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Tour of Japan - 2.2
Japan, May 14-21, 2006
2005 results Stage List Preview Start List Past winners
The Stages
- Stage 1 - May 14: Senboku Circuit, Sakai City (Osaka), 140.8km
- Stage 2 - May 15: Todaiji Temple - Nunome Dam Circuit, Nara, 146.2km
- Stage 3 - May 17: Iida Station - Shimohisakata Circuit - Matsuo Stadium, South-Shinshu, 155.3km
- Stage 4 - May 19: Mount Fuji ITT, 11.4km
- Stage 5 - May 20: Japan Cycle Sports Center loop, Izu, 110.5km
- Stage 6 - May 21: Hibiya city - Ooi Wharf Circuit, Tokyo, 148.9km
Cyclo Cross World Champion in Tour of Japan
By Miwako Sasaki
Starting on Sunday, May 14, and finishing a week later on May 21, the 10 Tour of Japan should be one of the most competitive in the event's decade-long history. The stages are almost the same as the last edition, except that Stage 5 will be a bit shorter, therefore the total distance also will be shorter (732.55 km for last edition). Only the first stage in Osaka and the final stage in Tokyo are flat, fit for the sprinters, and the remaining four stages are all hilly. The key stage is the climbing time trial that ascends the famous Mount Fuji, which is scheduled for next Friday. The riders must climb 11.4km, from 800m to 2000m.
Last year's Mount Fuji time trial winner Andrey Mizourov (Capec) will come to Japan again. The Kazakh will be the biggest favourite for the race, as he was second overall on general classification in the last edition. He was also the first Asian ToJ champion last year. Mizourov already won a stage in the Tour de Bretagne Cycliste (April 25-May 1) in France this year, and was also 5th overall on general classification.
Italian Universal Caffe-C.B. Immobiliare will come to Japan for the first time, with Latvian Raivis Belohvosciks. The ex-Lampre rider won KBC Driedaagse van De Panne-Koksijde in 2003, thanks to his excellent time trialing skills. The experienced Ukrainian Vladimir Duma will also come with him.
South Australia.com-AIS team will make its first appearance in the race too, after many successes by the Australian national team in the ToJ. All its riders are coming from the national track team, and they will take the initiative in the flat stages, like last year, when the two flat stages were dominated by Australians: Matthew Goss in Osaka and Nicholas Sanderson in Tokyo.
Not only foreign riders will be favourites for the Tour of Japan. Skil-Shimano also will try to win the race. The Japanese team merged with the Dutch team since last year, and four Japanese riders had their second season in Europe until early May. Japanese champion Hidenori Nodera was one of them, and he got a lot of experience there with his teammate, Tomoya Kano, Yukihiro Doi and Masahiro Shinagawa, who was the first Japanese rider in Paris-Roubaix this year. They will try to win the 10th edition of Tour of Japan, as the only Pro Continental Team of the race.
A final note: Belgian cyclo-cross team Fidea will also come to Japan, with world cyclo-cross champion Erwin Vervecken and Bart Wellens. Although there are no muddy roads in the Tour of Japan for them, everybody knows that an excellent cyclo-cross rider is also an excellent road rider. Will they be a dark horse for the Japanese race? Veel succes!
