Had he lost the Jason Bally Memorial 100K last Sunday, Kris Hedges would have been kicking himself.

Clear of the pack and cruising to victory in the event in Tortola, he had too much speed heading into a tight roundabout. Suddenly, the Bermudian cyclist went sliding and, as he picked himself up, fixed his chain and got back in the saddle, his worst fear was fast becoming a reality - another rider was reeling him in.

It was Niapu Serge of St. Marteen and the two tussled it out until the bitter end with Hedges eventually prevailing by a narrow margin.

"I made it more exciting for the public," quipped the winner chuckling, before becoming serious about the incident that almost cost him dearly.

"Yes, it was in the bag and then I had a little mishap and it all changed. I was definitely disappointed with myself for taking it too fast. There's a time to take risks and there's times you really shouldn't be.

"I knew he was coming and I was trying to turn the roundabout quickly. The roundabout was a little smaller than I anticipated and I came in a little fast and slid out. That crash cut my lead in about half. It cost me about 30 seconds."

The race was then in the final stages and Serge, who made up significant ground during Hedges' misfortune, eventually caught the champion on the bell lap.

"It was the two of us. I guess he was afraid of it coming down to a sprint so he attacked me about a kilometre from the finish but I was able to stay on his draught.

"I made him lead off the sprint and I was able to take him but it was definitely close," recalled Hedges of the race in the British Virgin Islands.

Earlier, Hedges had been among the "marked" men in the pack as competitors set out from Tortola's capital Road Town and along a flat, coastal stretch to the West End and back. Crossing the city again, they headed up to the college, a section of terrain that had five short but steep climbs.

Those hilly areas separated the pack with about seven riders, including Hedges, breaking clear.

"The winner was going to be from among the seven of us," noted the 23-year-old who was then able to keep pace with two Antiguans and a Guyanese who were trying to effect a breakaway.

By the time they returned to Road Town from the college, Hedges had gained a precious 30 to 40-second advantage on the lead group and would have enjoyed a much more comfortable triumph but for his fall.

Overall though he was pleased with the result as he builds up towards the Caribbean Championships in St. Vincent.

"Since my season has been winding down here in the USA events like these are keeping me race sharp. The temperatures are beginning to drop up here and racing down in the Caribbean helps acclimatisation."

Hedges' goals at the regional meet will be two-fold this year as he seeks a hat-trick of time-trial titles while also wanting to secure the road race for Bermuda.

"It's definitely a goal to make it a hat-trick. I think my chances are pretty good but we haven't come away with the road race yet so that's a big objective this year for the team - if we can pull a double - whether it's me or Geri (Mewett) or another team member (who wins)," said the Island's top cyclist who is slated to race in two criterium events this weekend in South Carolina.