Stuart, who travelled to the race in Northern Ireland as part of the Scottish contingent, was up against riders from Belgium, France and Holland and said the four day race was tough, because of the number of races.

The Manchester University student, of South Mains Road, is no stranger to the race, having competed once before as a senior and twice as a junior.

He said: "This was the best I have ever performed in this race. Every day was very competitive but I didn't have any problems like crashing."

Because of the sheer volume of riders, 110 in all, he said there had been a number of accidents at the start of some of the stages. The small winding lanes that formed a major part of the overall circuit were not ideal.

Stuart, who is sponsored by Glasgow Wheelers, added: "My main problem was the wind which made cycling very hard and very cold. But over the five races I didn't feel out of my depth. In fact I beat all the Scottish national team."

The P&O sponsored four day race covered more than 200 miles, with two days of 70-mile races interspersed with time trials.