Early on the morning of February 6, coach Mai Cong Hieu of the Vietnamese road cycling team announced shocking news when all of the team's 30 specialized racing bicycles were burned in an accident in Thailand. The incident occurred when the team was on its way to participate in the 2025 Asian Road Cycling Championship.
According to coach Mai Cong Hieu, after arriving in Bangkok on February 5, the team was picked up by the organizing committee's car and moved to Phitsanulok, about 350km from Bangkok, where the tournament will take place.
The equipment, including bicycles and accessories, was transported by the organizing committee's truck. However, upon arrival, the team received notice that the truck carrying the equipment had an accident and caught fire, burning all the bicycles and accessories such as helmets, shoes, etc.
Among the burned bicycles, some were worth up to 250 million VND each, including those of racers Nguyen Tuan Vu and Nguyen Thi Thu Mai. The remaining bicycles, such as that of athlete Nguyen Thi That, were also worth no less than 150 million VND. This was not only a huge material loss but also seriously affected the athletes’ morale before the competition day.
Currently, the team is waiting for a solution from the tournament organizers to see if they can continue competing, when the tournament is less than 24 hours away from opening.
