The road season in Asia has ended today, not only with the Tour of Guangxi, but also the Japan Cup. The Japanese one-day race has seen plenty World Tour pros at the start and in the end it was Quinn Simmons who ended his season on a high with a victory over Ben Healy.
The 144-kilometer long race in Utsonomiya featured a circuit throughout its entirety, including plenty ascents of a 1.6-kilometer long ascent at 6.7%. The hilly circuit race favoured those who attacked earlier, and so a strong group formed up the road early on who would quickly threaten the main favourites.
The likes of Hannes Wilksch, Tommaso Dati and Julien Bernard were up front but were reeled in by a restless peloton. Ben Healy, Antonio Tiberi, Jenno Berckmoes and Jordan Jegat were eventually amongst the riders who bridged across to the front of the race, whilst Quinn Simmons would then also be joining.
With 28 kilometers to go Simmons and Healy attacked the group and formed the winning gap. The duo would collaborate all the way to the line and, in the final uphill sprint, Simmons beat Healy to take his third win of the season. From the chasing group, it was Jenno Berckmoes who sprinted to third place over a minute behind.
Read also
Results Japan Cup 2026
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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