MOUNTAIN bike ace Ian Wilkinson survived an early crash to fight his way back to a magnificent finish in the Pro Elite World Cup.

Burnley's Wilkinson got caught up in a 20-man pile up in the start area of the Newham Park course in Plymouth but battled his way through the backmarkers on the five gruelling six mile laps.

He eventually came home in 84th place overall in the UK round of the Mountain Bike series which featured 200 of the world's top competitors in front of a crowd of over 20,000.

It is only Wilkinson's first year as a senior rider after collecting a host of titles as a junior.

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