Exciting sports bicycle movement in Nghe An

The sport is not picky about the subject

Every early morning, whether it is hot summer or cold winter, along the roads around Vinh city's regulating lake (bordering Hung Loc and Hung Hoa communes) or the roads from Vinh to Cua Lo town, many "cyclists" of all ages still persistently go out to cycle regularly with the hope of having good health. Because for them, exercising by bicycle has become a habit and an indispensable part of their daily life.

Ms. Ho Thi Ngoc (born in 1976), residing in Hung Phuc ward (Vinh city), a member of the Vinh city sports cycling club, said: "Every morning, many members of the club often gather at the gate of Nghe An Pedagogical College, then cycle together to Binh Minh Square (Cua Lo town) and return, a distance of about 30km".

When asked about her cycling journey, Ms. Ngoc shared: “I have been cycling for 5 years now. Before, I often suffered from aches and pains, back pain. After a period of regular cycling training, my health has improved. Every day, I can breathe fresh air while cycling, socializing, exchanging and sharing my passion and experiences with my brothers and sisters. I find it very interesting.”

Mr. Hoang Van Loc (born in 1957) in Ha Huy Tap ward (Vinh city) said: “Since retiring in 2017, at around 5 am, I start cycling along the road from Vinh City Sports Stadium to the lake and cycle many laps around the lake. Every day I cycle about 20 kilometers without feeling tired. Over the years, thanks to cycling every morning, my health has been stable and I have limited illness. In addition, when participating in training with members of the ward's elderly association, we feel more united when cycling together on the same routes, and learn many new things when organizing groups to cycle outside the city."

Over the years, bicycles have not only been a means of transportation but have also become a very effective tool and means of physical exercise. Cycling is not selective of subjects, anyone, men, women, young people, the elderly can participate as a way to exercise every day.

Currently, the bicycle market is extremely diverse from models to brands, depending on the needs and economic conditions, each person can buy a satisfactory bicycle. The price of a mid-range sports bicycle is currently around 10 million VND, especially some people buy bicycles up to hundreds of millions of VND to serve their passion and improve their health.

Currently, Nghe An province has thousands of people participating in regular cycling practice. To develop the movement and practice regularly, cycling enthusiasts have established cycling clubs, associations, and groups. According to incomplete statistics, the province currently has more than 30 cycling clubs, associations, and groups, typically: Vinh City Cycling Club, Anh Quan Cycling Club (Vinh City), Song Luong Cycling Club (Do Luong), Song Hieu Cycling Club, 7X Club (Thai Hoa Town) ...

According to experts, cycling is a sport that does not require much physical strength and special skills when practicing. However, practitioners need to pay attention to ensuring safety when participating in traffic, equipping themselves with protective accessories such as helmets, protective gear, shoes, reflective lights, etc.

Need more tournaments

The image of sports bicycles running one after another on the open roads in many localities in the province has contributed to bringing new momentum to the movement of the whole population practicing sports, improving health, "being healthy to build and protect the Fatherland". Along with that, tournaments for this sport are also organized more often.

For example, in May 2023, in Cua Lo town,Cua Lo Open Cycling Race 2023Sea Daisy Cup. This is the second time this tournament has been held, after the first in September 2022. Each tournament attracts the participation of nearly 400 athletes from more than 30 cycling clubs across the country. Athletes are organized to compete in 5 categories: Young women, Middle and old women, Young men, Middle-aged men, Old men.

Previously, since 2006, every two years, Vinh City People's Committee cooperates with Nghe An Radio and Television to organize the Phuong Hoang Trung Do Cycling Race; each season attracts 200 - 300 athletes from sports cycling clubs from provinces and cities across the country and foreign athletes. The race has two main contents: Advanced race for athletes aged 45 and under with a race distance of 55 km and grassroots race for athletes over 45 years old with a race distance of less than 30 km. The race route around Ho Chi Minh Square passes through Truong Thi, Ho Tung Mau, Le Mao, and Tran Phu streets.

Along with Vinh city and Cua Lo town, in 2023, Thai Hoa town also organized a bicycle race to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the town's establishment, attracting 100 male and female athletes from 8 cycling clubs, associations, and groups in Thai Hoa town and Nghia Dan district.

However, according to Mr. Phan Ngoc - a member of Vinh City Sports Cycling Club, according to people practicing sports cycling in the province, in recent years, compared to the training movement and competition needs of this sport, the number of racing competitions organized in the province is still quite small.

Like the previous Phuong Hoang Trung Do Cycling Tournament, which was held every 2 years, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic and some other objective reasons, the last time the tournament took place was nearly 6 years ago in 2018. Due to the lack of tournaments, to satisfy their passion, many Nghe An cyclists have registered to compete in tournaments outside the province such as the Hanoi Open Cycling Tournament, the Da Nang City Open Cycling Tournament, the Sam Son City Open Cycling Tournament, the Dong Hoi City Open Cycling Tournament, etc.

Therefore, in order for the Nghe An sports cycling movement to develop further, the Nghe An cycling community really wants to move towards establishing the provincial Sports Cycling Federation so that the organization of clubs and training and tournaments can be carried out more systematically and systematically. Along with that, each year there needs to be at least one tournament with over 300 athletes participating to create a playground for cyclists, while contributing to promoting the culture and tourism of the province./.