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MW 14 June 2017

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21 THE fourth and final race of the National Point Series pro- vided some breath taking and nail biting action when the overall title was decided by the slightest of margins, all boiling down to the very last 0.00.19 of a second. Taking place in Gnejna, the race saw Matthew Gauci take first place in the Elite catego- ry as well as the overall Series title. Gauci's performance earned him a coveted place in the forthcoming Meg- avalanche race, hailed as the world's most famous down- hill race in the Alpe d'Huez next month. Ryan Darma- nin, winner of the third race of the Series secured a close second followed by his team- mate Wayne Schembri. Previ- ous podium winners Jonathan Darmanin and Mark Zammit both suffered technical issues during the Race which result- ed in a fourth and sixth plac- ing, respectively. The Open Category saw a new face for the top spot, Luka Grixti. He was followed by An- drew Caruana and Jake Galea. Andrew Caruana's result saw him secure top billing in the overall Open Category leader board. The Masters' Category saw the participation of Ken- neth Galea who's consistent participation in the Series enabled him to claim top post in the overall series. The Downhill Racing com- munity will take a short break from racing during the sum- mer months and will return for the 2017 National Cham- pionships which are planned for October. The National Downhill Na- tional Points Series Races were made possible through the efforts of the Malta Moun- tain Bike Association together with MTB Malta. Both or- ganisations are grateful for the support provided by Pro- Action Malta, HSN SIGNS, Wheel Wizard (Malta), Epic No Limits and Dacoby Chauf- feur Service Malta. Sport MOUNTAIN BIKE maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 14 JUNE 2017 Maltese contingent for 2017 HERO Südtirol Dolomites Mountain Bike Race MARIE Claire Aquilina, Mark Bonnici, Jeffrey Borg, Maurice Formosa, Mark Micallef, Pat- rick Scicluna and Paul Zarb will be flying the Maltese flag in the 8th edition of the HERO Südtirol Dolomites to be held on Saturday, 17 June 2017. The mountain bike mara- thon around the Sella and Sassolungo mountains is once again part of the UCI Mara- thon Series, the World Cup of long distance races. There are many world-famous athletes among the 4017 participants. Amongst the athletes, which represent forty-five nations, the three first-ranked from last year are also scheduled to compete. Dubbed as Europe's hardest mountain bike race, the course runs through Val Gardena, Alta Badia, Arabba, the Fassa valley and the Alpe di Siusi high mountain plateau. The males' race covers 86 km in length and 4,500 m in altitude, whilst the women's race is 60 km long and riders have to overcome an altitude change of 3,200 m. The races start at 7:10 am (women) and 7:20 am (men) in Selva. "This race is considered to be one of the 'must do' races for seasoned mountain bikers. Over the years Maltese partic- ipation has increased, and this will be the largest contingent attempting the 86km route. The Alps provide a great bik- ing challenge, and the Dolo- mites are scene to many mem- orable moments, that we hope will bring out the best in the Maltese contingent" explained Mark Bonnici. The Maltese contingent can be followed via the event web- site - http://herodolomites. com/ Mountain Bike Downhill Championship goes down to the wire Overall Title decided by slightest of margins

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