Dubbed as Europe’s hardest mountain bike race, the HERO Sudtirol Dolomites is on the bucket list of every seasoned mountain biker. 

The race attracts many world-class athletes and forms part of the UCI Marathon Series.

This year Malta was represented by seven cyclists, the biggest contingent to date.

The team was formed of Maurice Formosa, Patrick Scicluna, Mark Bonnici, Jeffrey Borg, Mark Micallef, Paul Zarb and Marie Claire Aquilina. 

Competing against some of the world’s renowned cyclists, they registered some impressive timings, most notably Formosa who completed the race in six hours 28 minutes and two seconds to place 173rd overall.

“The Hero Tirol is the toughest race that I have ever competed in,” Formosa said.

“Whilst the distance of 86km is not the longest I’ve raced in, the altitude reached – 4,500m – combined with the technical nature of the race requires not only physical fitness but a strong metal preparation.”

The second Maltese to cross the finish line was Scicluna who completed the race in 7:07.02.

No stranger to tough challenges Scicluna put into use years of competition to keep the focus when the going got tougher.

“This was an amazing race,” Scicluna said.

“There were some tough passes along the way, reaching over 2,300m of altitude, such as the Prelongia, Pordoi which hard terrain of gravel, rocks and tree routes combined with 25 per cent incline climb and downhills so technical that do not afford any second of rest or lack of concentration.

“Although racing at altitude, the heat was unbearable at times making the race more challenging. Achieving an overall 361 placing among thousands of riders was so satisfying.”

Aquilina, the only woman in the Maltese contingent, undertook the 60km race which was obligatory for those in her category.

She produced a remarkable ride, placing sixth in her age bracket and 31st overall.

“This was truly a mountain biker’s paradise,” she remarked.

“Extremely tough route but so memorable.

“One of the best moments was when I managed to overtake some other riders on a particular technical downhill segment and going temporarily third in my category with 15 kilometres to go to the finish line. 

“Unfortunately, I then suffered from stomach cramps shortly before the finish line with the result that finally I had to settle for sixth place.”

Meanwhile, the other timings for the Maltese group riders were: Bonnici (7:47.33), Borg (8:02.30), Micallef (8:12.56), and Zarb (9:24.09).

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