Ishmael Muscat, of Mosta AF Sign Studio, recorded an excellent result last Sunday when finishing second in a 30km individual time trial in Nanjing.

The 27-year-old amateur cyclist, currently working in China, upset the odds as he produced a stunning performance to finish the time trial in 42 minutes and 36 seconds.

Unlike most of his competitors, Muscat didn't use a specific time trial bike for Sunday's race, which was open to cyclists of all levels.

As the bulk of the participants completed the race distance, Muscat led the provisional timesheets but he was denied victory by a professional Chinese rider whose finishing time was just under two minutes faster than that of his Maltese counterpart.

Muscat's result on Sunday follows another commendable performance last month in a 40km international race in Huangshan, regarded as China's biggest mountain bike race.

In Huangshan, Muscat finished 29th among hundreds of mountain bike racers.

The Maltese cyclist also placed sixth in a 60km road race in Shanghai on March 29.

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