THE only way is down for two York-area mountain bikers heading for the top, writes Dave Stanford.

Kris Hargreaves and Kris Read are currently rubbing shoulders with the world's elite in the frenetic sport of downhill racing.

The duo, who both hail from North Duffield, have just returned from Alpe D'Huez in France, where they were competing in the second round of Uci Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup.

Coming soon in the series are races in Canada, Austria and Scotland but just two rides in and Hargreaves has already established himself as one of the best of the best.

In Alpe D'Huez, the 20-year-old finished in tenth place overall which marked him out as the fastest Briton.

The top ten finish has secured Hargreaves, who even beat Steve Peat, the world's number one downhiller, in the Alps, a place at the prestigious World Championships in Switzerland in September.

Like its skiing counterpart, downhill mountain biking is a straightforward test of speed.

It also requires nerve and machine control as riders race individually against the clock, pitting themselves against a challenging succession of bumps, jumps and drop-offs

Hargreaves, who is now ranked 18th in the world, and Read, also 20, are sponsored in their racing endeavours by York businessman Allan Hargreaves, father of Kris, who owns men's shoe-shop Cruz, in Grape Lane.

Updated: 11:05 Saturday, June 21, 2003