Kergozou pulled off a superb finish in stage 8 of the 2025 Ho Chi Minh City Television Cup

Nicholas Kergozou (left) and Savva Novikov are almost equal in terms of level - Photo: HTV

New Zealand racer Nicholas Kergozou (Club 620 Vinh Long Agriculture) had a top performance when he won by just a few centimeters against Russian foreign player Savva Novikov (Binh Minh Binh Duong Plastic) in stage 8 of the Ho Chi Minh City Television Cup - Ton Dong A 2025.

And a well-timed push helped Kergozou cross the finish line first after a challenging 171.5km race from Dong Hoi City (Quang Binh) to Hue City.

Stage 8 took place in hot and windy weather conditions. It required the riders to have endurance, reasonable tactics and the ability to read the race track delicately.

After the start, a series of attacks broke out, creating a leading group of 5 racers: Ta Tuan Vu (Military Zone 7), Vo Thanh An (620 Chau Thoi Vinh Long), Nguyen Hoang Ngoc Linh (Gao Hat Ngoc Troi An Giang), Nguyen Duong Ho Vu (HCMC - New Group) and Nguyen Anh Huy (Pelio Kenda Dong Nai).

With smooth coordination, this group at times created a gap of up to 2 minutes 30 seconds with the large group behind, and took turns sharing victory at 3 sprint points in the stage.

The highlight of the second half of the stage was Nguyen Hoang Ngoc Linh's spectacular solo breakaway. The An Giang racer suddenly launched a strong attack before the final sprint point in Hai Lang (Quang Tri). Accordingly, Nguyen Hoang Ngoc Linh took the lead alone and at times widened the gap to 3 minutes and 30 seconds.

However, the relentless pursuit of the strong teams, especially Vinh Long and Dong Thap, helped the large group narrow the gap. Around the last 15km, the racing group rejoined, signaling the high-speed sprint was about to take place.

Nicholas Kergozou has a thrilling sprint with Savva Novikov

And as expected, the top sprinters were ready to take their places, giving the audience in Hue City a spectacular sprint.

The Vinh Long riders put all their efforts into leading the charge, supporting Nicholas Kergozou in his sprint. But surprisingly, Savva Novikov - a Russian foreigner from Binh Duong cycling - also pushed forward strongly and took the lead in the last 200m.

The thrilling duel lasted until the last meter. Novikov seemed to be winning. But Kergozou proved his class with a technical push at the decisive moment.

Crossing the finish line at almost the same time, neither rider was sure who had won. Kergozou didn't even celebrate, but turned to look at his opponent with a surprised look.

It was only through slow-motion replay that the organizers were able to confirm that Kergozou was the winner, with a margin of just a few centimeters. This was the New Zealander’s fourth stage victory of the year, and helped him maintain the overall green jersey.

Meanwhile, the overall yellow jersey is still in the hands of Loic Desriac (Domesco Dong Thap Pharmaceutical) after 8 races.

Tomorrow (April 12), the racers will enter stage 9 - a 42km high-speed race around the two famous Trang Tien - Phu Xuan bridges (Hue City). With the short nature of the circuit, this promises to be a "stage" for sprint experts to compete.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/kergozou-rut-ve-dich-sieu-dang-o-chang-8-cup-truyen-hinh-tp-hcm-2025-2025041112234703.htm