ツアー・オブ・ジャパン 2024

MALUCELLI Matteo (JCL TEAM UKYO) wins his second stage!　 CARBONI Giovanni (JCL TEAM UKYO) wins overall.

On Day 8, the final day of the Tour of Japan, the SPEED Channel Tokyo stage was held at the Oi Wharf in Tokyo. 104km of 16 laps around a 6.5km circuit, CARBONI Giovanni (JCL TEAM UKYO) was in the battle for the overall individual win with a lead of over 2 minutes over second place, the focus of the day was on the closely battled points race and the stage win.

From the first lap, there was a series of attacks by riders aiming to escape, but no definite moves were made. Points leader TERADA Yoshiki (Shimano Racing) was the first to pass the intermediate sprint points set up on Lap 4 and Lap 8, and succeeded in adding points to his tally.

On Lap 10, a breakaway group of 7 riders formed, making a gap of nearly 30 seconds to the pack. With three laps to go, KAWANO Shoki (Japan National Team) and JENNER Samuel (Team Bridgelane) jumped out from this group to take the lead.

Jenna overtook KONO and led alone for the last two laps, but the main group soon caught up with him. MORITA Toa (Kyoto Sangyo University) jumped out to counter, but the group finally came together at the finish line.

MALUCELLI Matteo (JCL TEAM UKYO) won a close sprint to take his second win of the race following the Kyoto stage. CARBONI Giovanni (JCL TEAM UKYO), who finished in a group, took the overall individual victory.

The overall points prize went to TERADA Yoshiki, who made a move early in the race, and the overall mountains prize went to NAKAI Tadaaki. Shimano Racing took two special prize jerseys.

Matteo MARCELLI (JCL TEAM UKYO) – Stage8 SPEED CHANNEL TOKYO Winner
Today was a beautiful day. We have been riding all week for the GC leader, Carboni. I focused on conserving my energy in yesterday's stage to win today's Tokyo stage. Personally, I won the second stage and then again today in Tokyo. In the end, the team got four stage victories in this competition and the GC. I am very happy."

Giovanni CARBONI (JCL TEAM UKYO) – Green Jersey Wearer
As this was my first race in Japan as a JCL TEAM UKYO rider, I was eager to bring good results to the team. There were no flat stages, and it was a hard race with constant ups and downs. Unlike in Europe, there were many circuit races, which is good for the fans who come to watch the race. I am happy to have finished the race with the green jersey. Through this race, I learned how great the Japanese fans are. I hope to compete again here and try to win the overall." 

TERADA Yoshiki (SHIMANO RACING TEAM) – Blue Jersey Wearer 
It was my first time to race an 8-day race, and at first, I never expected to wear the white jersey or the blue jersey. The one-two finish in the Sakai International Criterium and second place in the Sakai stage boosted the morale of the team. I am happy and surprised at the same time to finish the race wearing the points jersey. The satisfying part of this competition was finishing third in the main group sprint on the Mino stage (5th in the stage). The hardest part was the Watahan Shinshu-Iida stage. I tried to get some points, but I dropped with one lap to go. I will continue to train hard and next year I hope to be able to make it to the end.

NAKAI Tadaaki (SHIMANO RACING TEAM) – Red Jersey Wearer
Shimano Racing rode a wave with Yamada and Terada's one-two in the Sakai International Criterium and Terada's 2nd place in the Sakai stage. We rode through the eight days with this momentum. I rode in the breakaway in the Kyoto stage and was able to complete the race without handing the mountains jersey I won there to anyone. I am relieved now. I am familiar with the Kyoto stage course because it is close to my hometown, and I am good at it. The hardest stage was the Watahan Shinshu-Iida stage. It was a tough climb for me, but it was good that I was able to add some point here to confirm the red jersey."

Nicolas Vinokurov (Astana Qazaqstan Development Team) – White Jersey Wearer
As I have said before, the TOJ was well organized and a great race. I hope to race in Japan again soon. I think the white jersey fits me well and I am happy to be able to keep it. I rode full gas for the entire Mt. Fuji stage, and it was a really tough day. I can say that the stage which I won, Watahan Shinshu-Iida stage, was more suited to me, but this was also a hard course. In the future, I would like to participate in Grand Tours such as the Tour, Giro, and Vuelta. I would also like to try to win a stage."

Team Bridge Lane - General Team Time Classification