A month after conquering the rainbow jersey, Alejandro Valverde (Movistar Team) claimed the sixth edition of Le Tour de France Saitama Critérium. The World champion sprinted to victory after an exciting duel against the Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas (Team Sky). Yukiya Arashiro (Special TDF Japan Team) finished third after being one of the most active riders in a...
Yukiya Arashiro (Special TDF Japan Team): “I’m happy to climb on the podium. Once I was at the front with the Yellow Jersey and the World champion, it wasn’t easy. In the last lap, I attacked, everyone was cheering for me, it was great, a beautiful race! There’s always a lot of public in Saitama. Every lap, it felt like there was even more and more fans....
Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates): “I lost the sprint to Marcel (Kittel) at the beginning so I knew if I wanted the Green jersey I had to go in the breakaway. There were some riders pushing really hard at the front, I won the sprints and I settled the score and even got more points. We were racing hard and there quite some corners so it wasn’t easy to enjoy the...
Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida): “Today I tried to go on the attack many times, with Matteo Trentin. But it was impossible to get away. The pace was very fast. I managed to get the Polka-dot jersey and in the last three laps I tried to help Yukiya Arashiro. Being third is really good for him. In Saitama we race in front of a great public. It’s similar to the last...
Geraint Thomas (Team Sky): “I’m not feeling as good as I did the last time I wore the Yellow Jersey (laughs). It was some hard, fast paced racing! I struggled to get in the rhythm but then I tried… But Alejandro (Valverde) is too fast. Still, it was great to race in Saitama, with huge crowds and a great atmosphere. It sure makes me want to come back.”
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Alejandro Valverde (Movistar Team) : “It’s great, it’s my first victory with the rainbow jersey. It’s always nice to raise your arms and especially here with the great fans we’ve had today in Saitama. I came to enjoy myself and the public was perfect. I will leave Japan with great memories. We want more races here!”
The stars of Le Tour de France Saitama Critérium already enjoyed a rich Saturday with food tasting, activities with fans of all ages, baseball and music initiations… Now they’re ready to take on the race.
KITTEL, THE JAPAN ENTHUSIAST
As a self-proclaimed lover of Japanese food, Marcel Kittel (Katusha-Alpecin) was more than...
The world champion Alejandro Valverde, the Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas and many other pedalling stars have arrived in Japan for the 6th edition of the Tour de France Saitama Criterium and a bit of tourism. Saturday, on the eve of the race, they will already participate in a rich schedule: initiation to falconry, Japanese percussions, baseball with the local stars of the...
Welsh rider Geraint Thomas heads the entry list of riders preparing for the trip to Japan for edition six of the Tour de France Saitama Critérium, five years after his first participation. As is the case every year, the riders will compete in front of a large crowd, in which there will be a very special observer in the person of Alberto Contador. A complete TV package...
He already left his mark on the French Alps by winning two consecutive stages at La Rosière and then Alpe d’Huez. Geraint Thomas went on to complete his journey along France’s roads in the finest position and is now readying himself to finish his season with the Criterium de Saitama. It was five years ago when the Welshman enjoyed his first and sole experience...
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