Tough guy Smart still has the legs

ROB SMART is one tough sportsman.

He made an impressively swift recovery from completing the Itex Walk to win round five of the Ian Brown Cycles/Arrowsmith Marlowe cross country series, less than a day after the marathon trudge around the island.

The Talbot Valley course has a history of being wet and was scheduled for the middle of summer to try and avoid this.

Yet, a few hours of rain turned the excellent technical course into a bit of a bog.

It would have taken more than a bit of mud to stop Smart (pictured) - although he did not have it all his own way and was pushed in the early stages of the race by the returning Tom Sherwill, who showed his technical ability which the week before had seen him win the downhill race.

Sherwill eventually faded toward the end, but he was still strong enough to take second place.

The battle for third was a close one with Jamie Burtenshaw, Stuart Le Tissier, James Roe, Jon Osborn and Leon Ogier all jostling for position.

Eventually it was Le Tissier who broke free from the group to establish a lead following Osborn's puncture.