Aidan Buttigieg wins National Road Race Championship opener

Aidan Buttigieg of the new Gozitan club, D Sports Lab, and Diana Muscat of Team Greens started with a bang in the first race of the National Road Championship.

This championship organised by the Maltese Cycling Federation, this year is again being held over three races. In wonderful weather, Aidan Buttigieg, as he did in the first race of the Time Trial, finished first again in the Elite Category, while Diana Muscat won the Category reserved for Women, which races were held on Sunday in the circuit of San Martin. The Elite, Under 23 and Juniors did seven laps (61.6km), the Women and Masters did five laps (44 km), while the Under 16s will do three laps (26.4km).

Buttigieg finished first in the Elite when he finished his race in a wonderful final sprint where he managed to pass in the last three meters the debutant Bernard Galea (Agones Afc), a cyclist who lives in England. Buttigieg’s time was 1:37:12.47, while Galea’s was 1:37:51.49. Pierre Borg of Mosta CC finished in third place (1:43:19.04).

The Women’s race was won by Muscat of Team Greens who completed her five laps in a time of 1:27:11.69). Fiona Tedesco of Mosta CC (1:31:45.10) and Michelle Vella Wood of Team Greens (1:37:12.62) finished in second and third place respectively.

Jacob Schembri of Mosta CC won the Under 23 Category in a time of (1:38:21.58). Luke Borg of The Cyclist finished in second place in a time of (1:38:46.14). Stefan Scerri of Gozo CC finished in third position in a time of (1:43:19.68). Kristina Spiteri of The Cyclist won the Under 23 Feminine Category in a time of (1:39:11.39). Her partner Veronique Pace Axiaq finished in second place in a time of (1:52:05.10).

The Masters 40+ Category resulted in one dominated by Team Greens cyclists, with Luis Joaquin Rojas Guzman winning in a time of (1:18:31.00). Nicholas Schembri of Team Greens (1:22:03.87) and David Cushing of B’Kara St Joseph (1:22:08.46) came behind him respectively.

Kevin Muscat of Mosta AF Sign Studio CC for his part won the Masters 50+ Category in a time of (1:22:53.15). He was followed by Steven Andrew Bell of The Cyclist (1:23:45.20) and Enrico Bradamante of Agones SFC (1:39:57.61).

Ryan Gatt of The Cyclist won the Under 16 Category (0:48:18.08) ahead of Ishmael Grima of D Sports (0:54:35.88), while Roanna Farrugia of Agones Afc won the Girls Under 16 when she did her three laps in a time of (1:04:04.90).

At the end of this race, the medals were awarded by John Zammit and Joe Bajada, President and Secretary General respectively of the Maltese Cycling Federation. The next race will be the second one of the Time Trial Championship in Fluer-de-Lys on Sunday May 21, 2023.