Clyve Chetcuti delivered a strong performance on Saturday afternoon in Miżieb as the Malta Mountain Bike Association held its first race of the 2026 season — the Cisk 0.0 Cross Country Series.
Chetcuti led the Elite Category from the outset. Over the first three of six laps, the positions behind him remained fluid, with Andrew Caruana, Mark Bonnici, Antoine Sultana, Luke Borg and Jeffrey Borg all contesting the leading group.
The race began at a high tempo, with Clyve Chetcuti, Luke Borg and Mark Bonnici closely matched in the opening lap. As the race progressed, Bonnici and Borg were unable to sustain Chetcuti’s pace and briefly dropped back. Bonnici recovered well to move back into contention, although a minor fault saw him lose positions momentarily, allowing Andrew Caruana, Borg and Antoine Sultana to capitalise.
A series of punctures further reshaped the standings—first affecting Caruana, then Sultana, who suffered repeated setbacks despite mounting a strong chase. In the closing stages, Chetcuti maintained his advantage, with Bonnici and Jeffrey Borg running in close contention behind. Chetcuti won the race, with Mark Bonnici and Jeffrey Borg following him on the podium in second and third place respectively.
The Ladies’ race was won by Diana Muscat, with Fiona Tedesco finishing second.
Keith Bartolo took the win in the Sport Category. In the 40+ category, the front runners remained close throughout, with Gordon Zahra finishing 16 seconds ahead of Alex Portelli. Jamie Camilleri completed the podium, 35 seconds behind Portelli.
In the 50+ category, Domenic Cutajar secured the win, finishing 51 seconds ahead of Carmelo Abela. Federico Sermarini completed the podium in third place.
Across the youth and junior categories, several clear leaders emerged. In the U19 Boys category, Ryan Gatt took the win, finishing comfortably ahead of Andrei Cassone, with Matthias Gauci completing the podium in third place. Neil Cassar took his place on the podium in the U17 Boys, whilst the U17 Girls saw Katie Anne Vella Wood take a comfortable lead ahead of Nina Debono Curmi. In the U15 Boys, Ethan Cumbo led the way ahead of second-placed Zack Saliba, who was followed by Kurt Grech. Amy St John meanwhile took her place on the U15 Girls podium. In the U12 Boys category, Nolan Tabone claimed the win, finishing 2 minutes 45 seconds ahead of Ben Cassar, who was followed by Adam George Camilleri.
Newly appointed MMBA President Fiona Tedesco remarked: “This was a very positive start to the season, with a good mix of new and returning riders coming through. It’s particularly encouraging to see younger riders stepping up into higher categories and racing with the same enthusiasm we saw last year. It bodes well for the months ahead.”
The Malta Mountain Bike Association thanked longstanding partner Cisk 0.0 Alcohol Free Lager, and secondary partner Solar Solutions as well as the numerous volunteers and marshals.
The next race of the three-part Cisk 0.0 Cross Country Series will take place on Saturday 2nd May in Majjistral Nature and History Park.
