International Tour of Malta gets underway

The 28th edition of the International Tour of Malta will be held between Thursday and Sunday, where a good number of Maltese and foreign participants are expected to take part.

Over the years, this Tour has always served as a good opportunity for local cyclists to be able to compete with their foreign counterparts on home soil. In this way, they not only gain from this experience but also continue to improve their levels.

Once again, this Tour will be held under the auspices of the Maltese Cycling Federation where local clubs together with several other foreign ones will have their cyclists compete in this year’s edition.

The majority of the foreign clubs come from Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Italy. Other cyclists from various other countries will also take part on an individual basis.

Among these clubs, is the Swiss OBOR-BIKE AID Cycling Team, which was founded on the initiative of Saint John Paul II, where on the shirt they bring his message “Amore e Vita”.

Antoine Magaud, the winner of the last edition, will not be defending the title won last year as he reluctantly had to pull out as he and his Maltese wife Dana are expecting their first child.

The International Tour of Malta 2024 will be held over four days.

The opening stage will feature an Individual Time Trial on the Coast Road in Salina. The stage starts at 10am on a 5km circuit with all participants completing three laps.

Friday’s second stage will consist of a road race held on a 3.5km circuit along the Żebbuġ Bypass where the Elite participants will do 15 laps, while the participants in the Women and the Masters classes will complete 12 laps.

Gozo leg

The third stage on Saturday will consist of a road race on the 5km circuit in Ta’ Pinellu, Mellieħa where the Elite will do 10 laps, while the Women and the Masters will complete seven laps. The stage starts at 7am.

The Tour of Malta will come to a close on Sunday, with the final stage. It will consist of another road race that takes place in Gozo on the 3.2km circuit on the Għajn Qasab Road, on the Ramla l-Hamra route in Nadur.

The Elite will do 12 laps, while the Women and the Masters will be completing six laps. The departure will be at 9am.

This is the first time that the Tour of Malta will end in Gozo and the final ceremony will take place there as well.

The General Headquarters of the Tour will be the Palazzin Hotel, Qawra where many of the foreign teams will be staying.

In a statement, the Tour Organising Committee expressed its gratitude to SportMalta, the Maltese Olympic Committee, Transport Malta, the respective Local Councils of Naxxar, Haż-Żebbuġ, Mellieħa and Nadur, as well as the Local Enforcement Systems Agency (LESA), ARRTS Timing System and the Palazzin Hotel for their support.

“The organisation is calling for the cooperation of the public in what is the closure of the roads so that these events can take place in the best possible safety for cyclists.

“We wish every success to the Maltese cyclists who will take part,” the Tour ta’ Malta organisers said.