Richardsons-Trek rider Dean Shannon came out on top of the professional cyclists in the St Ives Nocturne on Saturday.

The Hunts Post: St Ives Nocturne, cycling races, the Elite Race.St Ives Nocturne, cycling races, the Elite Race. (Image: Archant)

The cyclist, ranked 10th nationally, attacked the breakaway group with three laps to go and shook off the final man in the last lap to take a solo win.

The Hunts Post: St Ives Nocturne, cycling races, winners of the Elite Race, 1st Dean Shannon 2 Billy Whenman and 3rd Luke Ryan .St Ives Nocturne, cycling races, winners of the Elite Race, 1st Dean Shannon 2 Billy Whenman and 3rd Luke Ryan . (Image: Archant)

Billy Whenman, of Zannata Cycling, finished second with Shannon’s teammate Luke Ryan taking third.

Former St Ives Cycling Club racer Jamie Caldwell, part of Primal Starley, was forced to pull out at the last minute through illness.

Shannon, who went on to win the National Masters Criterium Championship at Hillingdon less than 24 hours later, said: “Nice to get a win at the Saint Ives Nocturne this evening.

“Well done to the Richardsons-Trek boys who all rode great tonight.”

In the elite womens race, Karla Boddy finished a bike’s length ahead of Annabel Fisher, who had led by a large margin for most of the race but was swept up by the pack with a few laps to go and beaten in a tight sprint to the line.

The tight U-turn around the war memorial in The Broadway was possibly the toughest part of the demanding course, with 14 riders sliding off their bikes at the bend throughout the day’s 14 races.

Tom Caldwell, who organised the event, told The Hunts Post: “I think the course is one of the toughest technical courses around.

“The winner of the elite race went on to win a national title the next day which showed how great the standard of entry into the race was.

“I spoke to one of the masters cyclists and he was averaging 19.2mph around the track compared to Dean Shannon who averaged 22.5mph, which is extremely fast considering the stop/start nature of the event.”

Caldwell, who also organises the Circuit of the Fens elite race in July, said two St Ives cyclists, Holly Hoy and Beatrice Pauley, won their age-group races.

“Holly did really well and was really racing the boys, giving them a race for their money,” he added.