Thailand builds off-road racetrack in zoo, Vietnamese cyclists face difficulties

Thailand's zoo-style off-road racing track design stuns other countries

Mountain bike racing in regular sports events must be associated with rugged natural terrain with steep passes and winding turns, many clearly designed obstacles. These must be challenging, uneven routes, using natural terrain such as mountains, hills, forests, tree roots, sand, gravel to create harshness. Races such as downhill, cross-country where racers show off their control skills and prove their endurance. Conquering such races is what really makes the impression of off-road racers.

Thái Lan làm đường đua địa hình trong sở thú, cua rơ Việt Nam gặp khó- Ảnh 1. — Vietnamese athletes practice actively with strange racetracks

Thái Lan làm đường đua địa hình trong sở thú, cua rơ Việt Nam gặp khó- Ảnh 2. — Athletes from various countries return home exhausted from training.

However, at the 33rd SEA Games, Thailand decided not to build a route based on natural terrain. Instead, they made many slopes, curves, and bumpy sections in an artificial style right in the premises of the zoo called Khao Kheow Open Zoo. This surprised cyclists from several countries, including Vietnam. Because with this strange race track, although it still has terrain characteristics, it is difficult to feel like a real race track, bringing the feeling of wanting to conquer to the athletes.

Thái Lan làm đường đua địa hình trong sở thú, cua rơ Việt Nam gặp khó- Ảnh 3. — Cyclists practice getting familiar with the track

So right after arriving in Chonburi, Coach Le Nguyen Thanh Nhan and 3 athletes including Bui Van Nhat, Chao Ong Lu Phim (male) and Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang (female) still actively practiced on December 8 and 9, trying to get used to this "strange" racing track. The athletes said they had to try very hard because the weather in Chonburi was already hot and the terrain of the race track required many days of practice to adapt. Only 2 days of practice and then competing on December 10 and 11 certainly did not bring a sense of peace to the mountain bike team.

Thái Lan làm đường đua địa hình trong sở thú, cua rơ Việt Nam gặp khó- Ảnh 4. — Artificial terrain race track

So what are the hopes of the Vietnamese cyclists, can they win a medal in such terrain conditions? Coach Thanh Nhan said: "The team will be determined, even though we know it will be very difficult, we will strive to the best of our ability. This time the opponents are quite strong and our participating team does not have much experience."

Previously, Vietnam had won many gold medals in the downhill and cross-country events with golden girls such as Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen, Phan Thi Thuy Trang, Dinh Thi Nhu Quynh. However, at the 32nd SEA Games 2 years ago in Cambodia, Vietnamese mountain biking declined, not having a name on the medal podium. Therefore, with only 3 cyclists participating, competing for gold at the 33rd SEA Games will not be easy.

Thái Lan làm đường đua địa hình trong sở thú, cua rơ Việt Nam gặp khó- Ảnh 5. — Practice in zoo conditions

Thái Lan làm đường đua địa hình trong sở thú, cua rơ Việt Nam gặp khó- Ảnh 6. — Vietnamese cyclists practice on artificial slopes

According to the competition schedule, Huyen Trang will participate in the women's downhill event at 9:00 a.m. on December 10. The pass designed by Thailand is a vertical slope, plunging down at high speed, requiring excellent braking and control techniques. The two male cyclists, Van Nhat and Lu Phim, will participate in the cross-country event at 9:00 a.m. on December 11 at the off-road track in the zoo in Chonburi. This race course is long, combines many types of terrain, and focuses on speed and endurance.