It is Sunday, early morning.  Some people are gladly cosy in bed with their alarm clocks switched off.  Others are still coming in from a night out clubbing while older ones are switching on their kettles for their first cup of coffee. In the quiet hours of the morning, a group of cyclists are preparing their bikes to hit the road for a long ride and they're looking forward to it. It's not just to challenge their physical abilities but also to meet up with their friends from different walks of life but with a common passion: cycling.

I met Mark Galea, founder and member of the Weasels Pack to ask him what makes the group tick. "It all started in 2009," he tells us. "We are not an official cycling team. We consider ourselves an informal group with no formal structure. We are just a gathering of friends."

 Mark has always been involved in sport.  "I have been working in the military since 1992 and this instilled in me a love for outdoor activity and physically demanding adventures," he says. "I was also part of the National Judo team till 2002." His involvement in cycling started with a minor misfortune.

While practising Judo, he suffered a groin injury and the doctor's orders were that the only exercise he could do was cycling. "That is how I ended up on the bike," Mark explains. He participated in his first LifeCycle challenge in 2002. "During the Pozzallo-Assisi Lifecycle Challenge, together with 25 other cyclists, we cycled the distance in ten days. After this I became hooked on cycling and did four further Lifecycle Challenges. Still I did not really belong to any cycling group." 

Mark's love for cycling led him to meet other cycling enthusiasts and together they started organising rides. And so, in 2009, the Weasels Pack was born, bringing together people from all walks of life.

In the beginning the Weasels Pack included only three members: Mark Galea, Steve Chetcuti who is now a well-known triathlete and Mark's brother.  More people joined and, five years later, there are about forty members, 25 of whom meet regularly.

"Our group includes a vet, a paediatrician, business people, fire fighters, former national and former international football players, IT people and teachers. It is worth mentioning that two members of the group are past 'Gieh ir-Repubblika' awardees: Victor Calvagna and Carmel Busuttil. John Buttigieg and Silvio, two former players are also part of our group," Mark says.

The Weasels Pack was a huge success and the secret of this is the mutual respect between members.  "Irrespective of the individual's level of fitness, the strong sense of mutual support among the pack prevents anyone from feeling left out. It is also emphasised that the pack is a fun group and does not compete. It is mostly focused on exploring the remote areas of Malta and Gozo from the saddle of a bike," Mark explains.

Cycling can be intensive and all members of the Weasels Pack train on their own during the week. "We meet as a pack only on Sundays and Public Holidays. For some members, the Sunday ride is the only exercise they do during the week since they have very demanding jobs in the construction industry."»

Mark explains that he trains six or seven times a week. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, he goes for a run while on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays he swims and on Sunday it's cycling day. "We are all enthusiastic about sport and we gladly join each other in training sessions. In summer last year, four members of the pack took up swimming and every Saturday morning we meet for an open sea swim," says Mark.

Apart from the Sunday ride, the Pack also plans special expeditions such as a ride around Gozo or even abroad. The group is really close and they discuss new routes together.  But, unfortunately, the group tends to find problems especially caused by irresponsible driving of some drivers.

"In 2009, one of our members was seriously injured in a traffic accident. Since then, we have avoided main roads whenever possible. The positive thing about this bad experience is that it pushed us to explore more of the remote offroad areas of Malta and Gozo," says Mark.

The memory of the accident is still vivid, but Mark says he tries to recall the special moments too -  and there are more of those than that terrible experience way back in 2009.  "We always manage to spice up our rides either by a good laugh or simply by visiting a historical spot," he smiles. "And of course there is always the group photo. All our rides are well photographed with the highlight picture being the ride group photo."

Mark recalls the time when the Weasels Pack were taken to court by an owner who claimed that the riders were trespassing on his private property:  "Actually this area forms part of a national heritage site and is therefore accessible to all. Eventually the case was decided in our favour and we were all cleared of the trespass charges."

Most parents buy bicycles for their children but we don't see many families cycling together. However, participation in cycling events is on the increase. "There are many cycling competitions in Malta, however I still think that people who take up cycling mostly enjoy the fun and social aspect of the sport. The lack of proper infrastructure for cycling training is preventing it from evolving into a major competitive sport in Malta".

Mark says that Malta is a fantastic place for mountain biking but he says he doesn't really have a favourite route: "It is like listening to music. Which route we take, depends on the mood we are in. Sometimes we are keen to climb hills, on other days we just follow trails along the coast, and sometimes we just go for an urban ride hopping from one village to the other. The only must is the presence of an old village bar or a band club along the route for our tea and toast break."

He's enthusiastic about the camaraderie among the Weasel Pack members: "The relationship among us is very deep. The age of the group ranges from the late teens to the late fifties and yet everyone interacts very well."

Reckless driving can be a great hazard to cyclists but cyclists need to look out for themselves too.  "The rule of thumb with cyclists on the road is visibility," Mark says. "It is important that you are as visible as possible. Secondly, it is important to follow the procedure of cycling in a single line when cycling through main roads which ideally should be avoided. Helmets are a must and lighting is indispensable when cycling early in the morning or at night. You need to observe traffic rules and ensure eye contact with car drivers at intersections."

The Weasels Pack has now started on a totally new project - a trip to Belgium, co-ordinated by a Belgian Weasel Pack member, Jan, who is married to a Maltese.  "We are planning to organise a cycling trip to Belgium to pay our respect to fallen Maltese soldiers who fought in WWI with the British Forces. From what we have found out so far, it appears that these victims' graves were never physically visited by anyone from Malta." He adds that, over the years the Weasels Pack has also become synonymous with charity events and since Dr. Calvagna is part of the group, most events are organised in aid of Puttinu Cares.

  To end the interview the obvious question arises "How can one join the Weasels Pack?"  Mark smiles and says "The Weasels Pack is a 'men only' group." Noticing my reaction, he adds, "It's not that we are against female cyclists but since the group was formed, the 'men only' approach has worked extremely well. If we open up the group, we risk disrupting the amazing group dynamics we have. We will see how this will evolve over time."

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