Cycling: Aidan Buttigieg and Michelle Vella Wood Shine in Second Leg of 2025 National Time Trial Championship

Aidan Buttigieg (Team Polti Visit Malta) continued his winning streak with a dominant performance in the second race of the 2025 National Time Trial Championship, hosted by the Malta Cycling Federation. The event unfolded on a technical 2.5km circuit in Fleur-de-Lys, drawing riders across various age and competitive categories.

Riders competed over different lap counts based on category: six laps for Elite, Women, Masters, and Juniors; four for Under 16; two for Under 14; and a single lap for Under 12 competitors.

Elite Men’s Category

Buttigieg once again proved his form and consistency, completing six laps in 20:11, finishing ahead of Jacob Schembri (Bike It Up Racing) at 20:47, and Luke Borg (The Cyclist by Agones) at 21:03. Notably, The Cyclist by Agones has filed a formal protest against Schembri, citing an alleged race irregularity.

Women’s Category

Team Greens claimed a one-two finish as Michelle Vella Wood led the Women’s field with 25:08, narrowly beating teammate Danica Bonello Spiteri (26:03). Lindsey Pirotta (D Sports Lab) followed in third at 26:11.

Masters Categories

• Masters 40+: Joaquin Rojas (Team Greens) secured first with 22:04, ahead of Mark Zammit (Mosta CC) and Nicholas Schembri (Team Greens).

• Masters 50+: David Cushing (Bike It Up Racing) claimed the win in 23:25, followed by Kevin Muscat (24:28) and Stephen Grima (D Sports Lab) in 24:50.

Junior and Youth Categories

• Junior Boys: Ryan Gatt (The Cyclist by Agones) took top honours with 23:54.

• Under 16 Boys: Ethan Grech (Mosta CC) dominated with 17:46, with teammate Samwel Attard second in 19:16.

• Under 16 Girls: Rihanna Hassan (Team Greens) led the girls’ field in 24:51.

• Under 14 Boys: Neil Cassar (Shamrock Stars) posted the fastest time of 07:52, with Ethan Cumbo (08:28) and Timothy Buttigieg Scicluna (09:01, both Mosta CC) rounding out the podium.

• Under 14 Girls: Nina Debono Curmi (D Sports Lab) finished first with 09:08, followed by Katie Anne Vella Wood (Team Greens) at 09:27.

Under 12 Boys

Mosta CC continued to dominate the youngest category. Kurt Grech won in 04:55, followed by Zacchery Vella (05:06), while Raphael Buhagiar and Nolan Tabone shared third place at 05:16.

The final and deciding race of the 2025 Time Trial Championship will take place on Sunday, 13 July, on the Mizieb circuit, starting at 7:00 AM. The showdown promises to deliver an exciting conclusion to what has already been a fiercely competitive series.