Malta’s mountain bike teams faced one of the biggest challenges of the Andorra Epic during Stage 2, known as the Queen Stage.
The stage is considered the toughest day of the multi-day event and often plays a major role in shaping the overall standings.
Riders covered 58km around Canillo, with 2,200m of climbing and gradients reaching up to 24%. The route climbed to 2,350m at Llac de Pessons before finishing with the technical Beixalís descent.
After already completing the opening stage, the riders had to face the Queen Stage on tired legs, making the day even more demanding.
Team Gaudos, made up of Stephen Grima and Diana Muscat, moved up two places to finish 5th on the day. The pair have now climbed ten places in the overall classification.
The descents proved to be among the biggest challenges, with large boulders replacing smoother trail sections. Dry conditions helped make the route less treacherous than it would have been in wet weather.
Grima said the team had worked hard and well together.
“Diana is in good form. Combined with the experience between us, the strategy of building up through the stages is paying off,” he said.
He also praised Muscat’s performance, noting that despite having less experience at this level, she has handled the stages very well.
Team Gaudos will now look to hold their position and continue collecting strong results day by day.
Team Gebel u Blat, made up of Andrew Caruana and Brandon Sultana, also approached the stage with a clear plan. Sultana set a fast pace on the descents, while Caruana pushed through the climbs.
“Today’s stage brought out the best in our team,” Sultana said. “We’re satisfied with the result. Now we rest and prepare for tomorrow’s stage, which should be fast with all the downhills.”
Meanwhile, Maltese Riders, made up of Jeffrey Borg and Antoine Sultana, climbed from 31st to 27th place.
The pair stuck to their strategy, with Sultana pacing the climbs and Borg leading the descents. They described the terrain as extremely technical, especially off-road, with steep inclines throughout.
Despite the difficulty, they finished strong and are now looking ahead to the next stage.
Stage 3 will take the Maltese riders to Naturland for a 52km penultimate stage, built around a sustained descent from the Roca de Pimes Refuge through bike park trails and natural singletrack.
With two demanding days already behind them, the Maltese teams will now focus on recovery, pacing, and keeping their momentum going.
