Nikki Harris was the top placed British rider at the second round of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup in Valkenburg, Netherlands on Sunday.
The 28-year-old was challenging eventual race winner Eva Lechner for first place with only two laps to go, before crashing hard on a tricky off-camber descent in the final lap.
Harris recovered to claim sixth place, just over a minute behind the Italian Lechner, with fellow British rider Helen Wyman also in the top 10 in eighth. Bethany Crumpton, Hannah Payton and Amita Mellor finished in 17th, 27th and 35th respectively.
In the men’s race, Ian Field was the highest placed British rider, finishing four minutes and 43 seconds behind home rider Lars Van Der Haar, who dominated from start to finish. Ben Sumner finished 57th.
Great Britain Cycling Team’s Nick Barnes took 30th place in the men’s under-23 race, just under seven minutes behind Italian winner Gioele Bertonlini.
Daniel Tulett was the highest placed British rider in the men’s junior race, finishing 19th.
After two rounds of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, Helen Wyman is now 10th in the standings on 43 points, with Eva Lechner leading on 110. Nikki Harris moves to 14th on 30 points.
On to the next :) happy with the legs. Great race @bikereva
— Nikki Harris (@Nikkiharris86) October 18, 2015
In the men’s standings, Belgian rider Wout Van Aert leads on 150 points with Ian Field 21st on 49 points.
Competition now moves to Belgium next month, with round three taking place in Koksijde on 22 November.
