Japanese National Championships - CNHiroshima, Japan, June 11, 2000Abe wins the title for the second timeYoshiyuki Abe, a former Mapei Rider, won the Japanese National Championship, and will likely represent Japan at the Olympic Games as their sole member of the road team. He beat Shimano teammate, Osamu Sumida at the end of the 168 kilometre, 14 lap race. On the 13th lap, 28 riders jumped away from the peloton, and from that, Abe attacked on the final lap. Kazuya Okazaki chased Abe, but Osamu Sumida, Abe's teammate followed. Finally, Abe finished solo, about 10 seconds in front of Sumida and Okazaki, who were about 30 seconds in front of the peloton. 30 year old Abe turned professional with Italian Panaria-Vinavil team in 1996, and won a stage of Tour of Poland. In 1997, he joined Italian Mapei-GB team, and won the Japanese National Championships and the Japan Cup. Results - 168 km (14x12 km laps)1.Yoshiyuki Abe (Shimano Racing) 4.18.43 (39 km/h) 2.Osamu Sumida (Shimano Racing) 0.07 3.kazuya Okazaki (Kinan Le Soleil) 0.11 4.Hidenori Nodera (Shimano Racing) 0.14 5.Shinri Suzuki (Shimano Racing) 0.15 6.Nobuo Tamaki (Cheblo Artnature) 0.16 7.Masahiko Mifune (Tonissteiner-Colnago) 8.Osamu Kurimura (Miyata - Subaru Racing Team) 9.Tetsuya Okada (Team Bridgestone Anchor) 0.17 10.Shinji Suziki (Aisan Racing Team Racing Team) 11.Nobuhiro Mashimo (Nipponhodo Racing Team) 12.Yuichi Numata (Aisan Racing Team Racing Team) 13.Shusaku Takahashi (Cheblo Artnature) 14.Yasuhiro Nakajima (Kinan Le Soleil) 15.Kyoshi Miura (Kinan Le Soleil) 16.Naokiyo Hashisako (Cheblo Artnature) 0.18 17.Hisafumi Imanishi (Shimano Racing) 18.Junichi Shibuya (Team Bridgestone Anchor) 19.Masafumi Nishitani (CWS Club) 0.19 20.Hisashi Matsui (Shimano Racing) 21.Masahiro Yasuhara (Kinan Le Soleil) 0.20 22.Yasutaka Tashiro (Team Bridgestone Anchor) 23.Kentaro Eshita (Aisan Racing Team Racing Team) 1.11 24.Tomokazu Fujino (Team Bridgestone Anchor ) 1.13 25.Tomoya Kano (Shimano Racing) 1.15 26.Kozo Fujita (Team Bridgestone Anchor) 1.54 27.Masakazu Mori (Miyata - Subaru Racing Team) 2.33 28.Makoto Iijima (Sumita Ravanello Pearlizumi) 4.12 29.Kazuyuki Manabe (Miyata - Subaru Racing Team) 4.23 30.Yoshimasa Hirose (YOST) 4.35 31.Yasuhiro Yamamoto (Shimano Racing) 10.34 32.Toshiyuki Nishiyama (Kinan Le Soleil) 10.35 33.Shinichi Fukushima (Team Bridgestone Anchor) 10.43 34.Jun Ihara (Aisan Racing Team Racing Team ) 15.44 35.Koki Shinbo (Sumita Ravanello Pearlizumi) 16.44 Starters:94 Finishers:35Women - 72 km 1. Miho Oki (Chebro-Artneture) 2.10.48 (33.03 km/h) * She will go to the Sydney Olympic Road Race Results & report courtesy of Miwako Sisaki |