Lenny Martinez rides to the win at Japan Cup

As the pro road racing season wrapped up in the Far East, Lenny Martinez capped off an impressive year with a commanding solo victory at the 32nd Japan Cup. Just a week earlier, Team Bahrain Victorious had delivered a series of strong performances at the Tour of Guangxi in China, scoring multiple top-five and top-ten finishes.

This Sunday’s Japan Cup Road Race in Utsunomiya marked the 32nd edition of the event. Team Bahrain Victorious fielded a determined line-up led by Lenny Martinez, supported by in-form Afonso Eulalio, Rainer Kepplinger, Torstein Traeen, and Vlad van Mechelen. Yoshiki Terada, from the Bahrain Victorious Development Team, joined as a guest rider, seizing the opportunity to race on home soil. The weekend opened with Saturday’s Criterium on the streets of Utsunomiya, where Vlad van Mechelen sprinted to a fine 3rd place, behind Jonathan Milan and Mika Heming.

Sunday’s main event took place on the challenging Utsunomiya circuit, featuring the demanding Kogashiyama climb. Over 14 laps, the race evolved into a test of endurance, with Eulalio and Martinez using their climbing strength to wear down their rivals. In the final laps, the young Frenchman launched a decisive attack and rode clear to claim a solo victory. Following earlier wins at Paris–Nice, the Tour de Romandie, and the Critérium du Dauphiné, this marked Martinez’s fourth win of the season, capping a year in which he contributed half of Team Bahrain Victorious’ total victories.

The Tour of Guangxi, the final race on the UCI WorldTour calendar, unfolded over six stages in southwestern China. With five sprint-friendly stages and one decisive mountain finish, Team Bahrain Victorious assembled a line-up tailored to the route’s profile. Phil Bauhaus led the sprint ambitions, supported by Andrea Pasqualon and Daniel Skerl, while Pello Bilbao targeted a strong GC result with help from Roman Ermakov, Mathijs Paaschens, and Max van der Meulen.

A heavy crash late in the opening stage unfortunately took Bauhaus out of contention, forcing the team to adjust its strategy. Rising to the occasion, Daniel Skerl delivered breakthrough performances, finishing 4th and 5th in the next two stages, which were the best results of his young career. On the hillier stages 4 and 6, Pasqualon, returning from injury, sprinted to 6th and 7th in reduced group finishes, showing promising form. Pello Bilbao placed 10th on the Queen stage and ended the race 8th overall, slightly below his target but still a solid close to the season.

RESULTS:
32. UTSUNOMIYA JAPAN CUP ROAD RACE: UTSUNOMIYA - UTSUNOMIYA, 144.2KM
1. Lenny Martinez, FRA/TEAM BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS, in 3:30.00 hours
2. Alex Baudin, FRA, + 0.32
3. Ion Izagirre, ESP, st

UTSUNOMIY JAPAN CUP CRITERIUM, UTSUNOMIYA - UTSUNOMIYA, 33.8KM
1. Jonathan Milan, ITA, in 39.58 minutes
2. Mika Heming, GER, st
3. Vlad van Mechelen, BEL/TEAM BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS, st