The Malta Mountain Bike Association’s Trustmoore Cross Country National Point Series (NPS XC) made a welcome return after a short summer break when riders got together in Selmun for another hotly-contested race.
The fifth and final race in the NPS XC race calendar saw the Elite riders contest a six-lap course, whilst the Open, Ladies, Junior and E-Bikes Category had a total of four laps each.
In the Elite category, Mark Bonnici and Jason Vella were on the front line from the start, but rider Maurice Formosa (The Cyclist), who spent most of the summer break recovering from a shoulder injury, did not show any signs of slowing down and edged his way to a comfortable advantage on the first downhill.
Etienne Bonello (Team Greens) followed on his heels to keep the gap as narrow possible.
As the race progressed, Formosa’s confidence saw him gain nearly five minutes over Bonello who took second place. In third place, less than a minute behind Bonello was Jason Vella (Agones SFC).
The win sealed the title for Formosa, who bar the first race, where he had to retire due to mechanical issues, has had an unbeaten run.
In the Open category, Ramon Grech shot off to a very fast start.
An unfortunate puncture on the second lap saw him lose precious time with Dennis Dolci making the most of the situation.
Dolci kept up his pace taking the better of the pack and overtaking Mario Attard with a 30-second advantage to take top spot and secure the title. Despite this set back, Grech still produced a strong performance to claim third place.
Fiona Darmanin Tedesco was the sole female competitor while in the Junior’s class Stefan Scerri (Gozo CC), gradually upped the ante to win with a five-minute advantage over second-placed Nikol Micallef. The overall title in this division was won by Clyve Chetcuti.
In the E-Bike category, Robert Magro continued his winning streak in the series to claim first place and in the process being crowned champion.
Following the presentation of medals to the podium winners, MMBA committee members and other volunteers participated in an organized clean-up near the start/finish area.
“Apart from the satisfaction gained from seeing such competitive racing, the association aims to foster an appreciation for nature whilst providing healthy exercise,” MMBA president Pierre Zammit Endrich said.
“The association has a strict policy to respect all trails and environment used for races organised around the Maltese islands. In view of this we have taken this a step further with an initiative by our committee member Fiona Darmanin Tedesco who organized a clean-up near the start/finish area for rubbish left by third party individuals over the summer months, with the help of other members whilst another team was clearing the track.
All waste collected was separated carefully into recyclables, glass, and non-recyclable waste.” The Trustmoore Cross Country National Points Series is supported by AF Sign Studio, Go&Fun, Magri Cycles, Maypole, H20nly and Jimmy Vella Fruit and Vegetables.
The final race for 2019, will be the National Championships which will take place on Sunday, November 3 at 8am in Majjistral Nature & History Park.
For more information please visit http://www.maltamountainbike.org.mt/ or the association’s Facebook page.