Cycling – Japan Cup: Martin third behind Costa and Engelhardt

2023-10-15 14:49:07

Published on October 15, 2023 at 4:49 p.m. – updated on October 15, 2023 at 9:28 p.m. Aurélie Sacchelli

The Frenchman from the Cofidis team Guillaume Martin took third place in the Japan Cup this Sunday, behind Rui Costa and Felix Engelhardt.

The 2023 season ends without a single victory for Guillaume Martin. The French rider from the Cofidis team might not do better than third during the Japan Cup, which took place around Utsunomiya, north of Tokyo. He finished two seconds behind the winner of the day, former world champion Rui Costa, who beat Felix Engelhardt in the sprint following just under three and a half hours of racing. A race also reduced by 30 kilometers due to bad weather. The Portuguese attacked on the last ascent of Mount Kogashi in order to collect the mountain points, on this course which had thirteen laps of the circuit, but Martin and Engelhardt followed him. The trio therefore completed the last lap together, and the Intermarché-Circus-Wanty rider was the strongest in the final straight.

Alaphilippe 38th

“Winning this Japan Cup has a special meaning for me. I started the season by winning my first race at the Mallorca Challenge in January and today I won my last race in Japan. Just like at the time, it was a very difficult day because of the cold and the continuous rain from start to finish,” rejoiced the winner of the day, who thus signed his fifth victory of the year (the first outside of Spain) and the 32nd of his career. And perhaps the last for the Belgian team, since he would be leaving for EF Education EasyPost… For Guillaume Martin, this is only his second podium of the season, following his third place in the Tour du Jura. A season that the Norman went through quite anonymously, even if he finished tenth in the Tour de France. Also note during this Japan Cup the seventh place of Axel Zingle, the tenth of Julien Bernard, and the 38th of Julian Alaphilippe, who at least had the merit of going to the end, which was not the case of 59 of the 107 starting riders.

JAPAN CUP
Final classification (Utsunomiya – Utsunomiya, 133.9km) – Sunday October 15, 2023
1- Rui Costa (POR/Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) in 3h28″22
2- Felix Engelhardt (ALL/Jayco-AlUla) mt
3- Guillaume Martin (FRA/Cofidis) at 2″
4- Maxim Van Gils (BEL/Lotto Dstny) at 27″
5- Georz Zimmermann (ALL/Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) at 1’34
…

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#Cycling #Japan #Cup #Martin #Costa #Engelhardt