In gear: Tran Van Quyen (left), and other cyclists pedal to the finish of the fifth stage of the Mekong Delta Cycling Tournament. — VNS Photo Hai Van

HA NOI (VNS)— Tran Van Quyen clinched a fifth stage victory in the Delta Mekong Cycling Tournament, which saw the whole pack set a record speed.

As all the cyclists crossed the finish line at the same time, they shared the same time of 2hr 27.59min after their 118km hike from Ca Mau to Soc Trang City.

Top place went to Le Van Duan of Eximbank HCM City, Quyen of Military Zone 7 was second and Ivan Dominguez of TRU Cycling-Tamouh Phu My third.

However, the panel of judges decided not to recognise Duan's success after watching a video playback, which showed that he had unfairly blocked out his rivals over the last few metres of the stage.

As a result, Quyen was lifted to top place, Dominguez was second and Nguyen Thanh Tam of An Giang Plant Protection came third.

Despite being the longest stage of the tournament, the cyclists had the wind behind them and set a record of 47.843km/h, the fastest speed recorded in its history.

As all the cyclists shared the same time, there is no change in the tournament's rankings for the top three individuals and teams. Truong Nguyen Thanh Nhan of Sai Gon Plant Protection, did not look like losing his yellow jersey, clocking up a time of 13:20.30. Tang Chi Hung from ADC-Vinh Long Television crossed the line in second place and Ben Tre team member Nguyen Quoc Dinh came third, six seconds adrift.

Domesco Pharmacy Dong Thap, lead the team placings on 40:03.32 and Phu My with 40:04.50 lie second, followed by Military Zone 7 on 40:04.64.

In the race for the green jersey, Dominguez is still favourite for the title, with 82 points after five stages. He left runner-up Quyen in the distance, collecting only 70 points.

The six stage today will be the 85km run from Soc Trang to Vi Thanh City. — VNS