Leader of the pack: Cyclists race to the finish line during the third stage of the An Giang Television Cup. Vo Thi Phuong Phi (far right) passed all racers to claim her firststage win. — VNS Photo Hai Van

HA NOI (VNS) — Veteran cyclist Vo Thi Phuong Phi bagged the stage win at the International Women's Cycling Tournament while Kim Youri maintained her hold on the overall lead.

Phi of the Binh Duong Water Supply-Drainage and Environment team finished the 64km third stage from Ba Ria City in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province to Bien Hoa City in Dong Nai with a time of 1hr 45.20min.

South Korean cyclists Namkung Soyoung and Kim were second and third, respectively.

Vietnamese racers failed to break away from the Korean cyclists, who were ever vigilant against all attacks during the short race.

Only a group of four cyclists could break away at the 30km mark, but yellow jersey holder Kim quickly caught up some hundred metres later.

Just before the finish line, riders from Binh Duong opened an attack to support Phi, who sprinted past the pack to win.

Kim, who clocked an overall time of 4:45.59, is still in the top place, but her teammate Soyoung is just 4sec behind. The stage win pushed Phi into the top three, with a time of 4:45.69.

Kim and Soyoung helped their team consolidate their leading position in the ranking with a time of 14:18.57.

Binh Duong and the team from Japan are second and third.

Today, the fourth stage will start from HCM City to Ben Tre Province's Co Chien Wharf on a 98km-long route. — VNS