Although Malta was undergoing a heatwave, the stifling heat did not deter the mountain bike community together with a strong crowd to take up the challenge and race on the scenic Ħaġar Qim circuit on Sunday morning.
In the 6-lap Elite Category, Maurice Formosa (The Cyclist) once again confirmed his top form as he took the lead from the word go. Yet, riders the likes of Mark Bonnici (Agones SFC), Mark Zammit (Mosta AF Sign Studio CC), Brandon Sultana (Gozo CC) and Etienne Bonello (Team Greens) were not ones to give up a fight and produced some very determined performances. Bonello's run ended after having to contend with two punctures. As the race progressed, it was going to be a hard-fought campaign between Zammit and Sultana to see who would take second and third place. A puncture in the fourth lap forced Zammit to lose precious time, yet an impressive effort saw him regain momentum. Although this was not enough for him to take second place it certainly made up for the disappointment registered in previous races, where technical issues prevented him from finishing the races.
In the 4-lap Sport Category, Andrew Caruana continued on his podium streak by winning the Category. He was followed closely by Dennis Dolci (Agones SFC), who featured regularly in this Category's podium this year. Dolci was followed by Gordon Zahra (BRC Gasan Mamo). The Masters 40+ Category saw Paul Zarb (The Cyclist) take top honours, followed by Mario Attard (Team Greens) and Glen Galea (Mosta AF Sign Studio CC). The Masters 50+ podium was taken up by Enrico Brandamante (Agones SFC).
The Ladies' Race was once again won by Marie Claire Aquilina (Team Greens), followed by Fiona Darmanin Tedesco. In the Juniors Category it was a tight race between Clyve Chetcuti, who has been leading the Series, and Stefan Scerri, with just a second separating the two. In the last lap, Scerri got the better of Chetcuti to win the race with a twenty-three second advantage.
The E-Bikes Category saw Robert Magro lead the four-lap course throughout beating Jonathan Falzon and Christian Mangion to win the race.
The Trustmoore Cross Country National Points Series is sponsored by Trustmoore Corporate Services and supported by Magri Cycles, Maypole, Go & Fun, H20nly, Metropolis Pharma and Jimmy Vella Fruit and Vegetables.
The next race of Trustmoore Cross Country National Points Series is scheduled to take place in September. More details will follow closer to the date.
For the Association's latest news and calendar of events, please visit - http://www.maltamountainbike.org.mt and Facebook and Instagram pages. Alternatively contact the Association on [email protected]