Maltese mountain biker Patrick Scicluna completed the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships – Mythos Primiero Dolomiti in Italy, finishing 39th in the men’s M5 age category after more than six hours of racing.

The 53-year-old A&G Sporting rider completed the demanding 82.1-kilometre course in an official time of 6:03:27, tackling 3,400 metres of climbing through the mountainous terrain of the Primiero Valley.

Scicluna was one of three Maltese riders competing at the event, alongside Antoine Sultana, who also participated in the men’s M5 category, and Marie Claire Aquilina, who competed in the corresponding women’s category.

Set beneath the Pale di San Martino in the Dolomites, the Mythos Primiero course presented riders with a challenging combination of forest trails, steep climbs and exposed alpine terrain.

Starting from Fiera di Primiero at an altitude of 720 metres, competitors climbed to a maximum elevation of 1,699 metres on the Strada Tognola.

This year’s edition marked the first time amateur riders competed on the same World Championship course used by the elite competitors, with the age-group races taking place on the weekend immediately following the professional event.

Hundreds of cyclists from across the world participated in the various age categories, including riders in their sixties and beyond.

For Scicluna, the event represented another milestone in an endurance cycling career spanning more than four decades.

The experienced Maltese rider has accumulated 131 race starts abroad, including 12 multi-day stage races consisting of three to five stages each.

His international racing record includes three appearances at the Giro di Sicilia, two at the Giro di Ragusa and three at the Tour of Cyprus, where he secured a category podium finish in 2014.

He also recorded consecutive category victories at Sicily’s Etna Marathon Tour in 2016 and 2018, competed in five editions of the Tour ta’ Malta and completed the Mediterranean Epic stage race.

Just weeks before competing in the Dolomites, Scicluna made his debut in the Epic Series when he partnered fellow Maltese rider Stephen Grima at the 2026 Swiss Epic.

Competing as Team Gaudos, the Maltese duo finished 10th out of 61 teams in the Grand Masters category.

The Swiss Epic and the World Championships in the Dolomites brought Scicluna’s 2026 racing calendar to a close.

He will now take a period of rest before considering his plans for the 2027 season.

Reflecting on his continued involvement in competitive mountain biking, Scicluna said his enthusiasm for the sport remained as strong as ever.

“My love for mountain biking hasn’t faded with the years, if anything it keeps me going,” he said.

“If my results this year encourage even one other rider to stay on the bike, despite not being as young as they used to be, then that means as much to me as any result.”