On Tuesday, the hearts of the Cycling Tour were really down. Winds raged all around Malta. The rain only altered from downpours to drizzling. It was very cold. In spite of appeals , one team did not manage to obtain Transit Visa through Italy.

And this after a whole year of preparation. Yet on day one everything was different. A mild sun smiled on the whole of almost windless Malta. The roads were very clean and very dry. Almost all the foreign and Malta teams turned up ready for he first Individual Time Trial at Bahar ic-Caghak following an orderly symbolic start from the Sliema Marina in front of the Hq at Marina Hotel.

One by one the cyclists left the starting podium at one minute intervals, first the twenty two females and afterwards the seventy two males over sixteen years. They rode over two laps to the Kennedy Grove turning point and finished up the hill near the BMX Track .

The first lady was L25 Samantha Van Gerbig of BC Central wit a time of 33:47 , second was Nadine Krpal of Charlotenburg at 34:18 while third was Nicola Hudson also of BC Central timing in at 34:51.

The race was held over a distance of 20 Kms

Last year’s winner of this stage was also the winner to-day; he was M62 Jack Schiavone who clocked an amazing 28:51 of Pamsons CC; he was the only Maltese on the podium. In second place there was M11 Alessandro Parisi of Parisi Ingoglia with 29:02 and third was M05 Martin Smith of Milton Keynes who clocked at 29:12. The prizes were presented to the winners by MCF President John Zammit and he was assited in this by Miss Lindsey Galea (2005 Miss Malta) and Miss Pamela Farrugia (2005 Miss Tourism).