ツアー・オブ・ジャパン 2025

A Turbulent High-Speed Race — PRADES REVERTER Benjami wins after 10 years from a breakaway!
Points Classification Battle Heads to the Final Day in Tokyo
　　
Stage 7 of the Tour of Japan took place in Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture. Starting from Hashimoto Park, the riders passed through a 4.8 km parade section and crossed the old Ogura Bridge before the actual race began. The course consisted of seven laps around the loop near the Toriibara Fureai Hall, covering a total distance of 107.5 km. A fierce race unfolded, driven by various strategies revolving around the general classification and the points competition.
 
Unlike the intense heat of the earlier stages, the AMANO Sagamihara Stage began under a chillier weather. The spotlight of the day was on the battle for the individual points classification, which started with just a 2-point gap. General classification leader FANCELLU Alessandro (JCL TEAM UKYO) was also leading the points classification, while OKA Atsushi (UTSUNOMIYA BLITZEN), sitting in second place, entered the race aiming to overturn the standings.
 
Another heated battle on this day was for a spot on the overall podium. While JCL TEAM UKYO riders firmly held the top two positions in the general classification with a time gap, the fight for third place was intensifying between DYBALL Benjamin (VICTOIRE HIROSHIMA), who was third overall, and STEWART Mark (SOLUTION TECH VINI FANTINI), in fourth. The time difference between them was just 13 seconds. Before the start, STEWART made his ambitions clear, saying, “If I can go for the stage win, a spot on the overall podium will come with it.”
 
From the very start of the race, various team strategies were mixed up, resulting in a flurry of fierce attacks. The first sprint point of the day came at the end of the opening lap, with the peloton still together. OKA crossed the line first, successfully gaining points as planned. JCL TEAM UKYO, with Fancellu in their ranks, did not participate in the sprint. Meanwhile, DYBALL and STEWART battled for bonus seconds, with DYBALL finishing second and taking one second from STEWART, who crossed in third.
 
This lap also featured a mountain points section, where GARIBBO Nicolò (JCL TEAM UKYO), wearing the king of the mountain jersey, was the first to cross the line. He held off BATSAIKHAN Tegsh-bayar (Roojai Insurance), who was aiming to take over the mountain classification. While JCL TEAM UKYO showed little interest in defending the points classification Jersey, they made it clear they intended to protect the mountain jersey.
 
As the race entered the second lap, the peloton remained highly active and unsettled. In a downhill corner, PLACE Maxence (WANTY-NIPPO-RE UZ), wearing the best young rider jersey, crashed on his own and fell behind the group. Though he eventually rejoined the peloton after some time, his face was contorted in pain.
 
At the intermediate sprint point set on the third lap, the battle once again came down to OKA, DYBALL, and STEWART. This time, STEWART crossed the line first, with DYBALL in second. As a result, the contest for bonus seconds between the two balanced out, leaving them even for the day. OKA, aiming to conserve energy for the final sprint, passed through the point in third place.

At the mountain points section set at the end of the third lap, the contest once again came down to GARIBBO and BATSAIKHAN, with GARIBBO coming out on top. This effectively secured him the overall King of the Mountain title for this year’s Tour of Japan.
 
As the race entered the fourth lap, a breakaway group of 12 riders was formed. Since none of the riders were threats to the top of the general classification, the main peloton allowed the break to go. At last, a true breakaway had been established for the day — and this group would go on to contest the stage victory.
 
The breakaway group consists of BATSAIKHAN, LEBAS (KINAN RACING TEAM), HONDA & PRADES REVERTER (both from VC FUKUOKA), VOEGE & KNOLLE (both from REMBE | RAD-NET), KAYAMA & KAZAMA (both from SHIMANO RACING), BRENNAN (TEAM BUFFAZ GESTION DE PATRIMOINE), CHRISTIE-JOHNSTON Alastair (CCACHE X BODYWRAP), ÐJURIC Đjorđje (SOLUTION TECH VINI FANTINI), and SUGANO (UTSUNOMIYA BLITZEN). Later, IMAMURA Shunsuke (WANTY-NIPPO-RE UZ) catches up, bringing the total to 13 riders.

