Myriam Nicole claimed victory in the downhill in Andorra ©Getty Images

France’s Myriam Nicole earned a victory in the women’s downhill contest at the International Cycling Union Mountain Bike World Cup in Vallnord.

Nicole produced a strong performance on a testing course in Andorra, finishing her effort in a time of 4min 50.986sec.

She finished 3sec clear of Britain’s Tahnee Seagrave, who settled for second place in 4:53.983.

The podium was completed by France’s Marine Cabirou, after she crossed the line in 4:59.027.

Britain’s Rachel Atherton, who missed the most recent World Cup in Leogang after failing to recover from a shoulder injury which ended a two-year unbeaten streak, failed to make the podium after coming narrowly behind Cabirou.

Troy Brosnan won the men's competition in Vallnord ©Getty Images
Troy Brosnan won the men's competition in Vallnord ©Getty Images

Australia's Troy Brosnan emerged as the winner of the men’s competition, completing the course in a time of 4:06.236.

It was enough to narrowly beat South Africa’s Greg Minnaar, who produced an impressive time of 4:06.456.

Britain’s Danny Hart and France’s Loic Bruni finished third and fourth repesectively, as they clocked 4:08.642 and 4:08.675.

The men's and women's cross country races are set to take place tomorrow in Vallnord.