The second stage of the Andorra Epic is known as the Queen Stage – the toughest day of the multi-day mountain bike event. Covering 58km around Canillo with 2,200m of climbing and gradients of up to 24%, the route reached 2,350m at Llac de Pessons before finishing with the technical Beixalís descent.
Ridden on tired legs, it is often the day that decides the overall standings.
Team Gaudos (Stephen Grima and Diana Muscat) moved up two places to finish fifth, and have now climbed ten places in the overall classification.
The descents were among the day’s biggest challenges – large boulders rather than trail – though dry conditions made them less treacherous than they would have been in the wet.
“We worked hard and well as a team,” noted Grima.
“Diana is in good form. Combined with the experience between us, the strategy of building up through the stages is paying off. Despite being less experienced at racing this level, she has handled the stages really well. The aim for tomorrow’s stage is to hold onto our positions and keep bringing good results day by day.”
Team Gebel u Blat (Andrew Caruana and Brandon Sultana) approached the day with a clear plan, with Sultana setting a fast pace on the descents and Caruana pushing through the climbs.
“Today’s stage brought out the best in our team,” Sultana said. “We’re satisfied with the result. Now we rest and prepare for tomorrow’s stage, which should be fast with all the downhills.”
The Maltese Riders (Jeffrey Borg and Antoine Sultana) climbed to 27th place from 31st, sticking to their plan of Sultana pacing the climbs and Borg leading the descents. The pair described the terrain “as extremely technical, particularly off-road, with steep inclines throughout, but we finished strong and are looking ahead to tomorrow”.
Team Gaudos is supported by Extra Karte, Visit Malta, SG Woodworks Ltd, Raico, National Gypsum Limited Malta, Wurth Malta, Pitre Hardware, Lourdes Opticians, JV Pharma, A. Caruana Enterprises Ltd and Xlendi Supermarket.
Team Maltese Riders is supported by 3CMalta, Medical Care Malta and Visit Malta.
Team Gebel u Blat is supported by Visit Malta and Wheel Wizard.
On Saturday, the Maltese riders tackle the penultimate stage, Stage 3 (52km, Naturland), built around a sustained descent from the Roca de Pimes Refuge through bike park trails and natural singletrack.
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