Elite Rob conquers the mud

ROB SMART maintained his good form in the mud at La Vassalerie to claim an impressive elite victory.

Soggy conditions met nearly 40 riders for the second event in the Ian Brown and Arrowsmith Marlowe Mountain Bike Series.

The course had been heavily rained on over the previous few days and conditions were far from ideal, with several steep climbs proving hard to negotiate in the slippery conditions. The first categories of the day to complete the course were the sports, under-16s and under-14s.