MATTHEW Walker is the king of the world.

The West Felton was crowned Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup winner in Portugal last weekend.

Held either side of the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Leogang, the 2020 Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup was a relentless quickfire format of two double-headers, held in Slovakia and Portugal.

In a compacted mountain bike season that has seen breakthrough performances by young riders upsetting the establishment, and fightbacks from the experienced riders, it was drama all the way.

French rider, Loris Vergier won the first two races but a puncture saw South African Greg Minnaar capitalise to win the first race in Portugal.

But consistency meant that the Walker started the final race on the highest points – 517 compared to Vergier’s 503.

The final race was won by Frenchman Loic Bruni but another consistent ride from Walker saw him top the championship with 687 points.

Walker said: "I came into the race and I already surpassed my expectations for the year.

"The run was tricky, the conditions were sketchy so to get the news I’ve won overall is incredible."

Meanwhile Llanfyllin's Tahnee Seagrave ended fifth in the women's championship.