All three Maltese teams successfully completed the Andorra Epic, bringing to an end four gruelling days of mountain biking through the rugged Pyrenees, with Brandon Sultana achieving the prestigious Epic Legend status.
The race concluded with a demanding final stage around La Massana, featuring a spectacular finish that included more than 1,000 metres of continuous descent on the renowned Commencal Trail.
Epic Legend for Brandon Sultana
Team Gebel u Blat, comprising Andrew Caruana and Brandon Sultana, completed the event in 13:45:04.8, finishing 21st in the Open Men’s category and 66th overall.
The duo entered the final stage focused on one objective—ensuring Sultana crossed the finish line to earn Epic Legend status, a distinction awarded to riders who successfully complete three different Epic races.
Despite their primary goal, the pair remained highly competitive throughout the stage. After negotiating the opening 1,000-metre climb, they maintained a strong pace before completing the final 10-kilometre descent to finish the stage in 20th place.
Sultana now becomes only the second Maltese rider to earn the Epic Legend title, joining Stephen Grima, who achieved the milestone at the Absa Cape Epic in South Africa in 2025.
“Crossing that final finish line meant a lot,” Sultana said. “The aim today was simply to complete the race and earn the Epic Legend medal, but we still wanted to do it in a good time. Andrew and I worked hard for this over the four days, so it was satisfying to finish it together.”
Strong Finish for Maltese Riders
In the Men’s Masters category, Jeffrey Borg and Antoine Sultana of Maltese Riders completed another consistent performance, finishing 25th in the final stage.
Their overall time of 16:37:36.6 earned them 29th place in their category and 119th overall after four days of racing.
The pair steadily climbed the standings throughout the event before giving everything on the demanding final 45-kilometre stage, which featured 1,600 metres of climbing, scenic singletrack, and a fast descent back into La Massana.
“There’s great satisfaction in completing a race of this level,” Borg said. “For now it’s time to rest and recover—then we’ll see what comes next.”
Team Gaudos Overcome Adversity
Stephen Grima and Diana Muscat of Team Gaudos rounded off an outstanding campaign by finishing fifth in the final stage and sixth overall in the Mixed category, completing the race in 16:45:09.2.
The result was particularly impressive given the setbacks they suffered during the penultimate stage, when Muscat crashed and injured her elbow while Grima also damaged his bike. Despite the difficulties, the pair recovered strongly to secure an excellent overall finish.
For Muscat, competing in her first-ever multi-stage mountain bike race made the achievement even more special.
“This was my first multi-stage race, and whilst the crash on the penultimate day was a setback, the support shown and the experience shared with Stephen were immeasurable,” she said. “It certainly made it easier for me to complete the race, particularly at a point when finishing was in doubt.”
Eyes Already on the Next Challenge
While the Andorra Epic has come to an end, Stephen Grima will soon return to international competition when he teams up with Patrick Scicluna for the Swiss Epic, which takes place from 19 to 23 July.
The successful completion of the Andorra Epic by all three Maltese teams represents another significant milestone for Maltese mountain biking, highlighted by Brandon Sultana’s historic Epic Legend achievement and a series of strong performances against some of the world’s best endurance riders.
Leave a Reply