Maltese mountain bikers have been providing some excellent results away from our shores. The latest successes were registered in the 10th Etna Extreme Marathon when Marie Claire Aquilina (Team Greens) won the female category, whilst Patrick Scicluna placed second in his category in the Granfondo course.
The Etna Extreme Marathon takes place in Nicolosi, a small town which hosts the start and the finish of this race. Maltese cyclists took part in the Granfondo (42km) and Marathon (60km) categories. The Granfondo sees an elevation of 1600mt whilst the marathon takes cyclists up a 2000mt elevation. The route is dotted by brief and tough ascents and lava rock ridges which give a smooth ride amidst the tough terrain.
Marathon Category
Ninety-one cyclists competed in the grueling 60km marathon race. Impressive showing by Marie Claire Aquilina who dominated the race and built a good gap between her closest rivals Valeria Trupia and Laura Melilli. Current Mountain Bike Champion Maurice Formosa (The Cyclist) also gave a strong showing and placed second in the Master 2 Category. Gozitan Brandon Sultana (Gozo Cycling Club) keeps giving stronger performances and whilst he did not manage to take a podium place, his fifth place in the most competitive category is worth a mention.
Granfondo Category
Veteran cyclist Patrick Scicluna, racing for FRM Racing Team Sicilia competed in a field of 202 riders. His performance saw him place second in the Masters 4 Category. Scicluna was pipped for first place by a mere second. Scicluna placed 13th overall.
In total fifteen Maltese cyclists took part - Marie Claire Aquilina, Etienne Bonello, Mark Bonnici, Jeffrey Borg, Domenic Cutajar, Maurice Formosa, Stephen Grima, Justin Gauci, Mark Micallef, Wayne Schembri, Patrick Scicluna, Brandon Sultana, Josef Vella, Mark Zammit and Paul Zarb.
The Mountain Bike community's next commitment will take place on Sunday 9th June in Majjistral as part of the Trustmoore Cross Country National Point Series. For more information please visit http://www.maltamountainbike.org.mt/