The final intermediate sprint point of the day, set with three laps remaining, was passed by the breakaway group without any contest. At the mountain point established as the riders entered the last two laps, BATSAIKHAN from the breakaway arrived first, securing second place in the mountain classification. The time gap between the breakaway riders and the peloton was approximately 30 seconds.

The main peloton was controlled by VICTOIRE HIROSHIMA as they headed into the final lap. Since the team protecting DYBALL’s overall third place had no need to catch the leading breakaway group, the time gap extended to 1 minute and 10 seconds. From the front group, where a successful breakaway was becoming likely, KNOLLE launched an attack to shake things up. 
KNOLLE, who had been caught once, launched another attack. Only PRADES and IMAMURA were able to keep up with this move. The race for the win came down to a sprint among the three. From behind KNOLLE, who was setting a high pace, PRADES calmly observed IMAMURA’s early move and then took the lead at the final corner, sprinting all the way to the finish line. This marked PRADES’ first stage victory since MINAMI-SHINSHU in 2015.
 
In a contest among three riders, there can only be one winner. The two who were defeated each reflected on the reasons for their loss. KNOLLE, who played a key role in the final breakaway with his aggressive attacks, admitted that he was overconfident and regretted it.
 
“Fortunately, we managed to form a breakaway without any of the general classification contenders, and I was able to get into it. But honestly, I didn’t think we could stay away until the finish. I also didn’t expect to be able to launch an attack in the final phase. Everyone was watching each other cautiously, so I kept attacking, and on the second attack, the three of us managed to break away. I felt really strong in my legs and took the lead to set the pace on the climbs. However, that turned out to be a mistake. Being too confident in myself was probably the reason I lost today... It’s good that the team got two riders in the top five, but I’m a bit disappointed we couldn’t take the win.”

On the other hand, IMAMURA, who finished second, regretted a mistake made earlier in the race. He reflected that a delayed decision on the fourth lap affected his sprint at the finish. 
“I was a bit late getting away on the fourth lap, but I told myself there was no choice but to catch up, so I bridged to the group of 12 riders in the break. Within the breakaway, I felt that Benjamin (PRADES) looked comfortable. After the three of us broke away, KNOLLE was setting a high pace, and I thought that to beat Benjamin, I needed to start the sprint earlier. But the finish line felt far away. My loss today was because I was late to get into the breakaway. That made me use up legs(energy).”

Besides PRADES, the winners of the day included GARIBBO, who secured the King of the Mountain title, and DYBALL, who firmly defended third place overall. VICTOIRE HIROSHIMA focused more on protecting the overall third position than on a stage win, putting themselves within striking distance of the general classification podium. According to MAGOSAKI Daiki of the team, what they needed to defend was not just the third place in the overall standings.

“Of course, I focused on protecting Ben san (DYBALL) third place overall, but I was also mindful of defending Leo (QUINTERO ARTEAGA) sixth place. I carefully chose which riders I could let go in the breakaway. Among the breakaway group, the biggest threat to the overall standings was PRADES, but if we could keep the peloton together and prevent unnecessary attacks, we could protect both sixth and third places. So, in the final stages, the team took control of the peloton.
I was also paying attention to the intermediate sprint points where bonus seconds were at stake. STEWART Mark, who is fourth overall, was aiming for those bonus seconds, but BEN, myself, and we worked together to keep things even through the two sprint points.
Today, BEN was a sprinter in every sense—from positioning to racing tactics (laughs).”
 
