WOOBURN Green’s Tony Gibb cashed in with a thrilling cycling victory in the heart of London’s financial district on Tuesday evening.

The 33-year-old former world and Commonwealth Games medalist won a dramatic sprint finish to claim round one of the prestigious Halfords Tour Series.

Racing in the shadows of Canary Wharf, Gibb remained patient when a breakaway group stretched away midway through the 70-minute event.

They were eventually reeled in by the pack, setting up a charge for the line in the closing stages.

Gibb said: “There were two riders who had gone clear with two laps to go and they made the perfect target for me to sprint for when we came round the final corner and they were 50 yards away.

“As we caught the two breakaways, Dean Downing of Rapha Condor Sharp opened up his sprint on the right and we got very close but I dropped the hammer again and made it across the line first.”

The success continues a stunning few weeks for Gibb. He won his first Hillingdon Grand Prix last week and after this triumph has his sights firmly fixed on a Halfords Tour triumph.

He said: “I’ve looked at all the courses on the Tour and there are a few that suit me.

“I’m in good form and I’m a lot more relaxed this year.

“Last year I had to do a lot of team management stuff but my manager Rod Freeman is doing that this year and I have been able to concentrate on my training and it has paid dividends.”

Gibb also did well in the intermediate sprints competition, winning one race and finishing second in another.

He said: “I went with the first sprint because I wanted to gauge where to open up my sprint from in the final lap and it panned out perfectly. I didn’t go flat out in the second one because I didn’t want to show my hand to the other teams.”