PETE Harris defied the foulest of conditions to make a winning start to the British Cycling mountain bike cross country national series.
Harris, the veteran from Draycott, competing in the over-50 race, also defied a nasty fall which cost him a few chunks of skin on the last lap.
British Cycling took what was deemed a controversial decision by some to let the first round of the series go ahead at the Sherwood Pines venue in Nottinghamshire – although most expected competitors were able to make it to the event.
Racers set off in snow which was quickly giving way to mud, conditions far removed from the hard, fast tracks the mountain bikers can expect to race on later in the summer.
But Harris, like others steeped in the winter sport of cyclo-cross, relishes a messy battle.
The Pearce Cycles rider was chasing race leader Peter Turnbull when he had his fall.
"I was overtaking back markers when I came down heavily and I thought my race was over," said Harris.
"But I quickly got going again and caught him in the last 10 minutes.
"I just tried to keep riding smoothly, then made a gap through some tricky single track and took the win – my third mountain bike win in March."
Harris finished the three laps in one hour, 11 minutes and 45 seconds, 21 seconds faster than Turnbull.
There was one other podium place at the event for a Derbyshire rider, Matlock CC's Ffyona Booker coming third in the Juvenile Girls' race.
