History
Tour of Japan was formed as the successor of the Kokusai Cycle Road Race which began in 1982. [1] In 1996, Tour of Japan began as a UCI category 2-5 stage race, [2] and became category 2–4 in 1997. It was downgraded to category 2–5 in 2002. [3]
As the UCI race system was reformed in 2005, it was included in the UCI Asia Tour as a category 2.2 event. It became a category 2.1 event in 2013.
The race has only been cancelled three times in its history. The 2003 edition was canceled for concern over the 2002–2004 SARS outbreak, and the 2011 edition was canceled because of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The 2020 edition was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2021 edition was held as a class 2.2 event and a three-day stage race with all domestic teams, exempted by the UCI from the mandatory invitation of foreign teams under Japan's international travel restrictions. The 2022 edition was held as a four-stages, class 2.2 event. It restored the eight-stages class 2.1 form in 2023. The 2024 edition was held as the eight-stages, class 2.2 event.
The Union Cycliste Internationale is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland.
Fuji Bikes is a brand of bicycles and cycling equipment currently owned by Advanced Sports International. The company is a descendant of Nichibei Fuji Cycle Company, Ltd. (日米富士自転車株式会社), a bicycle manufacturer originally established in Japan in 1899. The company took its name and logo from Mount Fuji, a Japanese symbol of strength and endurance.
The Tour de Langkawi is a multiple stage bicycle race held in Malaysia. It is named after the archipelago Langkawi, where the first edition started and finished. The race has been held annually since 1996, primarily in February. It usually consists of 10-day-long segments (stages) over 10 days, but has been reduced to eight stages over recent years. While the route changes each year, the Genting Highlands climb, the toughest in the tour, is always included. Tour de Langkawi is sanctioned by the International Cycling Union (UCI) as a 2.HC road race in the UCI Asia Tour calendar. The race became part of the UCI ProSeries in 2020.
The Herald Sun Tour is an Australian professional bicycle race held in Melbourne and provincial Victoria, sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The first tour was held in October 1952 as a six-day event. It is now held annually over five days in February, though as of 2024 the most recent edition was in 2020. It is named after the Herald Sun, Melbourne's only daily tabloid newspaper. It was originally known as the Sun Tour after The Sun News-Pictorial, and changed its name when The Sun News-Pictorial merged with The Herald in 1990.
The Tour de Pologne, officially abbreviated TdP, is an annual, professional men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in Poland. It consists of seven or eight stages and is usually around 1,200 km in length. The race was first held in 1928 and is considered the oldest and most important bicycle race in Poland.
The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah, was an annual multi-day road cycling race; traversing the states of Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming. Since the 2011 edition, the tour holds UCI classification. Between five and six UCI WorldTeams compete annually.
The Japan Cup Cycle Road Race is an annual professional road bicycle racing classic one-day race held in the city of Utsunomiya in Japan since 1992. The race usually held in October each year. It is sanctioned by the International Cycling Union (UCI) as a 1.Pro race as part of the UCI ProSeries.
The Jelajah Malaysia is an annual professional road bicycle racing stage race held in Malaysia since 1963. The race is part of the UCI Asia Tour and was classified by the International Cycling Union (UCI) as a 2.2 category race. The race consists of only a men's competition over seven stages.
The Japan Cycling Federation, abbreviated to JCF is the national governing body of cycle racing in Japan. It was established in 1995 to cover both amateur and professional cycle racing.
The Tour de Taiwan is an annual professional road bicycle racing stage race held in Taiwan since 1978, and has been part of the UCI Asia Tour since 2005. It was classed a 2.1 category race for the first time in 2012.
The Tour of Qinghai Lake is an annual professional road bicycle racing stage race held in the Qinghai province of China since 2002, named after Qinghai Lake. The race is sanctioned by the International Cycling Union (UCI) as a 2.HC race as part of the UCI Asia Tour. The race was to become part of the new UCI ProSeries in 2020, although the event in 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 and 2022 events were held as a class 2.2 race with all domestic teams due to the international travel restrictions during the pandemic. The race returned to the UCI ProSeries in 2023.
The Tour de Hokkaido is an annual professional road bicycle racing stage race held in Hokkaido, Japan since 1987 as part of the UCI Asia Tour. It is rated by the International Cycling Union (UCI) as a 2.2 category race.
The Tour of Hainan is an annual professional road bicycle racing stage race held in Hainan Province, China. The race consists of nine stages and has been part of the UCI ProSeries since 2023, previously having been on the UCI Asia Tour. The event was first held in 2006. It was made a UCI 2.1 race from 2007 and upgraded to category 2.HC in 2009. The race was due to be part of the new UCI ProSeries in 2020, but the race was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Tour de Okinawa is an annual professional road bicycle racing classic one-day race held in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It was first started in 1989 as an amateur race, but became professional in 1999. It became part of the UCI Asia Tour in 2005. Until 2007, it was a one-day race, billing itself as the longest single-day course in Japan, but was transformed into a two-day stage race in 2008, its UCI category changing from 1.2 to 2.2. In 2008, the first day was a criterium, but from 2009, it was changed to a time trial run on the streets of Nago. The 2010 edition extended the second stage to 210 kilometers. The 2012 edition again returned to a single-day event.
The Tour de Indonesia is an annual professional road bicycle racing stage race held in Java, Indonesia since 2004. The race is sanctioned by the International Cycling Union (UCI) as a 2.1 category race as part of the UCI Asia Tour.
The Tour de Kumano is an annual professional road bicycle racing stage race held in Mie Prefecture, Japan, named after Kumano. It was first run in 2006 at the amateur level, and moved to the professional level in 2008, when included into the UCI Asia Tour and classified as a 2.2 category race.
The Abu Dhabi Tour was a men's cycling stage race that took place in the United Arab Emirates, held annually between 2015 and 2018. In 2019, the Abu Dhabi Tour merged with the Dubai Tour to become the UAE Tour.
The 2015 Tour of Qinghai Lake is the 14th edition of an annual professional road bicycle racing stage race held in Qinghai Province, China since 2002, named after Qinghai Lake. The race is run at the highest category (apart from those races which make up the UCI World Tour, and is rated by the International Cycling Union as a 2.HC race as part of the UCI Asia Tour.
The 2016 Tour de Langkawi was the 21st edition of an annual professional road bicycle racing stage race held in Malaysia since 1996. The race was run at the highest category apart from those races which make up the UCI World Tour, and was rated by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) as a 2.HC race as part of the UCI Asia Tour.
The Tour de Kyushu is an annual professional road bicycle racing stage race held in Kyushu, Japan for the first time in October 2023, as part of the UCI Asia Tour. It is rated by the International Cycling Union (UCI) as a 2.1 category race. The race was created to showcase the recovery from recent disasters in Kyushu.
Jean-Philippe Duracka (FRA)
Fortunato Baliani (ITA)
Samad Pourseyedi (IRI)
Óscar Pujol (ESP)
Nathan Earle (AUS)
