Yellow jersey Mikhail Fokin: 'I love the audience and Vietnamese cuisine'

Fokin - Ảnh 1. — Mikhail Fokin plays impressively at the Ho Chi Minh City Television Cup 2025 - Photo: HUY VU

Mikhail Fokin of Loc Troi An Giang Group is one of the most outstanding foreign players in the Ho Chi Minh City Television Cup - Ton Dong A 2025. He showed impressive performance, especially in the mountain stages to win the prestigious yellow jersey in his first participation.

"I am very happy with this victory. This is the first time I have participated in the Ho Chi Minh City Television Cup race. I am quite impressed with the high speed of the races.

In my personal opinion, on flat roads, the tactics in Vietnam are basically quite similar to those in other European and Asian countries," Mikhail Fokin shared with Tuoi Tre Online .

Will the 25-stage cross-country competition route bring many challenges to Mikhail Fokin?

It was a long race but I was not really surprised when I got to the actual competition.

As a professional athlete, I had an idea of what would happen, because the coach had informed me of the route and terrain so I could prepare.

Among them, the stage I like the most is from Nha Trang city to Da Lat city with Khanh Le pass about 30km long.

The only problem is that it took me a long time to get used to the hot weather. In Russia, we don't have that kind of weather.

When he first arrived in Vietnam, what was Mikhail Fokin's initial goal?

Of course, the yellow jersey. My teammates, the coaching staff and I discussed this goal. When we entered the tournament, our strategy was to win the yellow jersey as soon as possible. Then, the whole team would work together to keep it.

Which opponent impressed Mikhail Fokin the most on the track?

First of all, I think my biggest rival is my compatriot Savva Novikov. He is strong and familiar with Vietnamese cycling.

In addition, I am also impressed with New Zealand striker Nicholas Kergozou of Vinh Long Agriculture 620 team. He has high level and good form.

How does Mikhail Fokin feel about Vietnamese audiences?

Due to some reasons we were not able to compete much in Europe, so the races in Asia were a great choice to participate in and prepare for the new season.

Coming to Vietnam, I was a bit surprised to see the large and enthusiastic cycling fans. This is something we rarely see in Russia.

How did Mikhail Fokin start his cycling career?

I started my cycling career a long time ago, about 18 years ago. I idolize Tadej Pogacar. I am passionate about sports , especially speed sports. Besides cycling, I am also a cross-country skier.

After nearly a month of competing across Vietnam, what did Mikhail Fokin like the most?

I like Vietnamese cuisine. My favorite dish is beef noodle soup because it is very delicious. Besides, I also like seafood in Vietnam because there is not much of it in Russia.

Thanks Mikhail Fokin!

April 30 this year left unforgettable memories for Nguyen Hoang Sang

On April 30, Nguyen Hoang Sang (Le Fruit Maxxis Dong Nai) won the orange jersey at the final round of the Ho Chi Minh City Television Cup - Ton Dong A 2025 for the best Vietnamese racer.

He shared his emotions when he reached the final destination in Ho Chi Minh City, in the atmosphere of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day.

Mikhail Fokin: Tôi yêu khán giả và ẩm thực Việt Nam - Ảnh 3. — Nguyen Hoang Sang is loved by many fans - Photo: HUY VU

"I was so moved that I was speechless. This is an unforgettable memory in my career," Nguyen Hoang Sang shared.

"My teammates and I sometimes did not achieve the desired results. But we kept our faith and waited for the opportunity to turn things around. Then joy came on the leg from Quy Nhon to Gia Lai.

Then came a series of challenging days when having to exert all their strength to protect the results. Especially, the stage from Nha Trang to Da Lat - the decisive stage for the titles.

I was especially touched when the whole team tried their best, willing to sacrifice their teammate's position just to protect the orange jersey for me. Therefore, this is the result of the whole team," said the Dong Nai racer.

Nguyen Hoang Sang also said he wants to return to the Vietnamese team to continue contributing, especially if the SEA Games competition schedule suits his strengths.