The 24-year-old became the first Belgian in more than two decades to finish on the podium of the Asian race.
Soudal Quick-Step produced some great racing at the Japan Cup, putting two riders in the top five of this 31st edition, after an action-packed day in Utsunomiya. Consisting of 14 laps, each of which featured an ascent of the hard Mt. Kogashi, Sunday’s event came to life more than 100 kilometers from the line, when Fausto Masnada and Pieter Serry went on the offensive part of a strong nine-man group.
The peloton came back, but that move was a sign of what was to come later in the day. With around eight laps to go, Serry was again on the attack, this time together with Ilan Van Wilder and Mauri Vansevenant. More riders followed, forming what soon became a strong leading group, from which the winner of the race eventually came. The gap quickly ballooned to more than a minute, which soon led to more accelerations that whittled down the group to just five riders – including Mauri and Ilan – for the last 50 kilometers.
Dropped on the final climb of the day, Van Wilder produced an outstanding effort to make it back to the front just as they were preparing for the uphill finish. There, the 24-year-old combined superbly with Vansevenant, launching separate attacks as they tried to split up things, and this tactic netted Van Wilder a solid second, just behind Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), who kicked clear within sight of the line. Mauri rounded out Soudal Quick-Step’s great team effort by concluding fifth for his 12th top ten of the season.
“We were extremely motivated before this race, because we wanted to finish the season on a high note. That’s why we went early on the attack and tried to be present in all the important moves and shape the race. Eventually, a group got away, and being there together with Mauri was a great situation for us. We did our best to increase the gap on the chasers, as we were confident in our chances of getting a good result at the end of the day.”
“I suffered a bit on the penultimate climb, but managed to come back on the descent, and then, on the final ascent, me and Mauri tried to put pressure on the others. Looking back, I think we did our best and don’t have any regrets. It’s been a long season and a hard race, but I am delighted with the fact I finished in the top three, especially as it gave me great pleasure to do it in front of these amazing fans”, said Ilan, who became the first Belgian rider in 23 years to conclude on the podium of the Japan Cup.
Photo credit: ©Yuichiro Hosoda
