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Japanese National Championships - CN
Izu Shuzenji, Japan, June 25-26, 2005
Day 1 - June 25: Men's Road Race, 160km
Nodera wins first national crown
By Makoto Ayano/www.cyclingtime.com
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The eighth Japanese National Championships were held in Japan's Cycle Sports Center Izu Shuzenji. The course was extremely difficult, held on an 8km circuit with only steep climbs or downhills and no flat sections, which had to be completed 20 times. The race was made even more difficult due to the tropical 32 degree temperatures on the day.
With 7 laps to go, defending champion Yasutaka Tashiro (Bridgestone-Anchor) attacked and Hidenori Nodera (Shimano-Memory Corp) chased immediately to join him. The pair kept the pace high right until the last 3km, but Kazuyuki Manabe (Nippo) managed to bridge across by himself. In the end, Nodera, a former rider with Colpak-Astro, won a three-man sprint to claim his first national crown. Only 15 out of 96 riders finished the race of survival. The one Japanese ProTour rider, Fumy Beppu (Discovery Channel), retired after mechanical troubles, where he had to stop three times to change his wheel.
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Makoto Ayano/www.cyclingtime.com
- Discovery Channel's Fumi Beppu was the centre of attention as the only Pro Tour rider present
- Beppu was relaxed before the start
- Nice piece of kit... what I wanted last Christmas
- He's certainly a star in Japan as the nation's only Pro Tour rider
- Friends helping as staff for Beppu on home turf
- Beppu's elder brother Takumi who was also a favourite
- Kazuyuki Manabe (Nippo)
- Hidenori Nodera (Shimano-Memory Corp)
- Yasutaka Tashiro (Bridgestone-Anchor) who was Japanese national champ last year
- Heart break hill
- Shimano-Mamory controlled the race for Nodera
- A rear wheel change for Beppu
- Bridgestone-Anchor looked strong all day
- Shinri Suzuki and Shinichi Fukushima
- Beppu's back... Beppu made it back to the peloton after his wheel change
- Yoshiyuki Abe set the pace high
- Another wheel change for Beppu as it seemed like it wasn't going to be his day
- Beppu had to pit for the wheel change
- Fumi Beppu (Discovery Channel) takes on plenty of fluids during the race
- A hot and hard day at the Japanese national championships
- The Campagnolo-Nichinao neutral support car
- Beppu finally retires after three wheel changes
- A disappointed Beppu
- Hidenori Nodera (Shimano-Memory Corp) wins and looks pretty delighted to do so
- Third-placed Kazuyuki Manabe (Nippo) chased hard until 3km to go, but...
- Shinichi Fukushima (Bridgestone-Anchor) looks exhausted
- Shimano-Memory Corp's DS, Imanishi is extremely happy with the win
- Home boy Nodera wins his first National Championship
- The podium (l-r): Yasutaka Tashiro (Bridgestone-Anchor) Hidenori Nodera (Shimano-Memory Corp), Kazuyuki Manabe (Nippo)
Results
1 Hidenori Nodera (Shimano-Memory Corp) 5.05.55 2 Yasutaka Tashiro (Bridgestone-Anchor) 0.01 3 Kazuyuki Manabe (Nippo) 0.11 4 Manabu Hirose (Kinan-Ccd) 0.34 5 Kazuya Okazaki (Nippo) 1.03 6 Tomoya Kano (Shimano-Memory Corp) 1.05
