Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/847822
21 Sport MOUNTAIN BIKE RACING maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 12 JULY 2017 Formosa leads the pack to victory in Selmun THE scorching heatwave that hit the Maltese islands over the weekend did not deter twenty-six cyclists compet- ing in the BDO Malta Na- tional Points Series which took place in Selmun. Due to the searing heatwave condi- tions, organisers decided to cut one lap off the route for all categories. The Elite Category got off to the usual fast start with Mark Bonnici and Maurice Formosa leading the pack. Both cyclists put their ex- pertise in technical courses into good use enabling them to create a gap in the tricky downhill section. However, it was Formosa who took the lead when he set up a strong pace on the uphill section to create a comfortable gap for himself, permitting him to win his first race of the series in a time of 53 minutes 46 seconds. In the meantime, Etienne Bonello quietly gained ground on this section to jump into second place over- taking Bonnici and Patrick Scicluna. A puncture in the start of the second lap put a temporary stop to Bonello's efforts. Despite this delay, Bonello put in an impressive ride in an attempt to catch up with Bonnici and Scicluna who had ridden in tandem for most of the race. Bonel- lo missed out on a podium placing by fourteen seconds. Scicluna and Bonnici claim- ing second and third place respectively clocking times of 57 minutes 36 seconds and 58 minutes 21 seconds re- spectively In the Open Category, things were hotting up be- tween Mark Zammit, Ry- an Darmanin and Wayne Schembri. These three cy- clists have dominated the podiums for most of the Se- ries, with Zammit claiming three top billings. The re- solve shown by these riders resulted in their recorded lap times being more often than not close to some of the Elite riders' timings. In the Masters' Category, it was a three-horse race be- tween Enrico Bradamante, Domenic Cutajar and Ales- sandro Frullani. Bradaman- te, who won all the races he competed in throughout the Series, kept the lead through- out. The Junior's Category was a solo ride for Benjamin Mangion, whilst in the La- dies Category Marie Claire Aquilina continued her nearly unbeaten record with a comfortable win over Lara Buttigieg. Overall Classification After the fourth race of the series it is Patrick Scicluna, Etienne Bonello and Brandon Sultana who are leading the Overall Classification. With two races still to go, and thirty points separating Sci- cluna and Bonello, claims for the title are still open. Simi- larly, in the Open Category, it seems that podium placings are in for Zammit, Darma- nin and Schembri, though gap between them is still open for changes to the cur- rent standings. Barring any force majeure, Marie Claire Aquilina seems to be well on track for overall title in the Ladies Category. Enrico Br- adamante seems to be well poised to win the Masters' Category however he needs to compete and do well in the remaining two races. The Junior Category, which is the least competed category, sees a tie between Nicholas At- tard Montalto and Benjamin Mangion, who have both won a race each. "The Association was pleased to see that participa- tion numbers were consist- ent to other races despite the heatwave that hit Malta on race weekend. We are still a bit disappointed with fe- male and junior participation however overall we are very satisfied with numbers and performance – the cyclists give a good show especially to the spectators that faith- fully come to watch our rac- es" commented Pierre Zam- mit Endrich, President, Malta Mountain Bike Association. The BDO Malta National Points Series will take a short break for the summer and will return with two races on Sunday 3rd and 10th Septem- ber, followed by the National Cross Country Champion- ships to be held on Sunday 1st October. The 2017 Cross Country Series is being spon- sored by BDO Malta and sup- ported by Magri Cycles, Carm & Co Ltd (SIS products) and Island Beverages (H20nly). For the Association's lat- est news and calendar of events, please visit - http:// w w w. m a l t a m o u n t a i n b i k e . org.mt and Facebook and In- stagram pages. Alternatively contact the Association on info@maltamountainbike.org.mt Elite (5 laps) 1st Maurice Formosa 53:46 2nd Patrick Scicluna 57:36 3rd Mark Bonnici 58:21 Open (3 laps) 1st Mark Zammit 34:39 2nd Ryan Darmanin 35:48 3rd Wayne Schembri 36:18 Ladies (3 laps) 1st Marie Claire Aquilina 39.58 Masters 40+ (3 laps) 1st Enrico Bradamante 40:33 Juniors (3 laps) 1st Benjamin Mangion 1:01:06 Maurice Formosa