Tour of Japan #6

Mythical stage in the Tour of Japan. A few laps on a challenging circuit nearby the Fuji Speedway and then the super hard climb to Mount Fuji. A strong break started the long climb with nearly 2:30 minutes advantage. When the real climb started 11km to go there was 1:40 minute left and Solution Tech ramped up the pace.

The first half of the climb went very well. Many riders dropped and I was feeling pretty good. On the steep ramps in the second half of the climb I followed the first big acceleration and that was probably not the best idea. Blew up on the next ramp and had to find my breath and legs back on two kilometers that averaged nearly 15%. Kept on fighting until the finish and managed to finish 7th. Just behind my team mate that managed to get 5th place on the stage and GC being in the early break.

Also in Asia the level is rising every year, and this stage is a nice example for that. 5.8W/kg for more than 40 minutes brings you in the top ten, but to win, you have to do a bit more. Or maybe get a bit lighter :P

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