Former Tour de France cyclist competes in Ho Chi Minh City Television Cycling Cup

The 2025 Ho Chi Minh City Television Cycling Tournament kicked off today with the highlight being the appearance of racer Johnny Hoogerland (Netherlands), who has participated in prestigious international races such as Tour de France and Giro d'Italia.

Exciting battle for the yellow jersey

This year's race will be without two Russian cyclists who won the yellow jersey of the Ho Chi Minh City Television Cycling Cup, Rikunov (Loc Troi Group) and Igor Frolov (Ho Chi Minh City Vinama). However, the race will have the appearance of many new faces, notably Johny Hoogerland competing for the Ho Chi Minh City Vinama team. This racer is notable for having participated in the world's top cycling tournament, the Tour de France, three times, with the outstanding achievement of holding the red polka dot jersey - king of the mountains - for five stages in this prestigious tournament.

Rider Johnny Hoogerland clearly shows his determination to win a high ranking at the 2025 Ho Chi Minh City Television Cycling Cup

Photo: Dong Huyen

Johny Hoogerland's obstacle at this time is his age, as he is 42 years old. However, coach Do Thanh Dat hopes that this racer will promote his mountain climbing skills to help Ho Chi Minh City Vinama Club compete for the mountain climbing king title and especially the yellow jersey title. "Although past his peak, Johny Hoogerland still maintains his training. According to my initial observations, this racer still looks young and in good shape. He has not had time to get used to the race track, conditions, and competition environment in Vietnam, but he shows great determination," said coach Do Thanh Dat.

The 2025 Ho Chi Minh City Television Cycling Cup has a tough route when the racers compete in 25 stages with a total distance of more than 3,000 km. In particular, they have to conquer 8 mountain passes, of which the biggest challenge is Khanh Le Pass, nearly 30 km long, more than 1,600 m above sea level. Therefore, the racing teams all select foreign players with good mountain climbing ability. Competing with Johnny Hoogerland at this year's Television Cup are foreign giants such as Nick Kergozou, Samuel Jenner (Australia) of Vinh Long team, Ethan Batt (New Zealand), Oscar Sachez Caballero (Spain) of Dong Nai, Mikhail Foki and Ivan Blokhin (Russia) of Loc Troi An Giang Group. In addition, there are foreign players who have competed in previous seasons such as Savva Novikov (Russia) of Binh Minh Binh Duong Plastic Club, Loic Desriac (France) of Domesco Dong Thap Pharmaceutical Club.

37th Anniversary of Ho Chi Minh City Television Cup

Turning 37, the Ho Chi Minh City Television Cycling Cup is one of the few sports tournaments that has been held annually and maintained for many years. From the initial tournament that only took place for a few stages, the race has now expanded to a nationwide scale, competing across Indochina. This year's tournament has a special meaning to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the country's reunification (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025).

The 2025 Ho Chi Minh City Television Cycling Cup attracts more than 100 cyclists from 15 of the strongest cycling teams in the country to compete. The tournament starts today (April 3) in Tuyen Quang City. The racing team will travel to Hanoi, passing through many provinces and cities and finishing at Thong Nhat Hall (Ho Chi Minh City) at noon on April 30. The tournament has a total prize of more than 2 billion VND. Of which, the yellow jersey for the best racer is 200 million VND, the team winning the Team Championship Cup receives 100 million VND. In particular, the orange jersey title for the Vietnamese racer with the best performance will be maintained with a prize of 100 million VND.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cua-ro-tung-du-tour-de-france-tranh-tai-o-cup-xe-dap-truyen-hinh-tphcm-18525040220462188.htm