Vella, Magri capture titles

Jason Vella ended the cross country season with a fine win at Miżieb late last month to secure the cross country national championship.

Etienne Bonello was second on the day with Jeffrey Borg making it a clean sweep for Team Greens. UK-based Stephania Magri won the women’s championship title.

The race was keenly-contested right from the opening kilometres as the leading riders tried to gain an early edge on their rivals. However, no-one managed to open a significant gap as opportunities to launch attacks were few and far between.

Vella did manage to pull clear in the second lap with Mark Bonnici and Maurice Formosa, of Melita, immediately giving chase. Then, it was the turn of Bonello to up the ante as he attacked midway through the race to split the chasing group.

Bonello caught team-mate Vella in front and the duo rode together in the remaining laps. At the finish, the two Greens riders crossed the line together with Vella just edging Bonello.

Meanwhile, Bonnici suffered a mishap which forced him to abandon the race, with Formosa also pulling up a few minutes later, leaving the way open for Borg to cruise home in third place.

Magri was elated at the finish line after claiming the women’s title.

“I was aiming for this result. Now, it will be an honour for me to race in the UK as Maltese champion in this category,” Magri said.

Vella was also delighted with his performance and the support he received from his team-mates.

“This success rewards the professional approach of Team Greens towards cycling,” he said.

“At Miżieb, we again showed the unity in our team. I could never have achieved this feat without the help of my team-mates.”