The overall leaders in the individual general classification and the king of the mountain competitions were decided, but the battle for the points classification would continue until the final day. After today, the blue jersey was worn by PRADES, who won the AMANO Sagamihara stage. Although OKA scored points at the intermediate sprint, he was unable to contest the final sprint and approached the last day in third place, three points behind PRADES. PRADES predicted it would be difficult to keep the jersey tomorrow, but STEWART Mark, sitting fourth just two points behind, could pose a threat to OKA. In any case, everything will be decided on the final day in Tokyo at the Tour of Japan 2025.
 
Stage Winner & Points Classification Leader (Blue Jersey)
PRADES REVERTER Benjami (VC FUKUOKA) – Comments:
“I’ve been dealing with some lower back pain, so I had been targeting the Sagamihara stage, where there are opportunities to rest a bit during the race. Today’s race unfolded without a clear sense of which team would take control. I thought the teams with sprinters would lead the chase, but that didn’t happen. When a few riders broke away, I followed them instinctively.
This type of finish is one of my strengths. Honestly, I think it will be tough to keep the points jersey tomorrow. To begin with, going for this jersey wasn’t even part of today’s plan. That said, since I’ve got the opportunity now, I’m willing to take some risks and go all-in for the final sprint tomorrow.”
 
General Classification Leader (Green Jersey)
FANCELLU Alessandro (JCL TEAM UKYO) – Comments:
“Today was tougher than I expected. There were a lot of attacks right from the start, and to be honest, it made me a bit nervous. But the team took control and managed things well. With both myself and RACCANI holding first and second in the general classification, there's just one day left to go.”
 
King of the Mountains Leader (Red Jersey)
GARIBBO Niccolò (JCL TEAM UKYO) – Comments:
“I’m very happy to have secured the King of the Mountains jersey, both for myself and for our sponsors. It came down to a direct battle with the rider in second place, but I was able to manage the situation on my own.”
 
Best Young Rider (White Jersey)
PLACE Maxence (WANTY–NIPPO–RE UZ) – Comments:
“I tried to break away early on, but couldn’t get clear. Then I clipped the wheel of the rider in front of me coming out of a corner and crashed into the barrier. I hit the ground hard and honestly thought it was over right then. The pain was intense… but I got back on my bike and gave it everything I had to finish the stage. I’ve injured my shoulder and will get an X-ray now. There’s just one day left, so I really hope I’ll be able to continue the race.”

REPORT BY：OMATA Yuta

Stage 7　AMANO Sagamihara results
1st    PRADES REVERTER Benjami    （VC FUKUOKA）    2h 24m 29s
2nd    IMAMURA Shunsuke    （WANTY–NIPPO–RE UZ）    ＋1s
3rd    KNOLLE Jon    （REMBE | RAD-NET）    ＋1s

Individual Overall Time Classification (Green Jersey)
1st    FANCELLU Alessandro    （JCL TEAM UKYO）    16h 32m 17s
2nd    RACCANI Simone    （JCL TEAM UKYO）    ＋21s
3rd    DYBALL Benjamin    （VICTOIRE HIROSHIMA）    ＋1m 09s

Individual Overall Points Classification (Blue Jersey)
1st    PRADES REVERTER Benjami    （VC FUKUOKA）    55pt
2nd    FANCELLU Alessandro    （JCL TEAM UKYO）    53pt
3rd    OKA Atsushi    （UTSUNOMIYA BLITZEN）    52pt 

Individual Overall Mountains Classification (Red Jersey)
1st    GARIBBO Niccolò    （JCL TEAM UKYO）    32pt
2nd    BATSAIKHAN Tegsh-bayar    （ROOJAI INSURANCE)    30pt
3rd    ARAYA Nahom Zeray    （JCL TEAM UKYO）    20pt

Individual Overall Best Young Rider Classification (White Jersey)
1st    PLACE Maxence    （WANTY-NIPPO-RE UZ）
2nd    HASHIKAWA Jo    （AISAN RACING TEAM）
3rd    HEATH Wil    （CCACHE X BODYWRAP）