The riders spray champagne on the podium of the Vuelta a la Comunitat Valenciana Feminas. — Photo cyclingnews.com |
HÀ NỘI — Nguyễn Thị Thật of Việt Nam, the only Asian among 114 cyclists of 19 teams, finished third at the inaugural edition of the Vuelta a la Comunitat Valenciana Feminas in Spain on Sunday.
Her Belgian Lotto Soudal Ladies teammate Lotte Kopecky took top position in 2 hours 8.19 minutes on the 88.5km course from Paterna northwest of Valencia, before returning for four laps around Valencia itself.
She beat Canyon-SRAM’s Alice Barnes by almost a bike’s length, and Thật was a hair behind.
Three years after reviving the men’s stage, organisers introduced a one-day women’s race to take place ahead of the final stage of the men’s event. The event attracted some big hitters, including home team Movistar, Canyon-SRAM, Lotto Soudal and Bigla Pro Cycling.
The 25-year-old, who won several stages when she competed for Centre Mondial team of the International Cycling Union in 2018, will continue with several events in Spain in March.
She will return home near the end of the year to represent Việt Nam at the Southeast Asian Games where the Asian champion targets a gold medal. — VNS