Given the choice of going by cycle or on foot for a five-mile race, most people would bag the bike every time.

But add a few hazards like fences and trees - and an awful lot of mud - and it's a different story.

Every Boxing Day man does battle against machine in the annual cyclists versus runners cross-country race in Colchester.

And this year the runners had the edge over the Friday Woods course.

Top Colchester athlete Robert Malseed was first across the line while the runners team retained the Markham Cup for the fourth successive time.

Heavy going - runners to the left, riders to the right.

Picture: STEVE ARGENT

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.