Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/852418
maltatoday SUNDAY, 23 JULY 2017 Sport 50 CYCLING Heroes… not just for one day! Maltese cyclists conquer the HERO Südtirol Dolomites Marie Claire Aquilina DUBBED as Europe's hardest mountain bike race the HERO Südtirol Dolomites is on the bucket list of every seasoned mountan biker. The race attracts many world class athletes and forms part of the UCI Marathon Series. Malta was represented by seven cy- clists – Maurice Formosa, Patrick Sci- cluna, Mark Bonnici, Jeffrey Borg, Mark Micallef, Paul Zarb and Marie Claire Aquilina. This year's contingent was the largest to date. Competing against some of the world 's renowned and professional cyclists, Malta registered some impressive tim- ings, most notably Maurice Formosa who completed the race in under seven hours and obtaining a 173 placing. The Hero Tirol is the toughest race that I have ever competed in. Whilst the dis- tance of 86km is not the longest I've ever raced in, the altitude reached – 4,500m combined with the technical nature of the race requires not only physical fit- ness but a strong mental preparation – Maurice Formosa The second Maltese to cross the finish line was Patrick Scicluna who completed the race in under eight hours. No stran- ger to tough challenges Scicluna put into use years of competition to keep the fo- cus when the going got tougher. An amazing race, which includes some tough passes, reaching over 2300m of altitude, such as the Prelongia, Por- doi which hard terrain of gravel, rocks and tree routes combined with 25% in- cline climb and downhills so technical that do not afford any second of rest or lack of concentration. Although racing at altitudes, the heat was unbearable at times making the race more challeng- ing. Achieving an overall 361 placing amongst thousands of riders was so sat- isf ying – Patrick Scicluna The only Maltese female in the contin- gent, Marie Claire Aquilina undertook the 60km race which was obligatory for female cyclists. Aquilina, Malta's best fe- male cyclist had a good run placing 6th in her category and 31st overall. This was truly a mountain biker's para- dise. Extremely tough route but so memo- rable. One of the best moments was when I managed to overtake some female riders on a particular technical downhill seg- ment and obtaining a third place in my category with 15kms to go to the finish line. Worst moment – stomach cramps shortly before the finish line and having to settle for sixth place in my category. Tough as hell but so satisf ying – Marie Claire Aquilina To understand the challenge that such a race offers riders one has to keep in mind that from a pool of over 4,000 registered cyclists, for ladies' and men's events - 2,450 completed the 87km route, whilst 1,766 completed the 60km race. HERO Südtirol Dolomites Results Maurice Formosa 6:28.02 Patrick Scicluna 7:07.02 Mark Bonnici 7:47.33 Jeffrey Borg 8:02.30 Mark Micallef 8:12.56 Paul Zarb 9:24.09 Marie Claire Aquilina 5:54.45