SOUTHEND hand cyclist Jonathan Waters says he doesn’t want his experience at Prudential RideLondon 2016 to be a one off, after winning in his first ever race at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Now in its fourth year, Prudential RideLondon is a three-day festival of cycling that sees thousands of riders take to the streets of the capital, as well as some of the biggest names in the sport, including 2016 Tour de France winner Chris Froome.

For the first time in RideLondon history there were races taking place on a third day, with Waters among many taking to the Lee Valley VeloPark at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on Friday.

Waters was selected to ride in London in the Grand Prix Hand cycling Non Elite race, the first race of the weekend, finishing first following a dominant performance.

And the 49-year-old HCAUK rider was left delighted with his efforts, and hopes the RideLondon experience can be a stepping stone for future success in the sport.

“It was my first race and so I was delighted to win,” he said.

“The competition was very good and better than I thought it would be so I am very happy to have come through it this well and won.

“It is very important for amateur hand cyclists to have the opportunity to race in an event like this and it is great because we can try and show it off.

“The atmosphere out there was electric. I know a lot of the guys and so it is nice to race against them.”

As well as hundreds of pro cyclists, RideLondon also attracts thousands of amateurs who take to the roads in the annual London-Surrey 100 and FreeCycle events, while the London-Surrey 46 was introduced for the first time this year.

And Waters said having the confidence of his team around him enabled him to enjoy the experience of letting his racing instinct flourish against a high quality field.

“We stop and have a chat and catch up at events like this and we all support each other and get on very well,” he said.

“The whole event gives us a lot of exposure and we are very grateful for that.

“The track was great, there are very few tracks like that one around. It was challenging and tough, but we all battled hard and can all be very proud of ourselves.”

*Prudential RideLondon is the world’s largest festival of cycling. Prudential is proud to support people’s ambitions.

Visit www.pru.co.uk/ambitions for more information.