Start list
Capec Cycling Team Skil Shimano 11 Andrey Mizurov (Kaz) 21 Tomoya Kano (Jpn) 12 Alexandr Dymovskikh (Kaz) 22 Hidenori Nodera (Jpn) 13 Ilya Chernyshov (Kaz) 23 Yoshimasa Hirose (Jpn) 14 Alexandr Dyachenko (Kaz) 24 Kaoru Ohuchi (Jpn) 15 Alexey Lyalko (Kaz) 25 Masahiro Shinagawa (Jpn) 16 Andrey Medyannikov (Kaz) 26 Yukihiro Doi (Jpn) Konica Minolta South Australia.com-AIS 31 Hanco Kachelhoffer (RSA) 41 Matthew Lloyd (Aus) 32 Marnus Potgieter (RSA) 42 Ashley Hutchinson (Aus) 33 Peter Velits (Svk) 43 Michael Ford (Aus) 34 Johannes Christiaan Rabie (RSA) 44 Peter Dawson (Aus) 35 John-Lee Augustyn (RSA) 45 Sean Finning (Aus) 36 Martin Velits (Svk) Hong Kong National Team Giant Asia Racing Team 51 San Wu Kin (HKg) 61 David McCann (Irl) 52 Wai Cheung King (HKg) 62 Paul Griffin (Irl) 53 Hing Chan Chun (HKg) 63 Kuei Hsiang Peng (Tpe) 54 Kam Po Wong (HKg) 64 Tobias Erler (Ger) 55 Tsun Lam Kai (HKg) 65 Daniel Lloyd (Ger) 56 Yip Tang Wang (HKg) 66 Hua Lai Kuan (Tpe) Team Universal Caffe - C.B.Immobiliare Fidea Cycling Team 71 Daniele Di Nucci (Ita) 81 Erwin Vervecken (Bel) 72 Ivan De Nobile (Ita) 82 Bart Wellens (Bel) 73 Raivis Belohvoschiks (Lat) 83 Zdenek Stybar (Cze) 74 Vladimir Duma (Ukr) 84 Peter Van Santvliet (Bel) 75 Fabio Gilioli (Ita) 85 Kevin Pauwels (Bel) 76 Dmitri Nikandorov (Rus) 86 Jan Verstraeten (Bel) Team Vang Cycling Asian Racing Team 91 Shinichi Fukushima (Jpn) 101 Takumi Beppu (Jpn) 92 Koji Fukushima (Jpn) 102 Mitsuteru Tanaka (Jpn) 93 Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn) 103 Koki Shimbo (Jpn) 94 Takashi Miyazawa (Jpn) 104 Satoshi Hirose (Jpn) 95 Junya Sano (Jpn) 105 Ken Akita (Jpn) 96 Miyataka Shimizu (Jpn) 106 Takeaki Ayabe (Jpn) Miyata Subaru Team Matrix Powertag 111 Masahiko Mifune (Jpn) 121 Kyoshi Miura (Jpn) 112 Akira Kakinuma (Jpn) 122 Ken Hashikawa (Jpn) 113 Shinri Suzuki (Jpn) 123 Kojiro Nakagawa (Jpn) 114 Kohei Tsusue (Jpn) 124 Tomoya Sano (Jpn) 115 Atsushi Takano (Jpn) 125 Naoki Mukaigawa (Jpn) 116 Taichi Moriyama (Jpn) 126 Koji Nagano (Jpn) You Can Specialized Nissyo Team Bridgestone Anchor 131 Kenichi Suzuki (Jpn) 141 Yasutaka Tashiro (Jpn) 132 Manabu Hirose (Jpn) 142 Makoto Iijima (Jpn) 133 Yusuke Muroi (Jpn) 143 Yusuke Hatanaka (Jpn) 134 Masahumi Yamane (Jpn) 144 Norihide Murayama (Jpn) 135 Yuzuru Suzuki (Jpn) 145 Takayuki Naganuma (Jpn) 136 Akihiro Munehisa (Jpn) 146 Masaru Fukuhara (Jpn) Nalsema Frend Sumita Raello Pearl Izumi 151 Yasuhiro Nito (Jpn) 161 Ikki Yoneyama (Jpn) 152 Kaoru Obata (Jpn) 162 Yoshinori Iino (Jpn) 153 Hideo Yoshida (Jpn) 163 Kentaro Eshita (Jpn) 154 Yoshiaki Sudou (Jpn) 164 Kazunari Asano (Jpn) 155 Manabu Takanashi (Jpn) 165 Arthur Ayers (Jpn) 156 Masayuki Kimura (Jpn) 166 Tomoji Taniguchi (Jpn)
Past winners
Coming! Past winners by Mario Stiehl, www.world-of-cycling.com
