Elliot Hubbard came tantalisingly close to peddling his way into Bermuda sporting history early this morning.

But his brave effort to become the Island's first-ever cycling medallist at a major Games fell agonisingly short -- to be more precise just 30 seconds short.

After a punishing five hour, 184 kilometre trek which proved too much for more than half of the 95 starters, Hubbard had to settle for a place in the pack behind the three medallists.

The race, which finished shortly after 2 a.m. Bermuda time, saw Jay Sweet of Australia snatching gold to deny the host country's Rosli Effandy first place.

A professional with the Navigators team in New Jersey, Hubbard had believed he was a real medal contender entering today's race.

And right up to the final lap of a 12-loop course made difficult by three climbs under suffocatingly hot conditions, he remained in position right until the death to pull off what might have been the biggest upset of these Games.

But with his team-mates Kris Hedges, MacInnis Looby and Steve Sterritt early victims of the hot pace and humid conditions his dream of glory faded against the well-oiled machines of cycling powers Australia, Canada and South Africa, whose teams pulled together through the final stages of the race.

Earlier, teenager Hedges suffered a hugely disappointing crash on the very first lap and was forced to pull out two laps later. Looby lasted until the fifth lap and Sterritt survived until the seventh.

But in a field which included stars from this year's Tour de France and professional teams from all of the big Commonwealth nations it was Hubbard who again demonstrated his awesome potential, again proving, despite recent protestations, he's worth every penny of his elite athletes' grant.