BETH Crumpton faces a real battle on her hands to keep hold of her British under-23 mountain bike crown this Sunday in Glasgow.

The Redditch rider will be defending her British title for the fourth time but is under no illusions of the task ahead.

She must overcome the threat posed by highly-rated 19-year-old Evie Richards from Malvern if she is to retain her crown.

Richards reinforced her claim for the title last weekend when she beat Crumpton at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup meeting in Switzerland.

That was after Richards finished in sixth spot after slipping back from second place at one point while, in contrast, Crumpton battled her way through the field to finish 15th following a poor start.

Crumpton claimed: “It was really hot and I just overcooked early on. I started pulling some places back but could only get to 15th place by the finish.”

She was also beaten by Scottish rider Isla Short, who came home in 11th, and the pair also clash again in Glasgow.

Crumpton added: “This will be the hardest defence of the lot. I’m hoping to get a couple of hard training sessions before going to Glasgow but I’m not looking any further than a medal.”

She will be working on her start ahead of Glasgow after claiming 15th place in the recent World Championships as well.

She said: “I was really happy with that result. It’s only the second time I’ve competed in the World Championships having come 17th in 2014.

“The race didn’t exactly go to plan as I didn’t seem to have the legs early on but came through the field. I’m just hoping I’ll peak in time for Glasgow!”