The Vietnamese road cycling team arrived in Thailand on the afternoon of February 5 to participate in the 2025 Asian Road Cycling Championship, which will take place from February 7 to 16. However, a serious incident occurred when the truck carrying the organizing committee's competition equipment suddenly caught fire, causing about 30 bicycles and other supporting equipment to be completely burned.
Although the cause of the fire is still unclear, the damage to the Vietnamese cycling team is huge, especially for athletes competing in two different events, requiring two specialized vehicles to compete.
Mr. Hoang Quoc Vinh - Head of High Performance Sports Department 1 - Department of Sports and Physical Training said that as soon as he received information about the incident, he asked the Head of the Vietnamese Cycling Delegation, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Vu - General Secretary of the Vietnam Cycling and Motor Sports Federation to urgently contact the organizing committee to coordinate to resolve the problem, ensuring that the athletes can still compete as planned.
After a meeting on the morning of February 6, the host country's organizing committee announced that it had prepared 7 individual timed racing cars and competition helmets for the athletes. Currently, relevant units are working to provide shoes and pedals for the team today.
"The team will participate in individual time trials from tomorrow (February 7) to February 11, then continue to compete in road events. The Vietnam Cycling and Motor Sports Federation is also preparing road vehicles, expected to be transported to Thailand on February 10, to ensure timely participation of athletes in the competition," informed Mr. Hoang Quoc Vinh.
Regarding compensation for damages, on the afternoon of February 6, the organizing committee and the Asian Cycling Federation will hold a meeting with representatives of the Vietnam Cycling Federation to discuss compensation methods.
