Luke Borg leads the way in miżieb
Malta Mountain Bike Association hosts first race of the 2024 Cisk 0.0 Cross Country National Points Series
The inaugural mountain bike race of the season showcased a thrilling display of emerging tal‐ ent as younger riders and newer talent surged to the forefront. Nevertheless, seasoned veterans gave a strong performance, such that this dynamic interplay served as a demonstration of the enduring competitiveness and depth of skill within the sport.
The Association hosted the first, of the five‐part Cisk 0.0 Na‐ tional Point Series in Miżieb, which remains a firm favourite amongst riders due to the versa‐ tility of the terrain. The race also welcomed a number of in‐ ternational riders from Latvia and Cyprus.
Elite
Luke Borg, narrowly edged out for last year's title by Clyve Chetcuti, wasted no time assert‐ ing his dominance from the starting line, swiftly establish‐ ing a commanding lead. Behind him, the initial pack saw a fierce pursuit, with Brandon Sultana, Clyve Chetcuti, and Jason Vella in hot pursuit.
As the race unfolded, the dy‐ namic nature of mountain bik‐ ing came to the fore, with positions shifting throughout. Stefan Scerri, steadily making his ascent through the ranks, engaged in a fierce battle with Chetcuti for a coveted podium spot. Borg maintained a firm grip on the lead until the finish, crossing the 7‐lap course with an impressive one‐minute lead.
Meanwhile, Scerri and Chet‐ cuti engaged in a neck‐and‐neck duel, separated by a mere sec‐ ond until the final lap. In the final lap, Scerri surged ahead, clinching second place a solid 16 seconds ahead of Chetcuti.
Ladies
Diana Muscat took the lead from the start, followed by Lara Buttigieg and Fiona Tedesco. Muscat and Buttigieg maintained their positions until the end to take first and second place re‐ spectively. Whilst Tedesco was seemingly in for third place, Lad‐ vian Adele Balansa overtook her in the final lap and clinching the final place on the Ladies’ Cate‐ gory podium.
Sport
Latvian rider Martins Mezsargs was the undisputed winner, crossing the line first ahead of Josmar Vella and Robert Grech. Whilst Grech was ahead of Vella in the initial stage of the race, Vella overtook him to take sec‐ ond place with an advantage of
40+
In a fiercely contested category, the initial stages witnessed Alex Portelli, Justin Gauci, and Liran Ben‐Ari setting the pace at the front of the pack. However, the dynamics of the race shifted dra‐ matically during the second loop as Joaquin Rojas surged past the early leaders, seizing control and maintaining his position at the forefront until the race's conclu‐ sion. Sharing the podium with Rojas were Alex Portelli and Robert Zammit, in a testament to the competitive spirit and skill within the field.
50+
Stephen Grima took a comfort‐ able lead in the category ahead of Gaetano Catania and Federico Sermarini. The trio kept the plac‐ ings throughout to complete the category’s podium. Mario Zam‐ mit, competed in the 60+.
Junior Categories
The Race attracted a number of junior riders. Amongst the elder ones in the category the Associa‐ tion noted that many of these riders have been competing from a young age and are grow‐ ing up in the sport.
In the Under 19 category, James Vassallo, Kyle Scicluna and Saviour Vella completed the podium. Under 17 sole rider Ryan Gatt gave a good perform‐ ance, whilst the Under 15 cate‐ gory was a well fought one with Neil Cassar, Liam Daly and Jake Refalo taking the honours. Nina Debono, Katie‐Anne Vella Wood and Kim Micallef Cann took the honours in the U‐15 Girls cate‐ gory. The Under 12 Boys Cate‐ gory saw Zac Bugeja take the win followed by Kurt Grech and Nolan Tabone. Mickaya Fava took to the podium in the Girl’s category.
"If the season opener is any in‐ dication, we're in for an exhila‐ rating season ahead," remarked Pierre Zammit Endrich, Associa‐ tion President. "It's truly re‐ warding to witness the fruition of our efforts in cultivating a thriving sport over the years. Seeing the younger riders progress through the categories as they mature within our com‐ munity is particularly hearten‐ ing. It speaks volumes about the vitality and growth of our sport."
The Malta Mountain Bike Asso‐ ciation is supported by the award winning alcohol free Cisk 0.0 Lager, Gatorade and San Michel. The Association also thanked the FKNK for their as‐ sistance in hosting the race in Mizieb. The next race will take place on Saturday 23rd March.