Mountain Bike National Point Series wraps up in Majjistral Park

Luke Borg, Marie Claire Aquilina win top honours

The Malta Mountain Bike Association concluded its racing calendar for 2024, when it hosting the fifth and final race of the Cisk 0.0 National Point Series in Majjistral Park on Sunday morning.

In the final race of the series, Luke Borg claimed victory in the Elite Category, maintaining his lead throughout the competition.

However, his dominance was closely contested by Etienne Bonello, Mark Bonnici and Antoine Sultana. Unfortunately, Bonnici was forced to retire after the third lap due to a mechanical failure.  The final podium was made up of Borg, Bonello and Antoine Sultana.

In the Ladies’ Category, Marie Claire Aquilina delivered her usual commanding performance, securing first place ahead of Diana Muscat and Lara Buttigieg, who finished second and third, respectively. 

In the Sport Category, Robert Grech took the honours, followed by Josmar Vella in second place and Mantas Stokus in third. 

The 40+ Category was one of the most hotly contested categories, with Joaquin Rojas claiming the top spot, followed by Liran Ben-Ari in second and Alex Portelli in third. 

Stephen Grima took first place in the 50+ Category, with Carmelo Abela and Federico Sermarini completing the podium in second and third place.

The E-Bike Category was won by Bernard Sammut, followed by Paul Muscat and Robert Magro. 

In the Junior Categories, James Vassallo secured victory in the U19 Boys, while Ryan Gatt claimed the top spot in the U17 Boys. 

In the U15 Boys, Neil Cassar led the podium, followed by Liam Daly in second and Jake Refalo in third. For the U15 Girls, Nina Debono took first place, with Kim Micallef Cann and Katie-Anne Vella Wood finishing second and third, respectively. 

In the U12 Boys, Zack Saliba emerged as the winner, with Zac Bugeja and Kruiven Farrugia completing the podium. Mickaya Fava claimed the top spot in the U12 Girls’ category.

Overall Leaderboard

The Overall Leaderboard was determined on the points accumulated from each rider’s best four out of five races in the Series. This format allowed participants to drop their lowest-scoring race, rewarding consistent performance across the season.

The Category winners for the 2024 Cisk 0.0 National Points Series were Anchu Kogl (Elite), Josmar Vella (Sport), Joaquin Rojas (40+), Stephen Grima (50+), Diana Muscat (Ladies), Robert Magro (E-Bike), James Vassallo (U19 Boys), Ryan Gatt (U17 Boys), Neil Cassar (U15 Boys), Nina Bugeja (U15 Girls) Zac Bugeja (U12 Boys), Mickaya Fava (U12 Girls) and Nick Said (Fun Ride).

Special guest Paolo Alberati, a former professional road and MTB cyclist now focused on coaching, was present for the medal presentation.

Malta Mountain Bike Association President Pierre Zammit Endrich reflected on a successful season, noting that: “Once again, the Malta Mountain Bike Association hosted a busy calendar for our growing mountain biking community.

“It was an honour to welcome the highly respected Paolo Alberati for the final race, and we’re sure our riders were thrilled to meet such an all-round cyclist. We now look forward to a short rest before gearing up for the 2025 season.”

In a statement, the Malta Mountain Bike Association thanked Farsons for supporting the event through their lager Cisk 0.0 and to all the volunteers who with their efforts and hard work make the race calendar possible.