Matthew Oliveira is having the kind of season that even when he does not expect to win, he still does.

That was the scenario that unfolded on the streets of Hamilton yesterday, where the 16-year-old Winner’s Edge cyclist exceeded his expectations by emphatically winning the Bicycle Works Criterium in 46min 28.8sec.

“I wasn’t planning to do as well as I did because I put my mind on it that the weather was going to be bad, and I didn’t want to risk the wet roads on the criterium course,” he said.

Oliveira broke away from the lead group in the latter stages of the race and never looked back as he lapped all but one rider en route to victory.

“My team-mate Darren Glasford was out for the first half of the race in front by himself forcing the other teams to chase, and the rest of my team-mates just sat back and saved ourselves,” Oliveira said.

“When we pulled him [Glasford] back Anthony Bartley, Kwame Curling and myself went out and then I surged away from them and finished the race by myself.”

Slick roads from early-morning showers kept the riders on their toes.

“The roads were wet and there were lots of leaves, which is another hazard,” Oliveira said. “You had to be very careful.”

Oliveira crossed the line more than a minute ahead of nearest rival and team-mate Bartley, who was the only other rider on the lead lap. Mark Hatherley crossed in third as Winner’s Edge swept the podium in the Adult A race.

In a much closer battle, Sarah Bonnett, of Madison Digicel, outkicked Winner’s Edge pair Karen Smith and Julia Hawley in a sprint to the line to win the Women’s Criterium in 36:07.05.

Bonnett attacked twice on the final lap before eventually breaking away for good.

“To win is always very nice but to win against Karen and Julia makes it even more special because I respect them as racers,” Bonnett said.

“Riding with those two is hard. Karen has got the most amazing engine and Julia is really sprightly on the bike. They kept me thinking, so it was a mental race as well as a physical race.”

Not even a sick stomach slowed Bonnett down.

“I felt sick from the second lap because I didn’t eat my breakfast early enough,” she said. “It was a hard race right from the get-go and I just kept going.”

Hawley finished second and Smith third.

Rajul Matthie-Shakir, of Madison Digicel, won a fiercely contested adult B race in 41:35 and was followed across the line by Adam Kirk, of Winner’s Edge, and McQuinn Burch, of Bicycle Works.

Garth Fleming, of Tokio, won the adult C race in 26:09 secs with team-mate Ian Henderson taking second and Tim Miller, of Winner’s Edge, third.

Louise Wells, of Misfits, won the novice women’s race in 20:46.7 with team-mates Sharon Craig and Nancy Stevens completing the podium.

Caleb Ingham, of Tokio, and Manning Smith, of BCA, won junior A and junior B honours while Megan Hands, of Winner’s Edge, was the top female in the junior division.

“We had some great racing and I think we were very lucky with the weather,” Neil de ste Croix, the race director, said.

“I’m very encouraged by the turnout in the women’s division. It’s a growing division so we’re very, very happy. The adult B race was probably the highlight of the day. It was the biggest field and most competitive race of all.”