There was a dramatic finish to the Butterfield Bermuda Grand Prix title after Dominique Mayho suffered a mechanical issue to hand Matthew Oliveira the overall title.

Mayho looked set for a first title in six years as he approached the final corner of the Hamilton Criterium yesterday but was denied when his chain slipped off his bike allowing Oliveira to steam ahead for a third straight win.

Oliveira came fourth in the St George’s Hill Climb on Friday, third in the Southside Road Race on Saturday before yesterday’s win to finish with an overall time of 2hr 42sec 3min — just one second ahead of Mayho.

“I wasn’t expecting the overall win because I knew it would come down to a sprint with Dominique,” Oliveira said. “Unfortunately, he had a mishap with his gearing on the final sprint and I managed to pull away from him. These things happen in racing ... I had to take advantage of it.”

Mayho, 24, remained upbeat despite missing out on the title. He said he had been confident of sealing the overall title after picking up two of the intermediate sprint bonus points in the criterium.

“As soon as we came around the last corner to set up for the sprint, Matt attacked and I went to jump on his wheel and my chain popped off as I was coming up around him,” said Mayho, of Winners Edge.

“It’s all part of racing. I got two of the bonus points and knew even if Matt beat me in the sprint, as long as I was on his wheel, I would win the general classification. It’s been a fun weekend of racing and Matt’s definitely getting stronger. I love racing with him as he has the same mentality as me.”

Mayho, who has been racing as an amateur in Belgium for the past few years, put himself in a strong position after finishing second in the hill climb and first the road race.

However, it was visiting rider Jabari Whiteman, from the PSL Cycling Club of Trinidad and Tobago, who led going into the final stage, having won the hill climb and placed second in the road race.

Mayho and Oliveira made a decision to work together in the criterium an effort to real in Whiteman, who came third overall in 2:43:39.

“We knew we had to attack Jabari before the race,” Mayho said. “We talked about how we would have to go out hard, try and get the gap, and then fight it out between ourselves. I knew we could work together and hurt Jabari.”

Oliveira, 18, said he is feeling the benefits of competing overseas for Hot Tubes, a top junior development cycling team in the United States.

“I’m racing with greater competition and I’ve learnt better skills on the bike,” said the Warwick Academy pupil. “Things like bike handling in corners and also learning how to race smarter.”

In the women’s race, Caitlin Conyers, of Bicycle Works, took the overall honours after winning the hill climb, placing third in the road race before securing the title with another victory in the criterium.

The 28-year-old trailed leader Nicole Mitchell, of Winners Edge, by two seconds going into the final stage, but completed the three-stage event with a comfortable 17-second victory.

Conyers finished with an overall time of 1:41:13, with Mitchell placing second in 1:41:30 and Ashley Estwanik third in 1:41:39.

“I knew I had to get the win in the crit and the time bonus,” Conyers said. “I gave it all I could in the first two laps and then held them off.

“I felt pretty confident as I’m strong in the hills and sprinted up Reid Street the first few laps and got myself a lead.”

Conyers’s unexpected triumph marked a significant improvement on her thirteenth-placed finish last season.

“Last year, I did the grand prix, got completely lapped on the crit, 12 minutes behind in road race. [In] the hill climb I’ve improved 15 seconds from last year. I started training from December and have been on the bike five or six times a week. I’ve been really focused and time on the bike really helps.”

Conyers, who returned to the island two years ago, quit triathlon because a back injury and is now fully focused on cycling.

“When I came back, I was going to get into triathlon, but I have a slipped disc so running is a no good. Cycling doesn’t hurt it at all.”

After beating several of the island’s top riders such as Mitchell and last year’s winner Alyssa Rowse, who placed fourth, Conyers has now set her sights on representing Bermuda.

“It’s weird to even think about being at that level,” she said. “but it’s always a dream for anybody to compete for their country. I’d love to.”

Mitchell said she was encouraged by her second place as she builds towards the Central American and Caribbean Games in Barranquilla, Colombia, in July and August.

“It’s definitely pleasing and it’s a better result than last year [fourth place],” she said. “I’ve identified things I need to work on ahead of the Killington Stage Race [in Vermont next month].

“This is pretty early in the season and I’ll be looking to peak at the end of the July.”

Mitchell was also fulsome in her praise of Conyers. “She has really stepped it up this year.”