Chris Anker Sörensen has won the famous Japan Cup in Utsonomiya. The Saxo Bank rider was the strongest after 151 kilometers, finishing solo 24 seconds ahead of Spaniard Dani Moreno (Caisse d’Epargne) and Italian Ivan Santaromita (Liquigas). The race was held on a 14 kilometer circuit over undulating terrain.
After the finish Saxo Bank sports director Torsten Schmidt said, “Chris and Jens opened the race with 40 kilometers to go on a course which suited Chris like a glove with a short circular route with a large climb to pass ten times.
“It is a great way to finish the season and it is rewarding to be the sports director for energetic and enthusiastic riders like these who are still motivated in the very last part of the season.”
For Sörensen it was the first win of the season after coming close in the Tour de France where he placed third on stage four. The 24-year-old Dane finished off his strong season in Japan, where the strong effort by his Saxo Bank team saw last year’s winner Damiano Cunego (Lampre-NGC) unable to repeat.
Results:
1. Chris Sorensen (Saxo Bank) 4.06.19
2. Dani Moreno (Caisse d’Epargne) 0.24
3. Ivan Santaromita (Liquigas) s.t.
4. Juanjo Cobo (FUJI-SERVETTO) s.t.
5. Pablo Lastras (Caisse d’Epargne) 0.40
6. Joaquim Rodríguez (Caisse d’Epargne) s.t.
7. Valerio Agnoli (Liquigas) 1.25
8. Giovanni Visconti (ISD) s.t.
9. Shinri Suzuki (Shimano) 2.08
10. Gustav Larsson (Saxo Bank) s.t.