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8th Tour of Japan - 2.5
Japan, May 23-30, 2004
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Stage 5 - May 29: Utsunomiya Forest Park Circuit, Utsunomiya, 154.5km
Lozano takes second stage but Fukushima into the lead
By Miwako Sasaki, Japan Cycle Sports
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Japanese rider Fukushima Shinichi (Team Bridgestone Anchor), winner of the Utsunomiya stage in 2002, couldn't win the same stage of the Tour of Japan today after finishing third behind Roberto Lozano (Team Etxeondo) and Shinri Suzuki (Shimano Racing). But Fukushima was rewarded with a bigger prize: the green leader's jersey.
The race was 15 laps of a hilly circuit (10.3km) held in fine and hot conditions. It was the final race for Junichi Shibuya (Team Bridgestone Anchor) who will retire as a rider on Sunday and received a bouquet of flowers before the start. So it was a special race for Team Bridgestone Anchor today.
Spanish rider Lozano was only 16 seconds behind race leader Takumi Beppu (Aisan Ind. Racing Team) on GC after Stage 4. So he tried to break away with other riders from the peloton in the first lap. And finally he could make the first group of six riders after two laps. The members of the lead group were Lozano and his teammate Sebastian Franco (Team Etxeondo), Alonso Aitor Galdos (Team Nippo), Bruno Buetiger (Team Macandina), Tomoya Kano (Shimano Racing) and Fukushima.
They had almost a 4'00 gap to the green jersey's group at six laps to go, and the peloton started to thin down when the chase began. The gap decreased quickly, and the leader's group caught the break on the climb at four laps to go.
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There were now about 20 riders left in front of the race and all tried to attack, but the green jersey Beppu couldn't follow them, and he struggled 1'00 behind the first group at two laps to go. On the final laps, the current mountains leader Shinri Suzuki (Shimano Racing) and Japanese national champion Yasutaka Tashiro crossed the climb first, with Christian Heule (Team Macandina), Lozano and Fukushima following them.
"My Teammate Tashiro was with in the final group," said Fukushima. "It was an advantage for me. I told him to please stay with me, but he attacked and left me on the final lap. It worked well as Lozano and Heule climbed slowly and I could follow them, because I was very tired on the climb at two laps to go."
Lozano couldn't leave Fukushima behind like Beppu, but the Spaniard took his second stage victory in the sprint ahead of Suzuki and Fukushima. "I'm satisfied with two victories," he said. "I'm in form now and have confidence. I could climb well, and still had good legs for the final sprint."
Fukushima wears the green leader's jersey now, and Lozano (at 0'14) and Heule (at 0'15) are behind him. Although it's a dead flat circuit for the final stage in Tokyo tomorrow, Olexandr Klymenko erased a six second deficit to the leader in Tokyo in 2002.
Australian National Team Report
By Brian Stephens, Australian Under 23 Team Manager
The fifth stage of the Tour of Japan was around the 1990 world championship and subsequent Japan Cup circuit at Utsumomiya. The race was 15 laps of the tough circuit and looked set to finalize the GC. The action was on from the gun again with David Betts, Nick Sanderson and Ashley Humbert involved in the first split. Aaron Kemps came across to make it four Australians in a lead group of 45. The attacks kept coming and Ashley Humbert gave everything to get Betts to the front group. Finally a group of five, all placed at the top of the GC, got clear and came in narrowly ahead of Betts, who attacked his bunch and put a small gap into them, improving his position on GC.
Photography
Images by Miwako Sasaki/Japan Cycle Sports
- Junichi Shibuya (Team Bridgestone Anchor) received a bouquet before the start, because he will be retired on Sunday
- Australian Aaron Kemps wearing the yellow sprint jersey before the start
- The winner of the 5th stage Andre Schulze (VC Frankfurt-Radteam-Bruegelman) celebrated his win with his teammate drinking champagne named 'Andre'
- Takumi Beppu (Aisan Ind. Racing Team) kept the green leader's jersey for three days
- David Betts (Australian National Team, C) can ride well in Japan, finishing in 6th place
- Robert Lozano (Team Etxeondo) won the race ahead of Shinri Suzuki (Shimano Racing) and Shinichi Fukushima (Team Bridgestone Anchor)
- Shinichi Fukushima (Team Bridgestone Anchor) finally gets the green leader's jersey
- Small supporters of the Fukushima brothers (Team Bridgestone Anchor) are on the top of mountain with a flag 'Shinichi & Koji, Cheers!!'
