Brilliant one-two finish for JCLTEAMUKYO:
Nahum Zelay Araya wins Mt. Fuji, Alessandro Fanchel regains overall lead!

The biggest challenge was the Mt. Fuji stage. Starting from the west gate of Fuji Speedway, 85 riders took on the 66.6km route that climbed the Fuji Azalea Line after completing four laps (including a neutral section) of an 11.5km circuit using the Tokyo 2020 individual time trial course. There was a fierce exchange of attacks immediately after the start of the race, and five riders, Atsushi Oka (Utsunomiya Blitzen), Metkel Iyob (Terengganu Cycling Team), Vouter Toussaint (Wanty NIPPO Reuse), Leon Picar (Team Bouffers Gestion de Patrimoine), and Jose Vicente Toribio Alcorea (Matrix Powertag), managed to break away. Oka was the first to reach both the intermediate sprint points set at the end of the first and third laps. He earned 10 points and was now just two points behind Alessandro Fanchel (JCLTEAMUKYO), who was wearing the points jersey. Oka showed his best race today in order to win the points prize in Tokyo. At one point, the top five riders had a 2 minute 15 second lead, but by the time they entered the Azami Line, the lead had dropped to 1 minute 10 seconds. As they started to climb, Kinan Racing Team increased the pace of the group, and with less than 9km to go, all the breakaways were absorbed. With less than 6km to go, Johannes Adamiec (Rembe Rad Net) attacked at the old Umagaeshi. Fanchel and Benjamin Dyball (Victoire Hiroshima) followed, leaving three riders in the lead. Behind them, Nahum Zelay Araya (both JCLTEAMUKYO), who was supporting overall leader Simone Laccani, caught up with Fanchel's group alone with less than 4km to go. Seeing Araya joining the group, Fanchel attacked and broke away. Dyball, who was marked by Araya, was unable to move. Adamiec, who showed an even more aggressive run, dropped out here. Araya, having assessed Daiball's running, accelerated at once and joined Fanchel in front. The race was now a battle of two JCLTEAMUKYO riders against Daiball. Araya, who showed strong running on the climbs, made the pace while taking care of Fanchel, who occasionally fell behind. He gradually widened the gap with Daiball, who was chasing him. With 250m left, Fanchel, confident that he would return to the overall leader, let Araya, who was assisting him, take the lead. Araya, who showed the strongest climbing of the day, crossed the finish line at the top of Azami Line with a light acceleration and won the stage. Fanchel, who came in second place in the stage by six seconds, returned to the overall leader position and praised Araya for his good performance. Daiball, the only rider to break into the JCL group, ended up in third place in the stage, 23 seconds behind. "I wanted to win, but JCLTEAMUKYO was too strong. I should be satisfied with third place because I did my best today," said the veteran, who had placed in the top three in the Mt. Fuji stage of the TOJ in the past, looking back on the day. Following Daiball was Laccani, the overall leader. He finished 36 seconds behind in fourth place on the stage and second overall. In the end, JCLTEAMUKYO dominated the stage again this day. All three stage wins in this tournament were by different riders, and they also took the lead in the three major awards of the individual overall time award, individual overall points award, and individual overall mountain award. On Mt. Fuji, JCLTEAMUKYO achieved ideal results with functioning teamwork. Unlike the previous day, all the riders' expressions were bright. For a team made up of many new members this season, the significance of working together to win the most difficult stage is by no means small.

Stage winner Nahum Zelay Araya (JCLTEAMUKYO) commented:
"As a team, our goal was to defend the overall leader's jersey. When it was just me and Fanchel, he told me to lead him to the finish and then win the stage. The heat in Iida caused us to fall behind in the overall standings, but I'm happy with how I rode today."

Comment from Alessandro Fanchel (JCLTEAMUKYO), winner of the Green Jersey and Blue Jersey awards
: "Mt. Fuji was a short but hard stage. The high altitude especially made it difficult for me at the end... With 5-6km to go, three cyclists made a breakaway and I chased them. Laccani was in the pack behind me and looked like he was struggling, so I ran alone at my own pace. Then Nahum caught up with me and took the lead. He was the strongest cyclist today. I'm happy that we were able to show that we are a strong team."

Comment from Nicolo Garibbo (JCLTEAMUKYO), who won the Overall Mountain Prize (Red Jersey):
"It was a tough stage, but the team managed to win the stage and keep the leader's jersey, so it was a perfect day. We will decide how to ride tomorrow in the team meeting tonight, but if possible, I would like to join the breakaway tomorrow and add to the mountain points."

Rookie of the Year (White Jersey) Maxence Plus (Wanty NIPPO Reuse) commented:
"It should be illegal to cycle up Mount Fuji (laughs). I'm a little disappointed with today's result. My legs felt good, but I just couldn't ride well. In the end I was in the top 10 on the stage, so that's good, but I was aiming for a higher position. But I managed to keep the Rookie of the Year jersey and there are still two days of racing left to do something."

Text: Yuuta Omata

Stage 5 Mt. Fuji Stage Ranking
1st Nahum Zelay Araya (JCLTEAMUKYO) 2 hours 9 minutes 48 seconds
2nd Alessandro Fanchel (JCLTEAMUKYO) +6 seconds
3rd Benjamin Diball (Victoire Hiroshima) +23 seconds

Overall Individual Time Award (Green Jersey)
1st Alessandro Fanchel (JCLTEAMUKYO) 14 hours 07 minutes 42 seconds
2nd Simone Laccagni (JCLTEAMUKYO) + 21 seconds
3rd Benjamin Diball (Victoire Hiroshima) + 1 minute 13 seconds

Individual Overall Points Award (Blue Jersey)
1st Alessandro Fanchel (JCLTEAMUKYO) 48 points
2nd Atsushi Oka (Utsunomiya Blitzen) 46 points
3rd Simone Laccani (JCLTEAMUKYO) 34 points

Individual Overall Mountaineering Award (Red Jersey)
1st Nicolo Garibbo (JCLTEAMUKYO) 22 points
2nd Nahum Zeray Araya (JCLTEAMUKYO) 20 points
3rd Teghshbayar Bassaikhan (Lujai Insurance) 19 points

Overall Individual Rookie Award (White Jersey)
1st place: Maxence Plus (Wanty NIPPO Reuse)
2nd place: Will Heath (Cash Cash X Body Wrap)