Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/950286
maltatoday WEDNESDAY 7 MARCH 2018 Sport 22 MOUNTAIN BIKE RACING PHOTOGRAPHY BY MTB MALTA Formosa, Bonello Spiteri lead pack in Mgarr during second race of the BDO Malta Cross Country National Point Series MAURICE Formosa (The Cyclist) re- tained top billing in the second out- ing of the BDO Malta Cross Country National Point Series held on the last weekend of February. This time, Mġarr played host to another record number of entries showing that riders are not deterred by the rocky and technical ter- rain that this route offers. The 4.5km Mgarr circuit offers cy- clists a breathtakingly scenic coastal ridge characterised by rough and rocky terrain and a few hair-raising techni- cal drops with the unique Gnejna as a backdrop. Elite Category With a closely fought battle to the fin- ish, the Elite podium was once again made up of Maurice Formosa (The Cy- clist), Etienne Bonello (Team Greens) and Patrick Scicluna (Mosta AF Sign Studio) who led the pack from the very start. Formosa and Bonello started off head to head, though Formosa attacked on the narrow part of the course in Lap 2 to give himself a thirteen second ad- vantage over Bonello. Formosa kept the momentum and his advantage over Bonello, though the lat- ter put in valiant attempts to narrow this gap. Ultimately it was Formosa who once again clinched top billing in a time of 1 hour 12 minutes 35 seconds. Bonel- lo had to settle for second place cross- ing the finish line in 1 hour 14 minutes and 27 seconds. Scicluna, once again gave a consistent performance to follow in third place in 1 hour 17 minutes 39 seconds. The overall leaderboard in this category remains unchanged, with the trio taking up the top three places. Open Category Once again this category welcomed more new faces to the group. Ack Hili, who in the first race of the Series set- tled for third place, saw him take charge from the very first lap to lead the way throughout and win the 5 lap course in a time of 55 minutes 36 seconds. In second place was newcomer Matthew Gauci, who followed in 57 minutes 3 seconds – Gauci was not as close to the podium in the first race having bagged a sixth place. Francesco Sultana, win- ner for the first race of the series had to settle for third place clocking at time of 57 minutes 51 seconds. With one win each Hili and Sultana now share equal points on the overall leaderboard, fol- lowed by Matthew Gauci. This category will be one to watch this season with some very determined performances being displayed. Ladies Category Despite a slighlty disappointing turn- out in this category, there was still ac- tion to be enjoyed. With top female rid- er Marie Claire Aquilina out of the fray, it was evident that Danica Bonello Spi- teri (Team Greens) was the main con- tender for the top place on the podium. Nevertheless, Claudine Gatt (Mosta AF Sign Studio), was out to make up for her disappointment in the first race which saw her stop in the second lap due to technical issues with her bike. Bonello Spiteri took the lead from the very start and kept her position until the end, winning the four lap race in 1 hour 11 minutes 43 seconds. Gatt fought hard to narrow the gap and fol- lowed in second place 37 seconds be- hind Bonello Spiteri. Fiona Darmanin Tedesco followed in third place in 1 hour 18 minutes 20 seconds. With Sunday's win Bonello Spiteri has top billing on the overall leaderboard. Age Groups Daniel Vella, Paul Zarb (The Cyclist) and Brian Magri took home the Jun- iors, Masters 40+ and Masters 50+ Categories. The Cross Country National Points Series is sponsored by BDO Malta and supported by PASH The Healthy Option, SIS (Carm. & Co. Ltd), H2only (Island Beverages Ltd), Camilleri Marine Ltd, AF Sign Stu- dio, The Cyclist, Wheel Wizard, Ma- gri Cycles and MTB Malta. The BDO Malta Cross Country National Point Series kicked off in January and will end in May when the fifth race of the Series takes place. The next race of the BDO Malta Cross Country National Points Se- ries will take place on Sunday 18th March in Majjistral Park. More information can be found on http://www.maltamountainbike .org. mt/