Japanese WorldTour veteran Yukiya Arashiro hopes for "at least one more year in the peloton, although it may be too late"
Cycling
The Saitama Criterium was Yukiya Arashiro's last outing in the Bahrain - Victorious jersey. After 16 seasons as a pro, the 40-year-old Japanese rider is still not ready to retire and the (second) oldest rider in WorldTour peloton hopes to find a new home for 2025.
Arashiro will definitely say goodbye to Bahrain at the end of the season. But the Japanese rider tells Marca that he wants to stay "at least one more year in the peloton." That's why the cyclist is already negotiating with several teams, "including a Spanish one, although it may be too late."
Yukiya was the master of ceremonies at the tenth edition of the Saitama Criterium. "It's lucky that we've been here for a decade now. I haven't really raced much in my country, so racing here is always good news," says Arashiro. He didn't get to start in any Grand tours this year but has competed in "the Games, which was one of the goals."
Bahrain in general had pretty disappointing season where nothing much went as planned. Arashiro doesn't hold a grudge against the team for not offering him a new contract as he recognizes that the team "needs a leader to be able to score points" to ideally bring as his replacement.
Quality of Spanish cycling
In the eight seasons with Bahrain - Victorious, Arashiro got to spend a lot of time with Pello Bilbao, who "is one of the most professional cyclists I know, here on holiday he goes out to train at 6am" and also ex-teammate Mikel Landa. It's the Spanish riders who left a huge impression on the Japanese rider.
And it's quality and depth of the Spanish cycling school that makes Arashiro slightly envious: "Spain is not like Japan, because there are talents of all ages there and here there is a lot of distance between the cyclists." Despite the passion of the fans, Japan still finds it very difficult to fight for important victories on road. "There is still a lot to do here," he warns.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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