Japanese club looks to recruit Vietnamese riders

05/05/2008 -- 4:26 PM

Hanoi (VNA) – A leading Japanese cycling club is eyeing Vietnamese cyclists under its four-year plan to participate in Tour de France, the world’s largest cycling event. Officials of the club Equipe Asada tested three young players on May 4: Le Van Duan, Mai Nguyen Hung from the Dofilm team and Bui Minh Thuy of Vinh Long. Testing is the first step in recruiting athletes from Asian countries. The club is now looking for the strongest riders in Asia to take part in about 200 international tournaments a year and training in France and Asian countries. The club skipper Shinichi Fukushima said he knew the athletes through different sources such as television, the mass media, Vietnam Cycling Federation and from an introduction by an Equipe Asada member on the national Thai team. “It they are recruited, they will train at centres with world-class facilities in Nagano ( Japan ) and Gaillac Toulza ( France ),” said Fukushima . Although the three Vietnamese cyclists are not the most famous, Fukushima said they were selected based on their potential for cycling. “Their achievement may not be remarkable now but with our support and through tournaments, they will be threatening rivals in the future,” he said. “I’m impressed with Duan and believed that he would pass the test,” he said. Equipe Asada were set up in 1998 with 12 cyclists and it is now one of the most powerful teams in Japan . Every year its racers participate in more than 40 local and international competitions.-Enditem
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