Cycling Howard wins final stage of the Tour of Japan
28 May 2009
Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) cyclist Leigh Howard won the final stage of the 13th Tour of Japan on 24 May to claim his third victory in the race.
The 112.7-kilometre race began in Tokyo and ran through the Oi Wharf precinct. Howard completed the race in 2 hours, 16 minutes and 25 seconds.
AIS team-mate Jack Bobridge also claimed two wins in the Tour of Japan, which contributed to the AIS Cycling team winning five out of seven stages in the race.
AIS Team Director Brian Stephens praised his young team for their smart tactics and tenacity during the race.
‘The AIS cyclists just kept upping the pace in the final laps to keep it together for Leigh, and with 500 metres to go we still had four riders up front.
‘Travis Meyer did a lot of the work, then handed the lead over to Jack before Glenn O’Shea did the last lead-out to launch Leigh home,’ Stephens said.
Howard was thrilled with the win.
‘It's been a good week and I’m happy with how it went, especially as we competed in an elite race rather than an under-23 event,’ he said.
Howard and Bobridge are both in great form after enjoying medal-winning performances at the 2009 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, which were held in Poland from 26 to 29 March.
The AIS Men’s Cycling team will return to their training base at Gavirate, in the Varese province of northern Italy, to prepare for ongoing elite competition.
They will be aiming to contest two one-day races in Italy ahead of the under-23 men’s road race of the International Thuringen Tour in Germany, which runs from 7 to 13 June.
