Kaden Hopkins finished his cycling season on a high after enjoying an impressive Tour of Guadeloupe campaign.

Despite undergoing an arduous season, both domestically with Spanish outfit Equipo Essax and internationally with Bermuda, the 22-year-old opted to accept an invitation from professional cyclist Diego Milan to guest ride for Dominican team Inteja, across the gruelling, ten-day 1,200-kilometre event.

That decision ultimately paid dividends with Hopkins putting together a string of superb results including top-three finishes in the opening prologue and intermediate sprint competition, as he clinched 21st place in the overall classification, fourth place in both the mountain competition and under-23 final standings, as well as helping his team to a fourth-place finish out of 15.

“I really think it was a great way to end my season,” said Hopkins, having built on his strong display at the prestigious Road World Championships, as part of the Bermuda team, in Belgium last month.

“I spoke to my coach before coming and we were on the fence about whether I should compete. It had already been a long season, with a lot of racing and lots of hard training but Diego Milan thought it would be good for me, so we decided to push the season a few more weeks for it.

“I never really reached the form that I wanted to be in until world championships and thought maybe this race would be a place where I could show that form, and it was.

“Diego and my coach are really happy with how I performed here. It was a very high-level event with very demanding stages, but I was able to perform well on most of them.”

As well as gaining a host of standout results, the valuable experience also gave Hopkins the opportunity to learn more about himself, as well as reigniting a determination and hunger to be even more competitive next season.

“More than anything, I think it was good to end my season on a high with some good results,” he added. “I am only in my first day of the off-season but I’m already looking forward to next season.

“The season as a whole for me was a huge learning process. I know where I have to be form-wise, and I know I’m capable of being there now, so I have more expectations on myself for next season, and I’m looking forward to building even more on where I am now.”