Watch: NCL Denver highlights

The National Cycling League, or NCL, was back on Sunday with its second stop in Denver, and it was another thrilling race around the MLS stadium on the outskirts of the Mile High City.

The racing, with its team focus and novel rider substitutions, was an exciting race which challenged riders and their teams to continue to develop a tactical understanding of the NCL’s new type of racing. All of this while racing an incredibly intense criterium at 1,600m of altitude.

In the end, the score was not as close as the racing suggests. The Miami Nights beat out the local Denver Disruptors, taking the win with a close battle in the men’s race and a commanding sprint victory in the women’s race - grabbing the all-important final sprint with extra points available for the first rider.

However, with payouts going deeper than the top two placements, the fight for the rest of the top ten positions that combine the men’s and women’s categories was fierce and required no small amount of tactical contemplation.

To watch the NCL Denver in full, you can check out the full on-demand replay on GCN+. If you're short on time, be sure to check out the highlights above. Next week, the NCL is back racing in Atlanta, which will be, once again, live and on-demand of GCN+.