From Wade's grammar:
It is difficult to formulate hard and fast rules for the agreement of a verb predicate with a subject which contains a numeral. In some instances the predicate appears in the singular, in others it appears in the plural.

Factors which affect choice include word order, with a preference for the singular when the verb precedes the noun:
Его опередило несколько лыжников.

And for the plural when the verb follows the noun:
Несколько лыжников опередили его.