Cory Wallace defends Vietnam Victory Challenge title

by Steve Thomas

Victoria-based Kona Factory Team rider Cory Wallace continued his nomadic off-season of racing with a dominant win at the Vietnam Victory Challenge (March 11 to 13), just as he did in the debut edition of the race a year earlier. After a busy racing and riding schedule in New Zealand, Wallace is making his way back home, scoring early season victories and training miles along the way. “After a long spell in New Zealand, we flew to Vietnam for this race, and now it’s on to Sapa (in the north of Vietnam),” Wallace said. “From there, we’ll tour back through Laos and maybe Thailand. It’s a great way of getting in some solid pre-season training miles.”

Some 149 riders of multiple nationalities turned out for the three-day mountain bike stage race on forested circuits in the suburbs of Dalat, a bustling hill town on a high plateau 300 km northeast of Ho Chi Minh City. Dry and warm conditions made for comfortable racing throughout the categories. In the men’s open event, Wallace was a step above the opposition, which was made up of leading southeast Asian riders such as Cambodian Seyha Sang (Flying Bikes) and Vietnamese rider Loc Phung Van (Quan Khu 7).

“It’s a good race,” Wallace said, “and I really like to come here not just for the training and the racing – it really helps to inspire the Vietnamese riders.”

In the women’s open event, overall victory went to American Katherine Kaufman (Stan’s No Tubes) as it did in 2015. She was pushed hard right to the end by Erin Green, who finished seven minutes back after three tough days on the trail, which for elite riders added up to around 50 km per day. The race is organized by U.S. ex-pat Bob Lofgren, who works for Specialized at the company’s Vietnamese production facility. If you fancy a winter riding trip with a little competitive spice check out next year’s race at vietnamvictorychallenge.com.