'Sprint King' Le Nguyet Minh did not attend the cross-Vietnam cycling tournament
Le Nguyet Minh has been the best sprinter in the Vietnamese cycling village for the past 10 years. He won the Blue Shirt of the Television Cup three times in a row from 2017 to 2019. Besides, this cyclist also won hundreds of races in many races since he turned professional in 2009.
However, on March 26, Nguyet Minh was not named when the host racing team Ho Chi Minh City New Group announced the list for the 2023 Ho Chi Minh City Television Cup - the cross-Vietnam cycling tournament starting on April 2. "Nguyen Minh is absent for personal reasons," said HCM City bicycle team coach Do Thanh Dat on the evening of March 26 and refused to disclose more clearly the reason.
This is unexpected news for the Vietnamese cycling world. For many months, he still went with his teammates to the Da Lat pass to practice. After the home team announced the list of participants, Nguyet Minh cut off all contact.
The absence of the main sprint driver forced coach Do Thanh Dat to add the young element Ngo Minh Quan - a cyclist born in 2004 - to the competition list. Ho Chi Minh City New Group's hopes will be focused on Vladislav Duiunov - a Russian rookie with a personal knack for timing and climbing mountains.
Meanwhile, the HCM City Vinama team still owns familiar names such as Nguyen Truong Tai, Tran Thanh Dien, Nguyen Minh Viet, Nguyen Thang, Nguyen Tuan Vu, Igor Frolov and rookie Tran Le Minh Tuan.
Coach Do Thanh Dat predicts that the Ho Chi Minh City team will have difficulty defending the Yellow Vest because the racing teams have strengthened their forces. "We are missing some pillars such as Nguyet Minh, Ho Vu, on the contrary, An Giang, Dong Thap, Binh Duong, Dong Nai have very good preparation. In which, An Giang brings back a driver with impressive achievements. not inferior to Igor Frolov", Mr. Dat said.
The 2023 TV Cup has 98 cyclists from 14 domestic racing teams including Ho Chi Minh City, An Giang, Dong Thap, Dong Nai, Hanoi, Thanh Hoa, the Army, Binh Duong... The delegation will compete in 25 stages. race with a total length of 2,964 km.
The cyclists will depart from Hanoi on April 2, race through the central roads, up the Central Highlands and down the South Central Coast. The team then continued their journey to Langbiang Plateau, Da Lat and then to the Southeast. Unlike previous races, this year the team will compete in more stages in the Mekong Delta before finishing in Ho Chi Minh City at noon on April 30.
