MALVERN’S Evie Richards secured vital national cyclo-cross qualification points after winning the women’s category in West Yorkshire.

The T-MO Racing teenager swapped her mountain bike and travelled to northern pastures.

She battled through a tough field to eventually pull away from the rest and take top spot in the fifth round of the Yorkshire Points race in Huddersfield.

Conditions for the race were unusual for the time of year with warm temperatures meaning the mud, which formed after a week of rain, had baked solid and caused no problems for the bikes at all.

In the early stages of the contest Richards was chasing the experienced rider Maddi Smith, of Bolsover and District, as the pair battled for the lead.

Richards, 18, maintained a relentless pace during the seven-lap race and her abundance of energy eventually saw off Smith’s challenge.

Smith took the second spot and Alice Barnes took third.

Richards, a Great Britain mountain bike international, also won in the Lazer North West Cyclo Cross race in Otterspool, Liverpool, the previous day.

She has followed in the footsteps of Malvern cycling stars Tracy Moseley and Liam Killeen.