Vietnamese cyclists' performance on the cross-country race was not good enough, facing harsh conditions: They were eliminated early.

Unable to "fly" well on unfamiliar terrain, the Vietnamese cyclists also crashed into the barrier.

Two Vietnamese mountain bikers, Bui Van Nhat and Chao Ong Lu Phim, entered the cross-country race on the morning of December 11th facing a huge challenge. They had to overcome their own limitations, as Huyen Trang's tears in yesterday's mountain pass race showed her disappointment. She was outmatched by her opponent not because of a lack of strength and confidence, but primarily because she lacked the complete techniques to adapt to the unfamiliar terrain. Therefore, the Vietnamese girl was unable to perform the maneuvers smoothly and effectively when crossing the mounds of earth.

Cua rơ Việt Nam 'bay’ chưa tốt, nghiệt ngã đường đua băng đồng: Sớm dừng bước- Ảnh 1. — Two Vietnamese cyclists advance to the quarterfinals to compete against their opponents.

The cross-country race course, though only 400 meters long, features numerous steep slopes, high mounds, and challenging turns. Right after the start, there are two sharp turns, requiring athletes to "fly" consecutively over six closely spaced mounds, followed by three relatively natural flying mounds, constantly gripping the handlebars and maintaining high speed. Particularly challenging is the zigzag section with the longest and largest flying mound, forcing athletes to build momentum and spring to "fly" a considerable distance in the air, maintaining balance and avoiding inaccurate landings.

Cua rơ Việt Nam 'bay’ chưa tốt, nghiệt ngã đường đua băng đồng: Sớm dừng bước- Ảnh 2. — Two Vietnamese racers perform off-road racing maneuvers across mounds of earth.

Bui Van Nhat said that although this was his third SEA Games participating in the cross-country event and he had accumulated experience from actual competitions, this race course was completely "unfamiliar" with the artificial terrain designed by Thailand in a zoo, requiring more complex skills than previous times. The Vietnamese cyclist felt that this course was too technically demanding, forcing athletes to jump and leap too much, and the adaptation time was too short.

Cua rơ Việt Nam 'bay’ chưa tốt, nghiệt ngã đường đua băng đồng: Sớm dừng bước- Ảnh 3. — The drivers navigate the corner.

Although both Vietnamese cyclists made great efforts to maintain high speed while skillfully jumping and leaping in the cross-country event, their times were both over 50 seconds. Specifically, Chảo Ông Lủ Phim finished in 50.922 seconds, while Bùi Văn Nhất finished in 55.672 seconds. These times were significantly different from the other eight cyclists, all of whom finished under 50 seconds, placing them in lower positions. Despite being ranked for the quarterfinals, Chảo Ông Lủ Phim, a cyclist from the Red Dao ethnic group, was unlucky when he hit a wooden barrier on a corner, causing him to fall behind and affecting his speed. He and Bùi Văn Nhất were unable to recover and had to stop.

Cua rơ Việt Nam 'bay’ chưa tốt, nghiệt ngã đường đua băng đồng: Sớm dừng bước- Ảnh 4. — The Vietnamese riders are trying their best, but they haven't fully adapted to the track yet.

Coach Le Nguyen Thanh Nhan commented: "This result was predictable because, clearly, with such a track, it's necessary to get used to it early and participate in many competitions, honing many special qualities to be able to compete with the racers from Thailand and Indonesia, who have regularly participated in this type of track design at the world level. The two Vietnamese athletes made certain efforts, performing appropriate 'flying' maneuvers, but familiarity with the terrain is a very important factor determining success or failure."