After the dust has settled we had only one rider in the break today. That rider was Eldridge. Surely a great stage regardless for Team Type 1. He has a 2'00 gap to the pack with well over 200 kilometres to go, with little winds and the sun high it was going to be a long day in the saddle.
The early chasers.
Blazquez did much of the riding on the front, early on. BelarusBank Pro Cycling, Sancor Cycling Team and Novatek-Panarmenian.net also weren't afraid of putting riders on the front early on.
After having a zenith gap of 7'00 with 115 KM to go the gap is down to just 3'07, back to an intact peloton, with 50 KM to go to our solo rider out front.
43 KM to go.
De Backer lights up the race with an attack, the one man break 2'00 up the road. This first piece of real action puts many in the hurt locker now we are well over 200 KM into the race.
De Backer, showing well, inches his way across to Eldridge with 32 KM to go....
.... however, the duo would soon be caught and with 25 KM to go we are all back together.
The heat is on! The pace is on!
With 20 KM to go surely the elastic is about to snap with, continental sprint powerhouses, Novatek-Panarmenian.net and Sancor Cycling Team drilling the peloton along.
15 KM to go - 51 riders dropped.
The peloton shells its numbers down to 85 as attrition really kicks in. Above we can see Godoy leading the gruppeto, which also includes: the Cypriot champ, Haddou, Park, Peeters, Nateghi & Tolosa.
Reckless abandon mode: ON!
Sancor Cycling Team are drilling along the peloton like men possessed. Yes, they are dropping much of the competition but they are also dropping their lead-out men for with 12 KM to go .....
.... last lead-out man Andriato is dropped as the peloton reaches the 12 KM to go banner. But, maybe it is worth it as Forero has been dropped! The Colombian fast-man must be on a bad day to find himself not in the lead-group and with no chance of contesting the sprint today. At the same time Turgot is also dropped.
It is all kicking off now!
Strava really don't want this one to end in a sprint. Super-rouleur Tennant attacks with 11 KM to go! What a move!
It is left up to Compal-Merida to shut down this move. Lowe, more than others, is giving his all.
But, there doesn't look like there is anyone left in the favourites group capable of shutting down the Brit TT specialist.
With 5 KM to go the gap to Tennant holds steady at '30.....
.... but there is no let-up in the peloton and the gap starts to decrease as Tennant pays for his effort. He only has a handful of seconds on the favourites as a big moves erupts with 2 KM to go:
Pozdnyakov attacks with Serebriakov on the wheel, destroying the gap to the lone leader out front. Matthews and Richeze are able to go with this move.
Sobota tried to go with the move, but couldn't. King and Pelucchi are the next sprinters on the road, maginally ahead of a raft of Compal-Merida, Novatek-Panarmenian.net and Sancor domestiques, but surely too far back to accost the favourites' chances of winning!
So close! Just outside the 1 KM to go banner Tennant is passed by Serebriakov and the other top names. Matthews, on the wheel, looks dangerous and fresh this late on in the race.
... some 20 riders further back we can see Corioni on the road. The likes of Hutarovich, Vanderaerden and Ratto are still in the lead-group, albeit towards the back. Not a straight forward sprinting race by any means.
A flagging Serebriakov is passed by Matthews with ease with 500 meters left. Surely the Richeze is the only one who can prevent an Aussie victory in Japan? King and Pelucchi are finishing fast from behind.
Victory Matthews!
Compal-Merida take a win in what is almost a home victory! That was a decent two bike gap in the end. Such a performance shows why they are the favourites for the CT crown.
King and Pelucchi rounded out the podium in the end, their teams can be thrilled with that result.
Richeze held on the fourth. Serebriakov, 8th, really did go backwards, however, his team somehow managed to fill 4 riders in the top 11 in the every-man-for-himself finale. Rouleur Kuznetsov the best in 5th.
Rouelurs Bauer, Sulzberger and Mørkøv all finished in the top 10 which indicates plenty about who the end favoured.
Verschoor rounds out the top 13.
A man in the break and some decent points from the finish, a good race for Team Type 1. With that we can wrap up the 2015 GP Tokyo.
