MICHAEL Hoskings broke through for his first elite cycling event win yesterday in an exciting finish to the Tour de Tweed.

Hoskings, 25, took up the sport only three years ago, making the switch from running after injury ruled him out of that sport.

The Tineli racing team rider revealed the win was a much-needed shot of confidence as he tries to make his name in the world of cycling.

“I'm absolutely ecstatic. I have never won anything before,” he said.

“I came from a running background but got injured, then took up cycling because I wanted to keep on doing some kind of sport.”

Hoskings, a Gold Coaster, wasn't sure if that first win would ever come.

“I had hoped I would get there eventually, and I had almost started to give up hope that I would get to the top, but this is just my day.”

The final Elite A division standings in the three-day event came down to a criterion race on the streets of Salt Village yesterday.

Hoskings had a 12-second lead over his nearest competitor, but, not a renowned criterion rider, he wasn't assured of taking the championship.

He knew if he stayed on the tail of his nearest competitor the win would come, and an 18th place was enough to hand him the overall win by eight seconds.

“I got a bit of a break, then just hung in there for dear life today,” he said.

“I am not a crit rider, I am a mountain rider. I did my work the other days.”

Hoskings was able to make up one minute on his rivals on Sunday's epic road race after finishing 13th in the time trial and 10th in the rapid road race.

“I got away in a break with another Gold Coast boy yesterday and we pretty much time-trialled the last 20 kilometres,” he said yesterday.

Tour de Tweed second-place-getter Peter Thompson won the criterion, but not in a fast enough time to catch Hoskings.

Nicholas Schultz was third overall.

Hoskings now turns his attention to helping the Tineli team win the Queensland teams series, with the next race in two weeks.

In the women's Elite A division, Corissa Smith won by 34.7 seconds from Naomi Hansen, while third-placed Vanessa McDonald was 14 minutes and 56 seconds behind.

The Masters A category was won by Timothy Dalgliesh, who beat Peter Roper by 13.6 seconds and third-placed Matthew Ryan by 1:02.1.