Niseko Classic 2017—Another Fantastic Bike Race
This year's UCI Gran Fondo World Series Qualifier Niseko Classic weekend saw excellent weather, participation and more.
Sunday 9 July marked the 4th successful Niseko Classic and this year's race drew a significant increase in participants. With over 850 riders, about 10% came from abroad and a total of 16 countries were represented in the race.
Riders ready themselves for the start of the race.
Race Results
This year's overall champion, Tasaki Tomoyasu from Japan's Niigata prefecture, finished the race with a time of 3:38:56 (a new Niseko Classic record). Cycling at an average speed of over 37 km/h, Tasaki powered past the finish line a good 18 minutes faster than last year's winner.
The winters of the women's and men's 70 km races were Ms Shoko Fujimura and Mr Masashi Nishitani (both from Japan).
Riders and spectators were treated with some of the best summer weather we have seen this season. Bright sunny skies and spectacular views of Mt Yotei were two of the many highlights from the action-packed weekend.
Some 3,000 visitors, athletes, families and supporters attended the race's after party, the Niseko Classic Festival, enjoying food, drink and live performances throughout the afternoon.
With a number of other fantastic events including the Yotei Fun Ride, NAC Festa and Niseko Jazz Festival the weekend was full of opportunities for participants and their families and friends to make the most of their time here in Niseko.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the race. The Niseko Classic was a success due to all of the cyclists, supporters, staff members and attendees who came out. We are already looking forward to next year's race, the 5th Niseko Classic, which will be on 7 and 8 July 2018.
Full race results can be seen on the Niseko Classic website.
