A Powless Japan Cup

Breakaway: Powless leads with Michael Woods (4th place), Matej Mohoric (3rd),  Ilan Van Wilder (2nd) and Mauri Vansevenant (5th).

Neilson Powless attacked two thirds of the way into the 144 kilometer race in Utsunomiya with five riders. Heavy favorite going into the tradional last race of the season, Powless was in great form. On the final time up Mt. Kogshi, he left the others behind to take the win in style.

“This is my second win at the Japan Cup. This time, it was a lot more tactical, because there were five of us coming to the finish line. I was pretty confident in my sprint, but in the end it was tricky. Quick Step had two riders. When Vansevenant attacked, I knew it was the perfect moment to use him and jump in his draft. I tried to wait and wait until I closed again and caught him and then really opened my sprint with about 300 meters to go. It was really far out, but I still felt good.”

-Neilson Powless

Side note: The Japan Cup, which began in 1992 as a memorial to the 1990 UCI Road World Championships in Utsunomiya City, has grown into a key event in the Asian racing calendar.

Making his final appearance in the WorldTour, Yukiya Arashiro bids farewell to his time at Bahrain Victorious in the only UCI ProSeries race on his home roads. He has been with Bahrain Victorious since the team was founded in 2017. He is an ambassador for Japanese cycling, developing sport within Japan and representing the country on the world stage. Arashiro’s career has been remarkable. He has completed an impressive 16 Gran Tours, including 7 Tour de France appearances. A respected figure in the cycling world.

 

Final results

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