ツアー・オブ・ジャパン 2025

FANCELLU Alessandro (JCL TEAM UKYO) Showed his strength in Inaberg.
Stage win and overall leader's jersey by winning the sprint finish.

Stage 3 of the race took place in Inabe City, Mie Prefecture, starting in front of Ageki Station, the terminal station of the Sangi Railway Hokusei Line. After 3.1 km neutral parade section, riders entered an 8-lap circuit around Inabe Plum Grove Park, with each lap measuring 14.8 km, for a total race distance of 127.0 km.
The “Inaberg,” a steep hill famous for the Inabe stage, will be a key point of the race.

Last year, a breakaway on this stage affected the final result of the event, so the leading riders moved from the early stages of the stage, and a fierce exchange of attacks ensued. At the mountain point set at Inaberg on the second lap, GARIBBO Nicolò (JCL TEAM UKYO), the winner of the king of mountain jersey, jumped out of the pack and crossed the line at the front to add to his points tally.

A breakaway group of six riders, including overall leader Atsushi Oka (Utsunomiya Blitzen), formed in Inaberg on Lap 3. FANCELLU Alessandro (JCL TEAM UKYO) was the first rider from this group to cross the intermediate sprint point set up at the control line on Lap 4. He earned points and bonus time.

However, a group led by Solution Tech Vini Fantini absorbed the breakaway.
On Lap 5, JCL TEAM UKYO's ARAYA Nahom Zeray took the lead on the Inaberg, and he went on to ride alone. On Lap 6, a mountain point was set up, and Araya rode solo to the front.

As Araya was pulled back into the pack entering Lap 7, the JCL TEAM UKYO duo of Fancellu and Garibbo set a high pace in front of Inaberg.
HEIDEMANN Miguel (REMBE | RAD-NET) attacked and broke away from the thinning pack, followed by Fancellu and BREGNHØJ Mathias (Terengganu Cycling Team), making it three riders at the front.

At the intermediate sprint point at the control line going into the final lap, Fancellu was the first to cross the line, gaining additional bonus time and points. The pack entered the final lap with a 25-second delay.

On the final ascent of the Inaberg, Heidemann was dropped, leaving just two riders in the lead. Despite a determined chase, the main peloton was unable to close the gap. In the uphill sprint finish, Alessandro Fancellu proved strongest in the two-man showdown, claiming both the stage victory and moving into the lead in the individual general classification as well as the points classification. Garibbo, who finished third on the stage, successfully defended his King of the Mountains jersey, while PLACE Maxence (WANTY-NIPPO-RE UZ), who placed 10th on the stage, took over the lead in the best young rider classification.

Leader of the General Classification (Green Jersey) and Points Classification (Blue Jersey)
Comments from Alessandro Fancellu (JCL TEAM UKYO):I launched an attack once, but the peloton caught me, so I went again.
It wasn’t exactly according to our original plan, but I felt today’s uphill finish suited me well, and I was confident that if it came down to a sprint, I could win.
Wearing this leader’s jersey all the way to the final stage is now my biggest goal.

Leader of the King of Mountain Classification (Red Jersey)
Comments from GARIBBO Nicolò (JCL TEAM UKYO):Our main objective as a team has always been the overall classification, so we focused on helping secure the stage win and improving our GC position.
That said, wearing the red jersey is something special, and I also felt a strong motivation to keep it — especially for our sponsors.
I hope to fight for a stage win in the coming days.

Leader of the Best Young Rider Classification (White Jersey)
Comments from PLACE Maxence (WANTY-NIPPO-RE UZ):I knew the fight for the white jersey was going to be tight, as we were on equal time, but I went into the stage hoping I could take it, even knowing it would be difficult. I was able to gain bonus seconds in the intermediate sprint and finished well at the line, which allowed me to take the jersey. I hope to keep wearing it for as long as possible in the stages to come.

Stage 3 – Inabe Results
1位    FANCELLU Alessandro    （JCL TEAM UKYO）    2h 59m 32s
2位    BREGNHØJ Mathias     （Terengganu Cycling Team）    ＋4s
3位    GARIBBO Nicolò    （JCL TEAM UKYO）    ＋22s

General Classification (Green Jersey)
1位    FANCELLU Alessandro    （JCL TEAM UKYO）    5h 41m 09s
2位    BREGNHØJ Mathias    (Terengganu Cycling Team）    ＋16s
3位    OKA Atsushi    （Utsunomiya Blitzen）    ＋33s

Points Classification (Blue Jersey)
1位    FANCELLU Alessandro    （JCL TEAM UKYO）    40pt
2位    OKA Atsushi    （Utsunomiya Blitzen）    36pt
3位    D'AMATO Andrea    （JCL TEAM UKYO）    26pt 

King of Mountain Classification (Red Jersey)
1位    GARIBBO Nicolò    （JCL TEAM UKYO）    13pt
2位    Sawada Toki    （Utsunomiya Blitzen）    6pt
3位    ARAYA Nahom Zeray    （JCL TEAM UKYO）    5pt

Best Young Rider Classification (White Jersey)
1位    PLACE Maxence    （WANTY-NIPPO-RE UZ ）
2位    HEFFERNAN William    （CCACHE X BODYWRAP）
3位    LEDESMA GARCIA Gerard    （VC Fukuoka）