Bermuda Bicycle Association (BBA) race organiser Grant Goudge and veteran Neil de St. Croix crossed the line at the same time to share top honours in the opening race of the Conrad's Mountain Bike Series.With defending champion Garth Thomson no longer competing, it was left to a host of challengers to stake their claim in the opening race of the season.Goudge admitted the race's difficult conditions made for tough racing.“The conditions were very testing, there was a strong headwind and the overnight rain made the course very muddy, so overall it was pretty testing,” said Goudge.“The weather can't really be predicted until the day of the race and coming out of places like Dockyard were particularly tough.“Myself and Neil de St. Croix crossed the line jointly for the win and it was a good start to the season, but it wasn't easy.“The road sections were difficult as well, especially the section from Dockyard to Somerset Police Station.“We may do this race again, but for the most part it was an end to end event, it's the first race of the season and it gave people something a little different.“We had 26 entries and a few people who came without correct equipment, but it was a good turnout.”Peter Dunne rounded out the top three, while novice racer Hans Hirschi put in a stand out performance to pip Charles Dunstan for 6th place in the final yards of the race.The first female finisher was Sarah Bonnett of Team Madison, finishing 15th overall, as she continued her riding success after taking last year's National Criterium Road Championship.The junior winner was Tre-shun Correia, finishing 13th overall, followed by Daelen Richardson and Deshi Smith in 19th and 20th, respectively.