The “huge” value of the burned-out fleet of the Vietnam cycling team
Among the 27 bicycles of the Vietnam road cycling team that were burned in Thailand, some had a very high value, up to 16,800 USD each.
“The two bicycles I brought to Thailand for the competition were worth over 33,600 USD,” said cyclist Nguyen Tuan Vu, a member of the Vietnam road cycling team, sharing with reporters after the incident on February 5. The bikes were on their way to Phitsanulok, a city in northern Thailand, for the 2025 Asian Road Cycling Championship when the tragic event occurred.
Cyclist Tuan Vu brought two racing bikes to compete in the tournament in Thailand, including a Cervelo model designed specifically for individual time trial events. This bike is worth over 16,800 USD, and just the pair of Scope wheels alone is valued at more than 4,200 USD
In addition, Nguyen Tuan Vu also brought a Giant road racing bike worth around 16,800 USD. These are the two bikes that the Ho Chi Minh City team invested in for the lead cyclist Nguyen Tuan Vu, and he used them when joining the national team.
“My two bikes are among the most expensive ones in the Vietnam road cycling team, not to mention the bikes from the An Giang women’s team, which are also highly valuable,” said cyclist Nguyen Tuan Vu.
The 2000-born cyclist shared that having two bikes burned right before the tournament began caused him and his teammates to feel confused, significantly affecting their chances of competing for titles at this event, despite the Thai organizers’ commitment to providing other bikes for the Vietnam team.
“It will have a big impact on my performance and that of my teammates. Using our familiar bikes is already challenging in international competitions, let alone using unfamiliar bikes,” affirmed Tuan Vu.
This bike-burning incident is particularly unfortunate for Tuan Vu, as he was expected to achieve high results in the tournament in Thailand. The 26-year-old cyclist previously won a gold medal in the 40km individual time trial at the national championships in 2020 and 2023 and gold in the 40km road race in 2022 and 2024.
Another affected athlete from the Vietnam team is Nguyen Thi That, whose two Trek bikes were destroyed in the incident. “The two Trek bikes of mine were worth over 4,200 USD each. The total number of bikes destroyed by our team is 27, and they are all very valuable,” Nguyen Thi That shared with reporters on February 6.
Notably, Nguyen Thi That previously won a gold medal in the road race at the 2023 Asian Championships and earned a spot for the Olympics. In 2024, she also secured a silver medal at the competition.
Nguyen Ngoc Vu, Secretary General of the Vietnam Cycling and Motorcycle Federation, who is also the team leader of the Vietnam road cycling team currently in Thailand, stated that he and the tournament organizers are meeting to find a resolution for the incident.
“At the moment, the Thai organizers have contacted the Vietnam team to assess the damage and determine how to resolve the situation. They have gathered information about the quantity and sizes of helmets and shoes for the Vietnamese cyclists to assist us in continuing the competition.
We are currently compiling a detailed list of the equipment on the bikes that were burned to send to the organizers for compensation. This is the responsibility of the organizers, as they were in charge of the transportation when we arrived in Thailand,” confirmed Nguyen Ngoc Vu.
The 2025 Asian Road Cycling Championships will take place from February 7 to February 16. The event will gather nearly 500 top cyclists from the continent, including professional national teams, U23 teams, U18 youth teams, as well as older athletes competing in the Master category. The competition is also part of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) racing system, providing cyclists with valuable experience in preparation for the 33rd SEA Games.
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