2013 National Mountain Bike Cross-Country Series - Round 3

There was excitement over the weekend as round three of the 2013 British Cycling Mountain Bike Cross-Country Series took place. The competition was expected to be fierce and fans were not left disappointed. There were close-calls and tumbles-a-plenty, as riders careered around corners and down the hilly inclines of this demanding Hopton Woods course.
Notable names in the Elite Men's discipline included Kenta Gallagher, who recently celebrated his first ever world cup win in Nove Mesto, where he saw off opponents to take first prize in the 'Eliminator' race. Another favourite was South African born Rourke Croser, for whom this was a first appearance in the series. Overall leader Grant Ferguson, started the event with an impressive 20-point lead over second place, Hamish Batchelor. Ferguson recently finished 23rd in the under-23 event of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic. So it's of no surprise that he was a firm favourite to take the title from defending champion, Oliver Beckingsale.
As expected, it was Gallagher and Ferguson who dominated in the first lap of the Elite Men's race, by taking an impressive early lead. The former seemed to be in his element, leading the latter out of the woods at the end of lap one, with remarkable aplomb. However, all that was set to change in lap two where the young Scot ran into trouble, as he struggled with a long drag and dusty incline. By contrast, it was here that Ferguson really found his stride, as the steep and hilly terrain proved perfect for his style of riding. And whilst Gallagher managed to rank only sixth, Ferguson was able to keep up his impressive lead to go on to snatch first place, closely flanked by Dan Fleeman and Oli Beckingsale, who took second and third respectively.

In the Elite Women's discipline, Hannah Barnes returned to the field, having proven herself to be a serious contender for the title by snatching second place at series one in Sherwood Pines. She went on to take fifth place from Annie Simpson, with only a second between them. However, it was Maddie Horton who having finished sixth in the previous round, was to really make an impression in what was to be an incredibly tense tussle for third place with Jessie Roberts.

The women's race proved to be full of nail biting moments as Beth Crumpton, gave favourite Mariska Strauss, a serious run for her money by dominating the race right up until the penultimate lap. After lap one Crumpton had notched up an impressive 25 second lead over Strauss. However, this proved to be not quite enough as her rival still managed to bridge the gap with an unstoppable burst of energy in the last lap that saw her secure first place, and her second overall win in the National MTB series.

Round four kicks off in Port Talbot on 6th July, and after such an eventful round three, fans and competitors alike are hoping that the next round will prove to be just as exciting.
Check out the vid below to see some awesome footage of round two!