NIKKI Harris is in fine form heading for this weekend's National Road Race Championship in Wales.

The 22-year-old from Draycott, enjoying a strong season on the road from her base in Belgium, has just finished an outstanding fifth overall in the two-day Zaboster Zeeuwsche Eilanden race in Holland.

The personal highlight for Harris, who has recently been snapped up for the rest of the road season by the strong Dutch Flexpoint team, was a superb second place on the third and final stage of the event, raced over 134.7km.

She finished the stage in the same time as rivals Andrea Bosman, Chantal Beltman and Vera Koedooder, with only Bosman pipping her to the line after almost three and a half hours of racing.

And that was a terrific bonus after she had spent much of the stage working hard to protect Flexpoint team-mate Loes Gunnewijk's second place overall on the general classification.

Gunnwijk eventually had to settle for fourth overall, only three seconds ahead of Harris, who was timed 6.27.10 for the three stages.

The first was a 7.1km time trial, in which Harris was 10th fastest of the 170 starters.

She was then 21st in the first long stage, of 113.9km, although finished in the same time as 59 other riders in a mass sprint.

"On the second stage, we went hard straight from the start to split the race, which we did," said Harris.

"It was a hard race and we were constantly at the front. In the last 30km, I tried attacking a lot to get away but nothing stuck.

"It came to a sprint and Loes came away with fourth but not many seconds off first, so there was still a chance for the win."

The final stage, she said, was another that began very fast, with the Flexpoint team aiming to control the race by getting to the front and pushing hard during the windy sections.

"We led Loes out for sprints for time bonuses but, unfortunately, she ended up slipping to fourth overall," said Harris.

"I went with an attack with 15km to go. There were five of us and we stayed away and I came away with second place."

Harris had gone into the Dutch race on the back of a fifth place overall in a four-stage event in Spain, which was only her second event in the Flexpoint colours.

Harris – who still regards cyclo-cross as her strongest discipline – will not be expected to win Saturday's British Championship race at Abergavenny, especially with Olympic gold medallist Nicole Cooke in the field but, in theory, she is better-equipped to challenge for a podium place than ever before.

The men's championship race, on Sunday, features one of the strongest line-ups for many years, reflecting Britain's current cycling strength.

Mark Cavendish, winner of four stages of the Tour de France last year, heads a line-up which also includes Olympic track hero and Tour de France rider Bradley Wiggins.

Local riders David Clarke, from Church Gresley, Dan Fleeman, from Yoxall, Jon Mozley, from Borrowash, and Tom Last, of Great Longstone, are on the start list in a field of 191.