Kaden Hopkins has reflected on his first victories at the collegiate level as a freshman for Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado.

The 19-year-old won back-to-back races last weekend, the 68-mile Cobb Lake Road Race on Saturday and the 60-minute Oval Criterium the next day. Both races were part of the CSU Cycling Spring Weekend in Fort Collins, Colorado.

He finished the collegiate men’s A road race in a time of 2hr 38min 31sec and the criterium in 58:49.

“I spent the whole winter and much of last year getting to know my team-mates and coaches and really building a bond with them,” Hopkins said.

“The two wins have been an amazing pay off for all the work that my team and I have been putting in. I can’t thank them enough.”

Hopkins, who represented Bermuda at the Vuelta Independencia Nacional in Dominican Republic last month, hailed his team-mates’ contribution in helping him claim top honours.

“In the road race, I ended up in a small group off the back with two of my other team-mates along with a few riders from other schools,” he added.

“After chasing for about 40 of the 68 miles, we managed to get back on to the main group right before the finish and my team-mates were able to set me up perfectly for the sprint finish.

“The second day was a crit, so much shorter but much harder. My team worked together perfectly the whole race, closing down all the moves that went and kept me with the front riders.”

Hopkins, who will return to the island for the Sinclair Packwood Memorial Race, an event he won in 2017, added: “Being at college has been a massive benefit to my cycling. I’m surrounded by riders that are not only stronger than me, but much more experienced and able to teach me.

Hopkins hopes to be in action for Fort Lewis College at the USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships in Augusta, Georgia, on May 10.