The season ends with a chance for the top puncheurs. Who will win the Japan Cup 2015 after 14 laps with lots of climbing?
A big breakaway forms early on. 9 riders, some of those teammates of favourites. Lane Ewan Gillett Klimiankou Bartl Tanovitchii Sys Van Poppel Van Baarle
La Vie Claire, Quickstep, Venchi and Meiji work the most in the peloton on the first laps. After 5 laps the gap is quickly over 7min.
Since then the peloton reduced the gap and with 40km to go it`s only 2'30 left. Responsible are mainly Quickstep and La Vie Claire with their leaders Froome and Gautier.
Several other teams though did support them over the last few laps.
But now with 3 laps to go, it`s the home team do work at the front. In especially the Japanese Champion is celebrated a lot by the home fans.
Ben Nasser is the first favourite to attack on the descent with 2 laps to go. 90s left for the breakaway.
This forced other puncheurs to move to the front to higher the pace. Di Maggio, Efimkin, Froome, Gautier, Bellis, Ulissi, Bobridge, Dowsett and Monfort are all in a good position while Ben Nasser is catching some dropped riders of the breakaway.
Only Lane, Bartl and Klimiankou are left ahead of the peloton. This means also Ben Nasser is caught and more attacks now. Gautier Ulissi
go first and are followed by: Di Maggio Froome Bobridge Dowsett Betancourt
All those attacks basically destroyed any gaps and due to Meiji`s huge effort by a 4 rider train they are all in a still 126 rider peloton. All but Lane, who is still having a small gap on the last big climb.
On top of this climb also Lane is reached by the first puncheurs and Di Maggio is the one with another acceleration.
Behind him Dowsett, Froome and Ji together with Lane.
Surprisingly Ji seems to be Meiji`s strongest today as he easily opened a gap while working for his actual leaders.
On the descent only Di Maggio kept his gap. Behind him 21 riders only: Ulissi Zeits Betancourt Bartl Monfort Dowsett Gautier Mandri Ji Efimkin Hatanaka Zaini Bobridge Jiao Froome Bellis Houle Lane Cobo Kelderman Shushemoin
Nice to see the Japanese Meiji team with the strongest contingent here including two home riders. Also RBC with some support for Bellis even though Lane surely is exhausted.
Missing this split are Roy Barrio Ben Nasser Bilbao Lejman Vogt Rabon Kump
as biggest names.
6km to go and Di Maggio still holind a small gap to the rest while Shushemoin and Mandri are dropped from the later group.
4km left and Meiji is obviously trying to create some kind of sprint train with Zaini and Hatanaka in the best position. Also RBC working with Lane in first position and Bellis just a few spots behind, while Houle is going for the Meiji train.
After the last wave, Di Maggio apparently gained a few more seconds as he is 300m in front.
Behind Efimkin and Ulissi go first.
But those two are quickly passed by the next riders. Bobridge in pole position now just a bit behind Di Maggio and also Monfort, Zeits or Betancourt coming fast now. Surprisingly those riders in a later position are stronger now.
400m left and Di Maggio is almost caught but the riders are exhausted and barely have any energy left to sprint.
So it`s Di Maggio passing the line first as the next riders never were able to reach him.
Bobridge as 2nd with another good Oz result this season ahead of Monfort on a great 3rd.
Betancourt as 4th ahead of Ulissi and Bellis. Gautier, Houle, Kelderman and Dowsett complete the top 10, which means, Meiji might have been the strongest team here but did not make it into the top positions which is really disappointing for them. Surely they come back stronger next year.