- Robert Lozano (Team Etxeondo, L) can't leave Shinichi Fukushima (Team Bridgestone Anchor, R) behind in the hilly stage
- Three jerseys on the podium (L to R): Blue Points jersey Robert Lozano (Team Etxeondo), Red Mountains Jersey Aitor Galdos (Team Nippo) and Green Leader's Jersey Shinichi Fukushima (Team Bridgestone Anchor)
Results
1 Roberto Lozano (Spa) Team Etxeondo 4.15.18 2 Shinri Suzuki (Jpn) Shimano Racing 3 Shinichi Fukushima (Jpn) Team Bridgestone Anchor 4 Christian Heule (Swi) Team Macandina 5 Yasutaka Tashiro (Jpn) Team Bridgestone Anchor 0.07 6 David Betts (Aus) Australian National Team 0.20 7 Jan Ramsauer (Swi) Team Macandina 8 Guozhang Wang (Chn) People's Republic of China 0.23 9 Junichi Shibuya (Jpn) Team Bridgestone Anchor 10 Bruno Buetiger (Swi) Team Macandina 11 Kuan Hua Lai (Tpe) Giant Asia Racing Team 12 Ghader Mizbani Iranagh (Iri) Giant Asia Racing Team 13 Mikhail Teteriouk (Kaz) Team Nippo 14 Miguel Luis Pena (Spa) Team Etxeondo 15 Tomoya Kano (Jpn) Shimano Racing 16 Akira Kakinuma (Jpn) Kinan CCD 17 Kazuyuki Manabe (Jpn) Miyata-Subaru Racing Team 0.31 18 Yoshimasa Hirose (Jpn) Shimano Racing 2.21 19 Masamichi Yamamoto (Jpn) Shimano Racing 4.22 20 Michael Mueller (Swi) Team Macandina 21 Ngai Ching Wong (HKg) Hong Kong China 22 Marcel Klaus (Swi) Team Macandina 23 Karsten Volkmann (Ger) VC Frankfurt Radteam-Brügelmann 24 Takumi Beppu (Jpn) Aisan-Ind Racing Team 25 Ashley Humbert (Aus) Australian National Team 26 Kyoshi Miura (Jpn) Kinan CCD 27 Kazuya Okazaki (Jpn) Team Nippo 28 Koji Fukushima (Jpn) Team Bridgestone Anchor 29 Yoshiyuki Abe (Jpn) Shimano Racing 30 Hidenori Nodera (Jpn) Shimano Racing 10.41 31 Maarten De Jonge (Ned) Team Fuji Bikes 32 Satoshi Hirose (Jpn) Team Nippo 33 Bas Robroek (Ned) Team Fuji Bikes 34 Manabu Hirose (Jpn) Kinan CCD 35 Makoto Takeuchi (Jpn) Team Etxeondo 36 Ken Hashikawa (Jpn) Kinan CCD 37 Masahiko Mifune (Jpn) Miyata-Subaru Racing Team 38 Roman Gugger (Swi) Team Macandina 39 Alonso Aitor Galdos (Spa) Team Nippo 10.47 40 Osamu Sumida (Jpn) Kinan CCD 14.13 41 Masahiro Shinagawa (Jpn) Miyata-Subaru Racing Team 14.19 42 Mariusz Wiesiak (Pol) Team Nippo 43 Takehiro Mizutani (Jpn) Team Bridgestone Anchor 44 Ikki Yoneyama (Jpn) Sumita Ravanello Pearl Izumi 45 Daisuke Hioki (Jpn) Kinan CCD 46 Taiji Nishitani (Jpn) Aisan-Ind Racing Team 47 Kazuo Inoue (Jpn) Team Bridgestone Anchor 48 Kojiro Nakagawa (Jpn) Miyata-Subaru Racing Team 49 Sebastian Franco (Spa) Team Etxeondo 