1st April, 2017
Stage2
Temperature: 5℃
Weather: Rain and Cloudy
Distance: 105km
Audiences: 16,000 ⼈
Maral-‑Erdene BATMUNKH (MGL) ‒– TERENGGANU CYCLING TEAM,
2016 Asian Cycling Champion of U23 Individual TT won the 2nd stage of the 1st Tour de Tochigi.
The 2nd Stage of 1st Tour de Tochigi started in Motegi town in cold weather like winter, finished in Nasu town, Tochigi and the course covers 102km.
Right after the real start, the first attacker was Genki YAMAMOTO (JPN) ‒– KINAN CYCLING TEAM. In the first 5km with small up and down, KINAN
CYCLING TEAM mainly led the leading group with several attacks and BRIDGESTONE ANCHOR CYCLING TEAM and UTSUNOMIYA BLITZEN also reacted those attacks.
A group of 40 riders past Karasuyamaohashi bridge with forming the leading group. Around 40 minutes after the start, 13 riders broke away from the
peloton with the 20 seconds gap between the second group and with 40 seconds between the second and third one.
After one hour, some riders in the leading group were absorbed by peloton and formed two main group and the time gap was increased by 2 minutes.
Todayʼ’s Green Jersey wearer, Salvador GUARDIOLA (ESP) ‒– TEAM UKYO was stuck in the peloton and failed to send his teammate to the leading group.
Benjamin HILL (AUS) ‒– ATTAQUE TEAM GUSTO crossed the first at the first Sprint Point called Hot Spot and crossed the second at the King of
Mountain point. Benjamin HILL (AUS) ‒– ATTAQUE TEAM GUSTO slided off at a hairpin curve right after the KOM point or tunnel, audience thought he
would be out of the race, but he came up to the front group after completing a downhill with gradient of 10%.
Benjamin HILL (AUS) ‒– ATTAQUE TEAM GUSTO succeeded in being in the front group, won the second Spring Point by beating Maral-‑Erdene
BATMUNKH (MGL) -‑ TERENGGANU CYCLING TEAM.
The speed of the front group went up to 50km per hour and the gap was 1 minute and 30 seconds. Marcos GARCIA (ESP) ‒– KINAN CYCLING TEAM
attacked on the uphill and the speed of the breakaway increased till Rindoohashi bridge.
In the last 1 km, Genki YAMAMOTO (JPN) -‑ KINAN CYCLING TEAM made an attack, but could not broke away from the leading group.
Maral ‒– Erdene BATMUNKH (MGL) ‒– TERENGGANU CYCLING TEAM,
who won the U23 Individual Time Trial of 2016 Asian Cycling Championships in Oshima, Tokyo, came out from the right side of Benjamin HILL (AUS) ‒–
ATTAQUE TEAM GUSTO and takes the win of the 2nd Stage of 1st Tour de Tochigi after the last bunch sprint.
But Benjamin HILL (AUS) ‒– ATTAQUE TEAM GUSTO will wear Green Jersey tomorrow.