despite wiping out at the Birdcage 12 laps in.

She wasn't hurt but her bike was. But Claude battled through a bent wheel and pedal to surpass Julia Hawley, who also gutted it out after turning in a strong effort during a five-mile road race a couple of hours earlier.

Another gritty performance belonged to 17-year-old Kris Hedges, who was eligible to compete among juniors and women in the 45-minute race but opted instead to race with the men. He stayed with the lead pack throughout.

In that preliminary race, novice rider Wayne Scott pulled away over the final two laps to eke out a win over Junior II's Nuri Latham and Tyler Butterfield.

The day also saw two new sprint champions named. Wayman Butterfield pipped Sinclair Packwood in the open men's 400-metre race while Isla Dixon, in her first race, surpised Claude for the women's title.

DAMION WILSON -- surprise winner of yesterday's Hamilton cycle race.