Cycling tournament HTV Cup to cover 3,000km across 31 cities and provinces
The nation's largest cycling tournament, the HCM City Television (HTV) Cup, will begin on April 2, and finish at the city's Independence Palace on Reunification Day on April 30.
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| Tran Tuan Kiet of Dong Thap celebrates his win in the seventh stage of the HTV Cup 2022. (Photo: nld.com.vn) |
In its 35th edition, 11 teams and 98 cyclists will race 25 stages through 31 cities and provinces from north to south.
"Cyclists will tour through almost 3,000km with only four rest days and a team time trial day," said Ngo Quang Vinh, General Secretary of the HCM City Cycling and Motor Sports Federation.
"I think that to get high results, competitors must be focused and work hard. Meanwhile, team managers must carefully build plans for their team because it is a tough race with a tight schedule."
The first stage will be 25 laps equaling 42.5km around Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi.
Cyclists will then pass Ha Nam and Ninh Binh to reach Thanh Hoa province. They will bike to Nghe An to reach the central region before going to the Central Highlands. The next stops will be in the coastal provinces with the beautiful beaches of Khanh Hoa and Ninh Thuan.
The peloton will travel to the southwestern provinces such as An Giang, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Dong Thap, and Ben Tre, before ending at the Independence Place in HCM City at noon of April 30, National Reunification Day.
"This year, the organisers make some changes, such as longer stages and stages with more hills and sloppy terrain to make the tournament tougher," said Vinh. "It is expected to see a competitive break through from all participating squads."
On March 20, at a press conference, organisers announced that more than 2 billion VND (84,600 USD) would be awarded to the best cyclists. The overall winner of the 2023 HTV Cup will receive 200 million VND.
The best sprinter and 'King of the Mountain' will earn 50 million VND each, while the best young rider will take 30 million VND. The stage winner will also secure 20 million VND.
All stages of the Cup will be live broadcast on HTV channels, local TV stations, and fan pages of HTV and the cycling federation.
(Source: VNA)
