Race leader Nguyen Tan Hoai (Domesco Dong Thap) claimed his third victory out of six stages so far at the HTV Cup, as he outsprinted his six breakaway companions in Tam Ky, with the rest of the peloton finishing right behind them after 130km of racing.
It was another finale contested at high speed on very wide roads, which is what Vietnamese pro cyclists are used to, but a major crash occurred on the descent of the Le pass, a seven-kilometre climb at a gradient of seven per cent.
With 57km to go, 12 riders and two motorbikes went down on a tricky curve and ended up in the gutter. Stage 4 winner and famous sprinter Le Nguyet Minh was one of the victims, as well as stage 2 winner and best young rider Vo Thanh An, who was taken by helicopter to Ho Chi Minh City hospital for further examination and treatment.
Not being a UCI sanctioned race, the HTV Cup follows some specific rules applied in Vietnamese cycling, therefore the seven riders who crashed out will be allowed to continue racing and contest the stages, but they won’t appear on general classifications anymore.
"I will try my best to keep the yellow jersey but there are still 12 stages to go," noted Nguyen Tan Hoai.
After one third of the race, the 32nd HTV Cup will observe a rest day on May 25, just like what was supposed to happen at the Giro d’Italia.
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nguyen Tan Hoai (Vie) D. Domesco Dong Thap | 3:01:13 |
| 2 | Nguyen Truong Tai (Vie) Ho Chi Minh City-MM Mega Market | |
| 3 | Tran Le Minh Tuan (Vie) BiklLife Dong Nai | |
| 4 | Trinh Duc Tam (Vie) Tap Doan Loc Troi | |
| 5 | Nguyen Van Binh (Vie) Ho Chi Minh City-MM Mega Market | |
| 6 | Nguyen Van Duc (Vie) Bikelife Dong Nai | 0:00:03 |
| 7 | Nguyen Huynh Dang Khoa (Vie) Tap Doan Loc Troi | |
| 8 | Loic Desriac (Fra) Bikelife Dong Nai | 0:00:14 |
| 9 | Phan Hoang Thai (Vie) D. Domesco Dong Thap | |
| 10 | Le Ngoc Som (Vie) Tap Doan Loc Troi |
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nguyen Tan Hoai (Vie) D. Domesco Dong Thap | 17:27:28 |
| 2 | Nguyen Truong Tai (Vie) Ho Chi Minh City-MM Mega Market | 0:00:24 |
| 3 | Tran Le Minh Tuan (Vie) BiklLife Dong Nai | 0:00:29 |
| 4 | Trinh Duc Tam (Vie) Tap Doan Loc Troi | 0:00:30 |
| 5 | Nguyen Hoang Giang (Vie) Tap Doan Loc Troi | 0:00:31 |
| 6 | Pham Quoc Curong (Vie) D. Domesco Dong Thap | |
| 7 | Nguyen Thang (Vie) Than Pho Ho Chi Minh | 0:00:35 |
| 8 | Nguyen Huynh Dang Khoa (Vie) Tap Doan Loc Troi | 0:00:39 |
| 9 | Nguyen Pham Quoc Khang (Vie) Bikelife Dong Nai | 0:00:41 |
| 10 | Loic Desriac (Fra) Bikelife Dong Nai | 0:00:42 |
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