19.19 50 Andrew Randell (Can) Jet Fuel Coffee 23.19 50 Kevin Miller (Can) Jet Fuel Coffee 50 Marc Hohmann (Ger) VC Frankfurt Radteam-Brügelmann 50 Aaron Kemps (Aus) Australian National Team 50 Nicholas Sanderson (Aus) Australian National Team 55 Takashi Nakazato (Jpn) Team Etxeondo 27.19 56 Glen Chadwick (Aus) Giant Asia Racing Team 29.19 57 Ryan Roth (Can) Jet Fuel Coffee 31.19 57 Allan Iacuone (Aus) Giant Asia Racing Team 57 Edmund Hollands (Aus) Giant Asia Racing Team 57 Vladislavs Lukasenko (Lat) Team Fuji Bikes 57 Maikel Paas (Ned) Team Fuji Bikes 57 Danny Sijen (Ned) Team Fuji Bikes 57 Henning Jaecks (Ger) VC Frankfurt Radteam-Brügelmann 57 Patrik Kohler (Ger) VC Frankfurt Radteam-Brügelmann 57 Andre Schulze (Ger) VC Frankfurt Radteam-Brügelmann 57 Bernard Sulzberger (Aus) Australian National Team 57 Richard Moffatt (Aus) Australian National Team 57 Chun Hing Chan (HKg) Hong Kong China 57 Mitsuteru Tanaka (Jpn) Aisan-Ind Racing Team 57 Takeshi Hashimoto (Jpn) Miyata-Subaru Racing Team 57 Yoshinori Iino (Jpn) Sumita Ravanello Pearl Izumi 72 Kin San Wu (HKg) Hong Kong China 37.19 72 Stefano Guerrini (Ita) Team Nippo DNF Kai Tsun Lam (HKg) Hong Kong China DNF Chun Ming Tsoi (HKg) Hong Kong China DNF Jiguo Li (Chn) People's Republic of China DNF Koki Shimbo (Jpn) Aisan-Ind Racing Team DNF Ken Akita (Jpn) Aisan-Ind Racing Team DNF Tetsuya Ishida (Jpn) Miyata-Subaru Racing Team DNF Kazutaka Fukao (Jpn) Sumita Ravanello Pearl Izumi General classification after stage 5 1 Shinichi Fukushima (Jpn) Team Bridgestone Anchor 16.38.21 2 Roberto Lozano (Spa) Team Etxeondo 0.14 3 Christian Heule (Swi) Team Macandina 0.15 4 Mikhail Teteriouk (Kaz) Team Nippo 0.40 5 Tomoya Kano (Jpn) Shimano Racing 0.45 6 Shinri Suzuki (Jpn) Shimano Racing 0.53 7 Yasutaka Tashiro (Jpn) Team Bridgestone Anchor 1.18 8 David Betts (Aus) Australian National Team 1.50 9 Guozhang Wang (Chn) People's Republic of China 1.51 10 Ghader Mizbani Iranagh (Iri) Giant Asia Racing Team 1.57 11 Kazuyuki Manabe (Jpn) Miyata-Subaru Racing Team 2.16 12 Jan Ramsauer (Swi) Team Macandina 3.36 13 Takumi Beppu (Jpn) Aisan-Ind Racing Team 4.20 14 Kuan Hua Lai (Tpe) Giant Asia Racing Team 6.41 15 Ashley Humbert (Aus) Australian National Team 6.44 16 Koji Fukushima (Jpn) Team Bridgestone Anchor 8.21 17 Yoshimasa Hirose (Jpn) Shimano Racing 11.08 18 Kazuya Okazaki (Jpn) Team Nippo 11.27 19 Junichi Shibuya (Jpn) Team Bridgestone Anchor 11.57 20 Akira Kakinuma (Jpn) Kinan