Vietnamese cyclist Nguyen Thi That lost the overall yellow jersey at the Tour of Thailand 2026 after race organizers penalized her for a foul committed during a sprint. This decision nullified her sprint one victory and added 10 seconds to her overall time, causing her to drop from first to third place in the general classification.

Heading into the final stage from Sri Chiang Mai to Nong Khai, covering 81,9 km, That was third overall, 12 seconds behind Zakharkina Valeriya of GNC-Fnix Girl Power Cycling. Her team's strategy to accumulate bonus seconds at intermediate sprints and the finish line proved successful, as she won sprint one, securing 3 bonus seconds. She then powerfully overtook local rider Jutatip to win the final stage, earning an additional 10 seconds, for a total gain of 13 seconds.

The moment Nguyen Thi That pushed an opponent to try and break ahead in sprint one.

With Valeriya finishing ninth in the final stage, That initially claimed the overall yellow jersey by a narrow margin of one second. "I am very happy with this victory. Our goal was to win here, and I achieved it to claim the coveted jersey", That tearfully told Thai media after crossing the finish line.

However, her joy was short-lived. Minutes later, race organizers announced the penalty, which included nullifying her sprint one victory and deducting 5 green jersey points. According to Coach Huynh Van Chanh, officials reviewed video footage of sprint one after the stage concluded, determining that That had pushed an opponent. "Two rival cyclists blocked her path, creating a bottleneck that prevented That from initiating her sprint. So, she pushed an opponent to find a way to attack", Chanh told VnExpress.

Despite losing the overall yellow jersey, That found some consolation. She retained the green jersey for the sprint queen and the purple jersey for the best Southeast Asian rider.

Nguyen Thi That wins the final stage of the Tour of Thailand on the afternoon of 2/4.

Nguyen Thi That, born in 1993 in An Giang, began her elite road cycling career at the An Giang Television Cup in 2010. Her achievements include a bronze medal at the 27th SEA Games, a silver medal at the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, and five gold medals at the SEA Games in 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2023. Her career continued to flourish with three gold medals at the Asian Road Cycling Championships in 2018, 2022, and 2023, and a silver medal in 2024.

The Women’s Tour of Thailand, held from 31/3 to 2/4/2026 in Nong Khai province, featured three stages. The race attracted 19 teams from 12 countries, comprising 89 strong riders from the region and continent. Notable participating teams included those from China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, South Korea, and the Philippines. The Vietnamese women's team is a regular guest at the event, and Nguyen Thi That has frequently achieved high honors on Thai soil.

Duc Dong