Newbie Luke Borg claims first win, first race winner Brandon Sultana forced to retire
Cyclist Luke Borg provided the biggest surprise of the afternoon, when he claimed his first victory at the Malta Mountain Bike Association Summer Cup at Majjistral Park on Saturday.
Luke Borg | Photo Credit: Kieran Borg
More known for his prowess in road cycling, Borg’s first appearance in the Summer Cup saw him finish last. In the second race of the series, Borg quietly overtook mountain bike veterans the likes of Mark Bonnici, Etienne Bonello, Maurice Formosa, Brandon Sultana and Jason Vella who at the start vyed to take the lead. Brandon Sultana who emerged winner of the first race had a puncture in the third lap forcing him to retire. Borg registered his first mountain bike race win, when he completed the six lap course in a time of 56 minutes 51 seconds, with Etienne Bonello and Maurice Formosa taking the second and third podium placings respectively.
Marie Claire Aquilina continued in her winning ways. She clocked her second victory in as many races. Disappointment lay in store for Fiona Tedesco, who was close to claiming second place once again only to be stopped by a broken derailleur in the last lap. Not to be discouraged she ran the final part of the lap, ensuring that she finished her race in third place. In second place was Felicienne Cini, who was taking part for the first time in mountain bike races.
Marie Claire Aquilina | Photo Credit: Kieran Borg
In the Sport Category Gordon Zahra sprinted ahead of second placed Christian Zammit to win the category with a 25 second advantage. Meanwhile only 8 seconds separated Zammit from third placed Jamie Camilleri.
The 40+ Category was won by Justin Gauci, followed by Saviour Spiteri Peregin and Stephen Grima. Enrico Bradamante was the sole competitor in the 50+ category. Ryan Gatt, Chylen Fava and Aidan Camenzuli made up the Juniors U/15 podium whilst Gozo Cycling Club teammates Justin Micallef and Matthew Galea completed the U/17 podium.
“The MMBA Summer Cup has so far attracted a good number of participants, particularly from the Gozo mountain bike scene, which has become an ever growing competitive community. The terrain provided some disappointments for a number of riders who unfortunately had to contend with flat tyres and some technical issues, however that is what makes this sport so challenging” explained Pierre Zammit Endrich, President of the Malta Mountain Bike Association.
The third and final race of the 2021 MMBA Summer Cup will take place on Saturday 4th September at 1730hrs at the Majjistral Nature Park.
Registration can be done online via www.mmba.org.mt
The Association would like to thank Majjistral Park, O.R.S. Hydration Tablets and Puressentiel Malta for their support.