CCD 21 Yoshiyuki Abe (Jpn) Shimano Racing 12.03 22 Masamichi Yamamoto (Jpn) Shimano Racing 14.13 23 Karsten Volkmann (Ger) VC Frankfurt Radteam-Brügelmann 15.04 24 Marcel Klaus (Swi) Team Macandina 15.56 25 Hidenori Nodera (Jpn) Shimano Racing 17.14 26 Kyoshi Miura (Jpn) Kinan CCD 20.41 27 Sebastian Franco (Spa) Team Etxeondo 20.47 28 Miguel Luis Pena (Spa) Team Etxeondo 23.22 29 Satoshi Hirose (Jpn) Team Nippo 23.36 30 Mariusz Wiesiak (Pol) Team Nippo 25.37 31 Bruno Buetiger (Swi) Team Macandina 32 Ken Hashikawa (Jpn) Kinan CCD 29.50 33 Ngai Ching Wong (HKg) Hong Kong China 30.36 34 Manabu Hirose (Jpn) Kinan CCD 33.16 35 Makoto Takeuchi (Jpn) Team Etxeondo 34.09 36 Michael Mueller (Swi) Team Macandina 34.20 37 Aaron Kemps (Aus) Australian National Team 34.49 38 Alonso Aitor Galdos (Spa) Team Nippo 34.59 39 Bas Robroek (Ned) Team Fuji Bikes 35.08 40 Glen Chadwick (Aus) Giant Asia Racing Team 37.41 41 Takehiro Mizutani (Jpn) Team Bridgestone Anchor 37.56 42 Kazuo Inoue (Jpn) Team Bridgestone Anchor 38.48 43 Edmund Hollands (Aus) Giant Asia Racing Team 38.53 44 Taiji Nishitani (Jpn) Aisan-Ind Racing Team 39.10 45 Andrew Randell (Can) Jet Fuel Coffee 39.25 46 Masahiko Mifune (Jpn) Miyata-Subaru Racing Team 41.32 47 Ikki Yoneyama (Jpn) Sumita Ravanello Pearl Izumi 43.10 48 Maarten De Jonge (Ned) Team Fuji Bikes 46.12 49 Roman Gugger (Swi) Team Macandina 46.58 50 Masahiro Shinagawa (Jpn) Miyata-Subaru Racing Team 49.50 51 Richard Moffatt (Aus) Australian National Team 50.52 52 Daisuke Hioki (Jpn) Kinan CCD 53.23 53 Marc Hohmann (Ger) VC Frankfurt Radteam-Brügelmann 55.48 54 Osamu Sumida (Jpn) Kinan CCD 56.49 55 Chun Hing Chan (HKg) Hong Kong China 57.39 56 Takeshi Hashimoto (Jpn) Miyata-Subaru Racing Team 59.25 57 Kevin Miller (Can) Jet Fuel Coffee 59.36 58 Allan Iacuone (Aus) Giant Asia Racing Team 1.00.57 59 Henning Jaecks (Ger) VC Frankfurt Radteam-Brügelmann 1.02.05 60 Mitsuteru Tanaka (Jpn) Aisan-Ind Racing Team 1.03.08 61 Nicholas Sanderson (Aus) Australian National Team 1.03.56 62 Danny Sijen (Ned) Team Fuji Bikes 1.06.58 63 Andre Schulze (Ger) VC Frankfurt Radteam-Brügelmann 1.07.20 64 Bernard Sulzberger (Aus) Australian National Team 1.07.36 65 Maikel Paas (Ned) Team Fuji Bikes 1.08.21 66 Stefano Guerrini (Ita) Team Nippo 1.15.18 67 Kojiro Nakagawa (Jpn) Miyata-Subaru Racing Team 1.15.19 68 Ryan Roth (Can) Jet Fuel Coffee 1.18.27 69 Vladislavs Lukasenko (Lat) Team Fuji Bikes 1.18.29 70 Yoshinori Iino (Jpn) Sumita