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KATIE BARDSLEY BECOMES FIRST VIETNAMESE WOMAN TO CYCLE 549 KM IN 24 HOURS

By Mr Old Man

Posted on March 13, 2023

6 min read

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Katie completed 24 hour cycling challenge

Katie Bardsley (Vietnamese name is Bui Thi Phuc, 32 years old) just completed 549 km after 24 hours of continuous cycling to become the first female cyclist in Vietnam to set an unprecedented record.

Representative of Da Nang Cycling Association congratulates and awards a medal to Katie

The 24-hour cycling event organized by the Da Nang Cycling Association aimed to raise funds to support local charity programs and Katie was the main character of the event, while there were a lot of local amateur cyclists alternately accompanied Katie throughout the journey.

A large number of cyclists accompanied Katie

Starting at 17:30 on March 11 at East Sea Park in Da Nang City and ending at East Sea Park at exactly 17:30 the next day, Katie, a mother of two, persistently cycled 24 hours to complete a distance of 549 km.

Checking everything before starting to ride

Just started cycling in May 2021 with the aim of losing weight after giving birth, but Katie Bardsley, now living and working in Hoi An, has quickly become a great female cyclist when consecutively winning many cycling races in Da Nang.

The first prize Katie participated and won the Second Prize (relay team) was IRONMAN 70.3 Vietnam held in Da Nang in May 2022.

In August 2022 Katie joined Da Nang GRAN FONDO and was in the Top 5.

Also in August 2022 Katie participated in the NTT-SKY Open Cycling Race and won the Championship.

Recently, Katie won the Ngu Hanh Son Open Cycling Race held in early January 2023.

Katie is also an excellent cycling climber. It only took her 29 minutes and 50 seconds to climb South Hai Van pass and ranked 3rd behind professional racer Em J Fox of Spaero Elite Team, Indonesia (27 minutes and 16 seconds) and Kieu Trinh, Da Nang (29 minutes and 06 seconds).

Katie said that after being pregnant with her second child, she gained more than 30 kg, so after giving birth, she was determined to lose weight and began to love cycling. Fortunately, Katie’s husband, Richie Bardsley, who is also passionate and knowledgeable about bicycles, helped Katie practice and date each other on the roads.

At the end of the journey after 24 hours of continuous cycling, Katie did not show any fatigue. Asked what motivated her to complete the challenge, Katie said: “I am a big fan of American cyclist Amanda Coker, the first woman in history to cross 500 miles in 24 hours. I also want to have the opportunity to do something extraordinary like her and today I did.”

Although not equal to Amanda’s record, until now Katie has become the first female amateur cyclist in Vietnam to cycle continuously for 24 hours and have completed 549 km. The cyclists accompanying Katie all admired her toughness and determination.

Friends accompanied Katie overnight.

Jack Anh, a member of the Executive Committee of the Da Nang Cycling Association and an event organizer, was touched when talking about Katie’s efforts: “She is truly extraordinary! The 24-hour charity cycling event joined by Katie and other cyclists is not only meaningful in terms of humanity, but also contributes to promoting the development of the cycling movement in Da Nang city.”

It is known that through this event, Da Nang Cycling Association and Katie have raised a significant amount of money from donators and the cyclist community to support patients of Da Nang Cancer Hospital and the funds of Newborns Vietnam.