CLAIRE Smith of Swindon Road Club took a very impressive second place in the UK National Cyclocross Championships held in Derbyshire.

Smith achieved her second place in the women’s veterans’ category where she shared the podium with Isla Rowntree in first place and Lynn Bland who finished third.

The 2011 National Cyclo-Cross Championships saw the best riders in the country battle it out at Derby’s Moorways Leisure Centre, the course was a twisting and technical route across the grass and through woods, which soon turned very slippery and muddy.

After a fast start the younger women strung the competitors out and it became a battle between smaller groups. Isla Rowntree pulled away and despite Smith’s consistent riding she was unable to catch her.