Ravanello Pearl Izumi 1.18.51 71 Takashi Nakazato (Jpn) Team Etxeondo 1.20.07 72 Kin San Wu (HKg) Hong Kong China 1.25.59 73 Patrik Kohler (Ger) VC Frankfurt Radteam-Brügelmann 1.33.33 Points classification 1 Roberto Lozano (Spa) Team Etxeondo 11 pts 2 Mariusz Wiesiak (Pol) Team Nippo 9 3 Andre Schulze (Ger) VC Frankfurt Radteam-Brügelmann 9 4 Christian Heule (Swi) Team Macandina 8 5 Shinichi Fukushima (Jpn) Team Bridgestone Anchor 7 6 Shinri Suzuki (Jpn) Shimano Racing 7 7 Takumi Beppu (Jpn) Aisan-Ind Racing Team 6 8 Satoshi Hirose (Jpn) Team Nippo 3 9 Aaron Kemps (Aus) Australian National Team 3 10 Edmund Hollands (Aus) Giant Asia Racing Team 3 11 David Betts (Aus) Australian National Team 2 12 Guozhang Wang (Chn) People's Republic of China 2 13 Alonso Aitor Galdos (Spa) Team Nippo 2 14 Yasutaka Tashiro (Jpn) Team Bridgestone Anchor 1 15 Jan Ramsauer (Swi) Team Macandina 1 16 Nicholas Sanderson (Aus) Australian National Team 1 Mountains classification 1 Alonso Aitor Galdos (Spa) Team Nippo 15 pts 2 Shinri Suzuki (Jpn) Shimano Racing 12 3 Yoshiyuki Abe (Jpn) Shimano Racing 10 4 Sebastian Franco (Spa) Team Etxeondo 8 5 Hidenori Nodera (Jpn) Shimano Racing 5 6 Tomoya Kano (Jpn) Shimano Racing 4 7 Miguel Luis Pena (Spa) Team Etxeondo 4 8 Ashley Humbert (Aus) Australian National Team 2 9 Koji Fukushima (Jpn) Team Bridgestone Anchor 2 10 Akira Kakinuma (Jpn) Kinan CCD 2 11 Masamichi Yamamoto (Jpn) Shimano Racing 2 12 Bruno Buetiger (Swi) Team Macandina 2 13 Roberto Lozano (Spa) Team Etxeondo 1 14 Takumi Beppu (Jpn) Aisan-Ind Racing Team 1 15 Edmund Hollands (Aus) Giant Asia Racing Team 1 16 Allan Iacuone (Aus) Giant Asia Racing Team 1 Sprints classification 1 Aaron Kemps (Aus) Australian National Team 15 pts 2 Masamichi Yamamoto (Jpn) Shimano Racing 9 3 Stefano Guerrini (Ita) Team Nippo 8 4 Taiji Nishitani (Jpn) Aisan-Ind Racing Team 6 5 Glen Chadwick (Aus) Giant Asia Racing Team 5 6 Takehiro Mizutani (Jpn) Team Bridgestone Anchor 4 7 Richard Moffatt (Aus) Australian National Team 1 Teams classification 1 Team Bridgestone Anchor 50.00.37 2 Shimano Racing 3.09 3 Team Macandina-Kewa Rad-VC Gippingen 10.14 4 Team Etxeondo 18.08 5 Team Nippo 23.27 6 Australian National Team 32.33 7 Giant Asia Racing Team 35.55 8 Kinan CCD 50.33 9 Miyata-Subaru Racing Team 1.05.28 10 Aisan-Ind Racing Team 1.28.46 11 VC Frankfurt Radteam-Brugelmann 1.58.31 12 Team Fuji Bikes 2.17.11 13 Hong Kong China 2.39.23 14 Jet Fuel Coffee 2.50.55
