Aidan Buttigieg of Team Polti Visit Malta and Diana Muscat of Team Greens claimed victory in the opening race of the National Road Race Championship 2025, one of two national events organised by the Malta Cycling Federation.
Held on the demanding San Martin circuit, the event featured seven laps for Elite men and six laps for Masters and Women, with each lap covering 8.8km.
In the Elite men’s category, Buttigieg edged out the competition with a winning time of 1:37:31.92, narrowly beating Jacob Schembri of Bike It Up Racing (1:37:32.41) and Andrea Mifsud of Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur (1:37:32.65) in a thrilling sprint finish.
The Women’s race saw a commanding performance from Diana Muscat, who led from the front and crossed the line in 1:33:06.74. She was followed by Deborah Schembri of Gozo CC (1:34:11.78) and Marie Claire Aquilina, also of Team Greens, who completed the podium in 1:44:49.14.
In the Masters 40+ category, Team Greens dominated the field. Joaquin Rojas took first place in 1:29:24.44, ahead of teammates Gesred Borg (1:32:11.40) and Arek Kawalec (1:32:11.51).
Meanwhile, in the Masters 50+ race, David Cushing of Bike It Up Racing secured a convincing win in 1:29:55.67, with Federico Sermarini of The Cyclist by Agones finishing second (1:48:52.65), and Joseph Caruana of Team Greens completing the top three in 2:00:18.37.
These races also served as important preparation ahead of the upcoming Small Countries of Europe Games taking place next week in Andorra.
The Malta Cycling Federation also extended its best wishes for a swift recovery to Stefan Debono of Team Greens, who suffered an accident during the race. The Federation expressed gratitude to the club officials who assisted during the event and acknowledged the continued support from St. Paul’s Bay and Mġarr Local Councils, as well as Transport Malta.
The next race in the National Road Championship is scheduled for Sunday, 8 June 2025, on the Piunellu circuit in Mellieħa.
