Former time trial world record holder Karen Brems powered her way to victory in the opening race of the final leg of the inaugural Women?s Prestige Cycling Series (WPCS) on Front Street last night as the annual CD&P Bermuda Grand Prix got off to a fast and furious start.

Competing in her first race of the four-event women?s series, Brems, who set the time trial world record exactly 20 years ago, prevailed by combining patience and sheer aggression over her rivals in ideal weather conditions.

?We (team Webcor/Cheerios) wanted to be aggressive because there?s some really good sprinters here and we were trying to attack,? said the American rider shortly after breaking free of a lead group of ten riders near the finish line at the Flag Pole.

?I didn?t have that much strength and so I was just following wheels and waiting for the finish.

?I just sat on this Genesis lead-out rider and I knew it was downhill tailwind (on Front Street) and so I went early in the sprint and caught some people by surprise I think.?

The computer software engineer also had to overcome another obstacle en route to victory lane.

?I?m not used to racing in the dark,? she said. ?So the shadows were a little strange. But it was a fun race and a really hard one. The short ones are always hard because you?re going fast the whole time and all the primes (one lap races for cash) made it really fast.?

Overall, the night belonged to American riders who set Front Street ablaze with a clean sweep of the top three spots with Christine De Kraay (35.06) and Kori Seehafer, who was given the same time, finishing second and third respectively.

Bermuda?s sole entry, Lynn Patchett, finished 54th in the classy field of 56 riders.

Still, the top local athlete remained upbeat having now ?tested the waters?.

?I went in there not knowing what to expect because I have never raced against professional girls before,? said Patchett, among a pack of riders pulled off the course some four laps from the end under rules which state those who are lapped have to withdraw.

?I was hoping to maybe hang in there with the lead pack but the chase was pretty tough and in the end I just tried to do my best with the second group and I felt comfortable riding along with them.?

Having been baptised by fire, Patchett looks forward to ?having an enjoyable weekend of racing? with three more stages remaining, the first in St. George?s this evening.

?Overall I?m pleased to have raced the way I did tonight,? she added. ?And having now tested the waters I?m looking forward to the rest of the weekend.?

Also basking in the night?s limelight was American Laura Van Gilder who captured a hat-trick of primes to pocket $2,200 in cash which will be shared among her Genesis/CD&P team-mates.

?I?m sure my team-mates will find a good way to use the money,? smiled Gilder following an impressive display of power.

?I think it made it very exciting for the riders because we never get to race for this amount of money and we still have three days left and I think it?s going to be a good event.?

Meanwhile, in the individual WPCS Sprint competition, current leader Gina Grain (35.06) opened up an unassailable lead in the division over nearest rival and current WPCS individual points leader Lyne Bessette ? presently in Italy representing Canada at the World Championships.

Bessette, like Grain, holds an unassailable lead in the overall points standings.