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Petr Rikunov wins the yellow jersey for Stage 1. (Photo: SGGP) |
The opening ceremony was attended by Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu, Deputy Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee, Mr. Phan Nguyen Nhu Khue, Head of the Propaganda Department of the HCMC Party Committee, Mr. Duong Anh Duc, Deputy Chairman of the HCMC People's Committee, Mr. Dang Ha Viet, Director General of the Vietnam Sports Administration, and Mr. Cao Anh Minh, General Director of HCMC Television.
At the opening ceremony, Mr. Duong Anh Duc announced that the cyclists would be undertaking a challenging 25-stage race spanning almost 3,000 kilometers, passing through numerous provinces and cities, and commencing from Hanoi. Notably, the 2023 edition of the race will explore new routes, with cyclists traveling through the provinces in the Mekong Delta. The final stage of this year's race will be of particular significance, with riders racing from Tay Ninh and completing the race at the Reunification Hall in HCMC exactly at noon on April 30.
Mr. Duong Anh Duc highlighted that the bicycle race, as a cultural and sporting activity, provides a valuable experience for young people to increase their pride and appreciation for the contributions and sacrifices of martyrs, as well as many people with a strong patriotic spirit and a fierce desire for peace.
During the press conference, Mr. Ngo Quang Vinh, leader of the HCMC racing team, assessed that the success of the teams this year heavily depends on the selection of foreign cyclists. As a result, the competition has intensified in the past month, as strong domestic teams have been competing to hire quality foreign racers. Apart from the four teams that usually recruit foreign racers, such as An Giang, HCMC, Dong Nai, and Dong Thap, two new teams, the Military Region 7 and Binh Minh Binh Duong Plastic, have also registered foreign cyclists for the first time, bringing the number of foreign riders participating in the race to nine - the highest ever level. With the addition of many foreign racers, this year's race promises to be the most thrilling competition for the yellow jersey to date.
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The first stage of the HTV Cup takes place in Hanoi. (Photo: SGGP)
According to experts, even though there are numerous foreign cyclists participating, the competition for the yellow jersey is expected to be primarily between two strong racing teams, HCMC and An Giang. The HCMC Vinama team has decided to retain last year's yellow jersey winner, Russian cyclist Igor Frolov while the HCMC New Group team has opted for a new recruit, Vladislav Duiunov, a former Russian national champion.
An Giang team, not to be outdone, has also recruited a new foreign rider, Petr Rikunov, for the Loc Troi Group team, in addition to retaining Roman Maikin for the Gao Hat Ngoc Troi team. Rikunov is considered an unknown, and it remains to be seen if he can compete with the reigning yellow jersey holder, Igor Frolov.
In terms of the level of foreign cyclists' performance in previous races, some riders who previously won the yellow jersey, such as Javier (Binh Duong) and Loic (Domesco Dong Thap), are unlikely to challenge Igor Frolov. Therefore, fans and experts are waiting for Petr Rikunov to prove his ability to compete with the current yellow jersey holder of the HCMC Vinama team.
On stage 1, which took place on April 2 with 25 laps around Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi, even though the route was short at only 42.5km, there was fierce competition to create time gaps rather than a large group finishing with the same time as in previous races.
It can be said that Stage 1 was an unlucky race for the HCMC Vinama team when their key player Igor Frolov encountered a bike problem in the final laps, leaving the team with little time to recover. As a result, a group of six riders, all direct competitors of Igor Frolov, successfully broke away. It was no surprise that the promising rider Petr Rikunov showcased his strength by defeating Pham Le Xuan Loc (Military Region 7) and Roman Maikin (Gao Hat Ngoc Troi, An Giang) to win the stage and don the yellow jersey after Stage 1.
The young rider from the Quan khu 7 team, Pham Le Xuan Loc, had a notable performance. He not only finished second in the stage but also won a sprint, earning the green jersey and temporarily taking the white jersey for the best young rider. In addition, Pham Le Xuan Loc also got the orange jersey for the best-placed Vietnamese rider. The Domesco Dong Thap team is currently leading the team classification. Today, on April 3, the riders will compete in stage 2 from Hanoi to Thanh Hoa with a route of 114km.
