overseas as he rides towards his dream of turning professional.

Hubbard twice finished in the top 20 over the weekend in two stages of the Grand Prix of Patriote held just outside of Toulon in south-east France.

While not exactly mountainous, the terrain was quite hilly, according to the youngster, which definitely worked in his favour, as he is considered an outstanding climber.

Saturday saw the 19-year-old place first on his team, Monaco International, and 11th overall out of a field of 97 riders, averaging 42 kilometres-per-hour for the 130 kilometre race.

Staying in the lead pack for the first 75 kilometres, Hubbard watched a group of three break away from the pack and build a one and a half minute lead.

However, Hubbard, aided by nine others, mounted a counter-attack at the 110 kilometre mark, reeling in the leaders approximately 10 kilometres from the finish line.

An exciting sprint finish ensued, but the Bermudian got boxed-in and was unable to find room to manoeuvre around his competitors.

A similar scenario ensued the following day, with the only difference being that this time the main pack was unable to catch an attacking band of two cyclists and Hubbard had to settle for 10th.

Hubbard was slightly slower than the previous day, averaging 40 kilometres-per-hour over the 120 kilometres distance.

These results follow on the heels of Hubbard's best performance, which had him finishing sixth in the Grand Prix of Mouging last month.

Understandably pleased with his showing, Hubbard said that he was gaining in strength and experience with each race.

"I can definitely say that I'm at a much higher level than I was last year,'' said Hubbard, who is the youngest member of the Monaco team. "To be placing in the top 20 on a steady basis is quite an accomplishment and I'm looking to move up even further.

"I'm on a peak right now and feel good about my fitness level, although I'm sure I'll have a down period...you can't expect to be able to ride so hard for the entire season.'' Hubbard has emerged as the number two rider at Monaco, behind Martin Aoun of Estonia, who rode previously as a professional with the Subaru Montgomery team in the United States. Hubbard has beaten his teammate on a few occasions, including twice over the weekend, although he admitted that Aoun was below 100 percent, having been ill recently.

"I'm learning as I go along and feel that I'm maturing at the right speed,'' he said. "My immediate goal is to try and get a victory under my belt.

"That would be a dream come true and an amazing accomplishment for a 19-year-old.'' So far the mechanical problems, which dogged Hubbard last year, have eluded him and he was keeping his fingers crossed in hopes that this trend would continue.

There is little time to rest though, as today sees Hubbard back competing against over 100 riders in the Grand Prix of Bringoll over a distance of 140 kilometres.

GOOD FORM -- Bermudian cyclist has been showing plenty of promise during racing in France.