There. We said it, even though he -- and other cyclists he routinely beats -- would prefer this not be mentioned.

After all, he doesn't use it as a crutch when he loses and he doesn't take any special pride in it when he wins. To Payne, it's a non-issue.

"I don't play the age factor,'' he said yesterday, a day after winning the National Time Trial Championships at Clearwater Beach. "I'm just a competitor like all the other guys.'' Well, almost. None of the other guys won the Heritage Day Race, the annual Somerset to Hamilton sprint, last month. And none of them were able to catch him when he roared through Sunday's 26.36-mile course in 64 minutes and 20 seconds.

Most competitors his age are funnelled into senior or masters categories but Payne won't hear of it. He insists on competing in the open division whenever possible.

"When someone beats me, it's not because they're younger than me. It's because they're better than me,'' said Payne. And while others may marvel at his success at such a, er, advanced age, Payne says they're forgetting one thing: "I train for it.'' He has competed in distance events his entire life -- first cycling, then running, and now, for the past nine years, cycling once again -- and absorbs any bit of knowledge he can lay his hands on.

Payne was second in last year's Time Trial Championships and concedes it "seems to be suited for my style of riding.'' Even in the Heritage Day Race, it boiled down to an eight-mile time trial to the finish line between he and Aaron Schindler, Payne said.

In time trials, a cyclist competes only against the clock and himself; no team-mates and no drafting. For this reason, Payne usually trains alone and gears his training toward time trials.

Mel Bennett, another veteran, was two minutes minutes behind in second place.

Averaging 24.58 miles mph, Payne gradually pulled away from a field of top Island cyclists. Kris Hedges, 17, was the nearest rival through the first two laps -- seven seconds back on each -- before fading over the final three. Tim Palmer was third in 66:53, with Hedges fourth in 67:01.

Now, of course, the question is whether Payne can make it a triple by winning this Sunday's National Road Race Championships, a 70-mile trek on a similar St. David's course. "There are 40 guys out there who say no,'' Payne laughed.

A former Junior County champion in Essex, England, Payne came to the Island in 1961 and joined the Bermuda Police Service. He immediately made his mark in running and represented Bermuda in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Twelve years later, at age 40, he won the Marathon Derby.

Racing over a 15.7-mile course were the juniors and women. Tyler Butterfield won the former division in 39:50 while Melanie Claude took the latter in 43:51.