Japan Cup Cycling Road Race: Taiwanese rider Eric Sheppard of Attaque Team Gusto Claims Red Jersey

▲Bauke Mollema of the TREK team won the 2015 Japan Cup road race in 3 hours, 53 minutes and 40 seconds. (Photo / Reporter Chen Ruizhong, same below)

Reported by Chen Ruizhong / Utsunomiya City

The 2015 Japan Cup Cycling race officially concluded its two-day event today (October 18). The day’s competition was held in Utsunomiya City Forest Park, spanning a total of 144.2 kilometers with an elevation gain of 185 meters. The race was won by Bauke Mollema of the TREK team in 3 hours, 53 minutes and 40 seconds. Taiwanese rider Eric Sheppard from the Attaque Team Gusto demonstrated strong climbing ability by taking the sixth and ninth hill points. Together with Aoyanagi Noriaki and Ushiyama Sho, who each secured one hill point, they shared the Red Jersey.

▲The 144.2-kilometer race featured an elevation gain of 185 meters, challenging both riders’ individual capabilities and tactical strategies.

▲2015 Japan Cup Road Race

Approximately 80,000 spectators gathered at Utsunomiya City Forest Park today to watch the Japan Cup Cycling race and cheer on the athletes. In the final lap, four riders—Bauke Mollema (TREK), Diego Ulissi (LAMPRE-MERIDA), Yukiya Arashiro (Japan National Team), and Floris Gerts (BMC)—broke away from the peloton to contest the sprint to the finish line. Ultimately, Bauke Mollema took the victory. Yukiya Arashiro, beloved by Japanese fans and soon to join LAMPRE-MERIDA, secured third place and stood triumphantly on the podium.

▲Taiwanese rider Eric Sheppard of the Attaque Team Gusto (wearing orange and black) claimed two hill points and earned the Red Jersey.

Eric Sheppard, the Australian rider for the Taiwanese Attaque Team Gusto, entered the leading group early in the race and aggressively targeted the climbs. During the course, he briefly broke away solo and successfully secured two hill points, eventually standing on the podium wearing the Red Jersey. As for Taiwan’s rider Feng Junkai of LAMPRE-MERIDA, he rode near the front of the main group during the 100-kilometer race, rotating lead duties and managing time gaps alongside elite riders such as Bernhard Eisel and “Uncle Camp” Fabian Cancellara.

▲The BMC team, making their first appearance in the race, missed out on the podium due to a less-than-successful final sprint.

Due to landslides caused by a recent typhoon in Utsunomiya City Forest Park, the road race distance was shortened from the originally planned 151.3 kilometers to 144.2 kilometers, but the excitement remained undiminished. Utsunomiya City Mayor Nagao Hiroaki noted that this year's Japan Cup saw Japanese rider Bea Yamamoto claim the city circuit race title for the first time, while Yukiya Arashiro also secured third place in the road race, breaking the previous trend of foreign dominance and adding special significance to this year’s Japan Cup.

%Bauke Mollema, Diego Ulissi, and Yukiya Arashiro claimed the top three spots respectively.