The peloton heads to East Asia, but how far away are China and Japan from the sport's elite?
Assessing the prospects of East Asian cycling development as the WorldTour comes to China, plus the Japan Cup
It’s that time of year, the autumn leaves have fallen across much of Europe, and the road cycling season is pedalling its final revs for the year. For some, it’s off-season already but for others, a trip east to races in China and Japan.
These are often much derided races. Coming at the end of a long season as something as an afterthought for many, an unnecessary added extra.
The men’s WorldTour has been making the trip to China since 2011 when the Tour of Beijing took place, won by riders such as Tony Martin and Philippe Gilbert. Racing in China makes financial sense for the sport, backed by the state, but is also an attempt to grow the sport in the region.
The racing began with the three-stage women’s Tour of Chonming Island, which was dominated by Ceratizit-WNT who claimed all three stages and the overall through SD Worx-bound Marta Lach. The race featured three Chinese UCI teams, a Chinese national team and another squad from Hong Kong. Winspace rider Luyao Zeng was the best Chinese performer, placing 11th on the second day.
Ceratizit-WNT won again at the season closing one day Tour of Guangxi, this time through Sara Alonso.
The final men’s WorldTour race, the six-stage Tour of Guangxi, was won by Lotto-Dstny’s Lennard van Eetvelt ahead of Oscar Onley of DSM. As a men’s WorldTour race there were fewer opportunities for local riders, with just a seven-man national team able to take part. From that team, China Glory rider Xianjing Lyu put in a creditable performance with several top-30s on stages and a solid 42nd on the queen stage, 2:01 back on Van Eetvelt.
Across the East China Sea, a host of WorldTour squads lined up at the 1.PRO Japan Cup. It was won from a long solo breakaway, with Neilson Powless taking his second win at the race which is one of the longest established in Asia. Sprinter Hayato Okamoto put in a solid ride to finish 14th, winning the sprint from the second chase group.
As an aside - off the road and onto the boards - the UCI Track World Championships took place last week in Ballerup, Denmark. It was a significant event for Japanese cycling, whose rise my be slow on the road, but on the track, they are becoming a major force.
The inventors of the Keirin discipline celebrated their first world champion in the sprint event since 1987 as Kento Yamasaki shocked the best in the world to take the rainbow jersey. On the same night, Kazushige Kuboki became world champion in the Scratch race. Sprinter Mino Sato doubled the keirin joy on the final night with a second Japanese gold in the women’s event. Sato also claimed bronze in the women’s sprint, their men’s team sprinters took bronze and team pursuiters also finished fourth among a string of other solid performances.
“You know how much that means to their country as a whole. Yes, track cycling is big in the UK, but it’s nothing like what keirin racing is in Japan,” British sprinter Katy Marchant told Cycling Weekly.
The Japanese track success is a sign of what can happen when talent is given opportunity. Track racing often affords smaller nations those chances and now Japan are stepping up. On the road however, they are a stuttering power. At the end of this year, Japan’s two outstanding road cyclists will retire. Eri Yonamine and Yukiya Arashiro have taken Japanese road cycling to new heights in Europe. The next generation is only coming through in dribs and drabs. Next year Yuhi Todome (EF Education First-EasyPost) and Maho Kakita (EF-Oatly-Cannondale) will be Japan’s only professional riders.
Cycling in Japan has focused over the years on set piece events, including the Japan Cup and Tour de France Saitama Criterium. The common criticism has been that cycling development in the country has suffered as a result.
“Personally, just my opinion, they put money not in the right place. They put money to make good race, but they didn't put money to develop Japanese cyclists,” Yonamine told Global Peloton in 2023.
“We have no opportunity to go into Europe, there’s no support, it's up to them,” she added.
Jonathan Vaughters’ EF team has created a crucial pathway in recent seasons, thanks to their Japanese sponsors. Several riders, including Todome, raced for their EF-Nippo development team before it closed at the end of 2023. They continued to give opportunities through their French-registered Nippo-EF-Martigues team this season.
The domestic level in Japan continues to be strong, but as Yonamine pointed out, there are few opportunities to develop and make the step to Europe.
The scene in China is a few steps behind Japan. The domestic level is active, with lots of racing happening, but the level is not as competitive.
While Japan plateaus, China is on the rise and next year will welcome its first professional team since the Champion Pro System squad of 2013. Winspace, a French-based, Chinese-registered squad has applied to become one of the first women’s ProTeams for 2025. Meanwhile, Astana Qazaqstan have secured Chinese investment and look set to become XDS Carbon Racing next season. However, administrative delays meant that both teams were excluded from the UCI’s initial registration announcement. Both Winspace and Astana Qazaqstan have reassured that there will be no problems with their final applications.
Both deals will provide Chinese racers with a clear pathway to Europe and the professional peloton. Winspace already have China’s two top female talents, Luyao Zeng and Xin Tang. However, with a push to avoid WorldTour relegation ahead of the 2026 deadline, it looks unlikely that XDS will sign any Chinese riders.
Instead Chinese rider development is happening through the China Glory-Mentech Continental team - a state backed squad racing across Asia and Europe. Progress is steady, with the team winning several races in Türkiye throughout this year.
The intent is clear in China, and the finances are backing it up. China wants to become a major player in the sport, and they are heading in the right direction.
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