THE recent National Points Series weekend at Eastridge in Shropshire provided the most demanding racing of the MTB season for the country's best riders, with steep climbs and technical descents made all the more demanding by the rain and mud.

Saturday was devoted to short-course cross-country racing, with Gateway's Lynn Lines hoping to continue his good form in the Grand Vets category and Andy Baum taking on the Masters.

Both riders struggled to hit top form, with Lines finishing ninth and Baum failing to complete the race after technical difficulties.

Undeterred, both riders were back again on Sunday for the marathon racing. The longer course could best be described as "brutal", with over 350 metres of climbing on each lap and even more mud than the previous day following a night of torrential rain.

In the 50km (four laps) race, Baum finished fourth overall and Lines matched his team-mate in the Vets category.

The 100km (eight laps) race saw the return of Pete Turnbull to the Series that he won last year.

By the half-way stage, the Gateway rider had accumulated a comfortable lead in the Vets category and was headed by only three of the elite riders, but mechanical problems and a series of crashes resulted in a loss of momentum.

As the course dried out in the latter part of the race, the mud became stickier and the pace slowed appreciably.

After more than six hours racing, Turnbull secured victory in the Vets race by over 17 minutes and was sixth in the overall classification.