Description
October 18, 2026
33rd Utsunomiya Japan Cup Road Race 2026 🇯🇵 (1.Pro) ME – Utsunomiya – Utsunomiya : 144,2 km
Japan Cup Road Race is a UCI ProSeries one-day road race through the hilly countryside surrounding Utsunomiya,
Show more...
October 18, 2026
33rd Utsunomiya Japan Cup Road Race 2026 🇯🇵 (1.Pro) ME – Utsunomiya – Utsunomiya : 144,2 km
Japan Cup Road Race is a UCI ProSeries one-day road race through the hilly countryside surrounding Utsunomiya, combining forested mountain roads, steep climbs and fast technical descents. The course typically covers around 150 km, with repeated circuits creating a demanding rhythm of sustained effort and short recovery periods. The principal climbing sections include gradients of approximately 5–10%, with steeper ramps requiring explosive accelerations and careful energy management. Narrow roads, tight corners, uneven surfaces and rapid changes of gradient make positioning and bike handling particularly important, especially before the climbs. Wooded sections can limit visibility through bends, while damp autumn conditions may reduce grip on descents. The race often begins at a high tempo, with breakaways forming before the peloton settles into repeated circuit-based racing. Successive ascents gradually reduce the field, while descents provide opportunities to regroup or launch counterattacks. As fatigue accumulates, attacks become increasingly decisive. The finish can produce a solo victory, a small-group sprint or a late uphill acceleration.
Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) scored the 10th win of his career in the Japan Cup road race, the American champion outpacing Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) after the pair escaped at the front of the race with 30km to go.
Simmons had the beating of Healy in the closing sprint between the duo, with the pair proving the strongest of the peloton after work on the front from Lidl-Trek and EF Education-EasyPost.
The pair couldn’t be separated on the hilly course of the 144.2km race in Utsunomiya, with the pair racing to the line together to face off in a head-to-head finishing sprint.
“The fans really embrace the Captain America, so I really wanted to sign off for the season and give them a salute to say thank you to Japan for putting on such a nice race,” Simmons said later, according to Velo.
“I’m pleased to see all the supporters on the side of the road with their cool signs and everything. I’m happy it ended like this.”
Simmons and Healy had left the rest of the race far behind, with the chasers falling well out of contention for the win. Berckmoes was joined as the strongest of the chase by Jordan Jegat (TotalEnergies), Nicolò Garibbo (Team Ukyo), Julian Bernard (Lidl-Trek), and Sam Maisonobe (Cofidis)..
Berckmoes was the quickest finisher of the group, outpacing Jegat to grab the final spot on the podium, rounding off his season with two top-10s in Japan at both the road race and criterium.
Results :
 ME </strong> - Utsunomiya - Utsunomiya : 144,2 km
<!--more-->
Japan Cup Road Race is a UCI ProSeries one-day road race through the hilly countryside surrounding Utsunomiya, combining forested mountain roads, steep climbs and fast technical descents. The course typically covers around 150 km, with repeated circuits creating a demanding rhythm of sustained effort and short recovery periods. The principal climbing sections include gradients of approximately 5–10%, with steeper ramps requiring explosive accelerations and careful energy management. Narrow roads, tight corners, uneven surfaces and rapid changes of gradient make positioning and bike handling particularly important, especially before the climbs. Wooded sections can limit visibility through bends, while damp autumn conditions may reduce grip on descents. The race often begins at a high tempo, with breakaways forming before the peloton settles into repeated circuit-based racing. Successive ascents gradually reduce the field, while descents provide opportunities to regroup or launch counterattacks. As fatigue accumulates, attacks become increasingly decisive. The finish can produce a solo victory, a small-group sprint or a late uphill acceleration.
Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) scored the 10th win of his career in the Japan Cup road race, the American champion outpacing Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) after the pair escaped at the front of the race with 30km to go.
Simmons had the beating of Healy in the closing sprint between the duo, with the pair proving the strongest of the peloton after work on the front from Lidl-Trek and EF Education-EasyPost.
The pair couldn't be separated on the hilly course of the 144.2km race in Utsunomiya, with the pair racing to the line together to face off in a head-to-head finishing sprint.
"The fans really embrace the Captain America, so I really wanted to sign off for the season and give them a salute to say thank you to Japan for putting on such a nice race," Simmons said later, according to Velo.
"I’m pleased to see all the supporters on the side of the road with their cool signs and everything. I’m happy it ended like this."
Simmons and Healy had left the rest of the race far behind, with the chasers falling well out of contention for the win. Berckmoes was joined as the strongest of the chase by Jordan Jegat (TotalEnergies), Nicolò Garibbo (Team Ukyo), Julian Bernard (Lidl-Trek), and Sam Maisonobe (Cofidis)..
Berckmoes was the quickest finisher of the group, outpacing Jegat to grab the final spot on the podium, rounding off his season with two top-10s in Japan at both the road race and criterium.
<strong>Results : </strong>
<iframe src="https://firstcycling.com/widget/?r=95&y=2026" width="100%" height="730" scrolling="yes" frameborder="0"></iframe>)
