Vietnamese rider wins national cycling race’s longest stage

The ride, starting in Vinh City of north-central Nghe An Province and ending at the UNESCO-recognized Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park in Quang Binh Province, was the longest stage in the tournament.

Nguyen Van Nha of Quan Khu 7 and Ho Hoang Son of Thanh Hoa broke away after the first 100 kilometers while racers of Tap Doan Loc Troi, Ho Chi Minh City-Vinama, and Duoc Domesco Dong Thap held each other back.

As a result, Nha and Son were able to extend the distance between the two groups to over nine minutes at times.

Nha was also the first rider to reach Ngang Pass, winning the polka dot jersey of the mountains classification.

The second group began reducing its distance from the leading pack in the last 70 kilometers and successfully caught up with Nha and Son just ten kilometers before the finish line.

An impressive sprint gained Nguyen Tan Hoai of Tap Doan Loc Troi the first-place result of five hours, eight minutes, and nine seconds.

Hoai was followed by Erdenebat Bilguunjargai of Kenda Dong Nai, Nguyen Duong Ho Vu of Ho Chi Minh City-Vinama, Tran Tuan Kiet of Dopagan Dong Thap, and Le Nguyet Minh of Ho Chi Minh City-New Group, respectively.

His teammate, Quang Van Cuong, retained the overall lead but lost the first position in points to Kiet.

The cyclists were scheduled to race 160 kilometers from Quang Binh Province to Thua Thien-Hue Province in the tenth stage on Friday.

The HTV Cup race has been held annually since 1989 and is considered Vietnam’s ‘Tour de France.’

In its 34th edition, the competition will take 98 cyclists from 14 competing teams through 2,316.2 kilometers in 23 stages from north to south in celebration of Vietnam’s reunification day on April 30, 1975.

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