last Saturday night, it was to be expected.

That's because he spent much of the evening trudging up and down the stairs at the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club, barely visible behind one stack after another of silverware and cedar.

The occasion was the 25th anniversary dinner of Bermuda Bicycle Association, a celebration of the association's growth during the last quarter of a century combined with an awards ceremony to honour the best riders of 1999.

Well, at least that's what the programme told us.

And no, Paul wasn't hired as the association's delivery man.

He just happens to be the dutiful -- and enormously proud -- husband of an athlete whose domination of last Saturday's proceedings was so overwhelming, one began to wonder whether anyone else actually rode against her in the last year.

It might as well have been billed as the `Melanie Claude appreciation night'.

As most readers will recall, Melanie returned from the World B Cycling Championships in Uruguay a few weeks ago with a bronze medal -- the first medal of any colour to be won by a Bermudian at this event.

But that in itself tells us little about this extraordinary working mother-of-three who decided less than 18 months ago she wanted to become the best cyclist she possibly could -- at an age (38) when most mothers are settling for a far more sedate life.

Already an above average runner, swimmer and triathlete, Claude opted to concentrate solely on two wheels.

And the results, as anyone who attended Saturday's dinner will testify, have been simply astonishing.

In Bermuda, she placed first in the national time trial championships, first in the time trial series, first in the national road race championships and first in the road race series. An amazing clean sweep.

And before anyone suggests her female rivalry was virtually non-existent, it's worth pointing out she wasn't competing against females.

At the beginning of the year Melanie opted out of the female category and decided to race against the men in what is known as Category Three.

As Greg Hopkins told guests on Saturday night: "It was something that most people, apart from those who knew her better, thought was, let's say a little beyond her capabilities.'' How wrong they would be.

On top of her national titles, she lifted overall victory among the women in the CD&P Grand Prix, Bermuda's own world class cycling event which attracts some very good female riders.

In this same exceptional year, Claude ventured overseas, marking her debut at the 16th Coup de Ameriques in Quebec, Canada, by taking first place overall and first in three out of four stages; placing 14th overall among the best of Canadian and US riders at the Canadian Female International Grand Prix, and 14th again at the prestigious Killington Stage Race in Vermont.

Her year culminated with the bronze medal in Uruguay where she also finished with the same time as the winner in the road race, denied another medal by a few bike lengths.

Hardly surprising then, that on top of all the awards she received for these accomplishments, Claude achieved a rare double -- named by the BBA as both their Most Improved Rider and their Rider of the Year for 1999.

It was just a few days ago that Bermuda Olympic Association president Austin Woods suggested that in future Games the Island may find itself selecting and relying more heavily on the efforts of female athletes for any success that might be achieved on the international stage.

Sailor Paula Lewin (bronze at the Pan-Am Games in Argentina) and equestrienne MJ Tumbridge (gold at this year's Pan-Ams in Winnipeg) have already set the standard.

Youngsters in search of another role model need look no further than Melanie Claude.

-- ADRIAN ROBSON