ツアー・オブ・ジャパン 2026

19-Year-Old Oscar Gallagher (CCACHE X BODYWRAP) Claims His First TOJ Victory in a Bunch Sprint

Stage 7 of the Tour of Japan 2026 took place in Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture. The race started at Hashimoto Park and, following a 4.8 km neutralized parade section via the historic Ogura Bridge, the official start was given. Riders then tackled 7 laps of the Toriihara Fureaino Yakata circuit for a total race distance of 107.5 km. With only 3 seconds separating second and third place in the general classification and just 3 points between the leading contenders in the mountain’s classification, the stage promised significant battles. 

Immediately after the start, Francesco Carollo (Swatt Club) launched an attack. By the first passage of the control line with seven laps remaining, 8-rider breakaway had been established. 

Carollo succeeded in placing his teammate Giacomo Garavaglia in the break, while mountains classification leader Genki Yamamoto (KINAN Racing Team) missed the move. The group later grew to 11 riders as Hijiri Oda (Aisan Racing Team), Atsushi Oka (Astemo Utsunomiya Blitzen), Haruhi Honda (VC Fukuoka), and Nils Sinschek (Terengganu Cycling Team) bridged across. 

Points classification leader Tommaso Dati (TEAM UKYO) was among the escapees and crossed all three intermediate sprint points first at 20.5 km, 48.1 km, and 75.7 km, successfully extending his lead in the blue jersey competition. 

Carollo also led over the mountain prime points at 24.7 km and 52.3 km. By adding ten points on the day, he moved into the lead of the KOM classification. With no remaining opportunities for rivals to overtake him, Carollo mathematically secured the red jersey. 

The breakaway's advantage reached a maximum of 2 minutes, but as the peloton increased the pace with three laps remaining, cooperation among the leaders began to break down. 

Just before the final lap, Dati attacked alone. With 8.5 km remaining, Mads Andersen (Swatt Club) joined the move, and at 5.6 km to go Daiki Yamamoto (VC Fukuoka), Zeb Kyffin (Terengganu Cycling Team), and Kanta Umezawa (Japan National Team) bridged across, creating a five-rider leading group. 

As the peloton closed in, only Kyffin and Yamamoto remained at the front with 3.5 km to go, but their effort was neutralized inside the final kilometer. The stage was ultimately decided in a mass sprint, where Oscar Gallagher (CCACHE X BODYWRAP) powered to victory for his first-ever Tour of Japan stage win. 

The 19-year-old Gallagher had already shown his potential earlier in the race, finishing third in the Inabe Stage and fourth in the bunch sprint at the Watahan Shinshu Iida Stage. In Iida, he mistakenly celebrated with his arms raised after believing he had won. In Amano Sagamihara, however, he finally achieved the victory he had been chasing. 

Solution Tech NIPPO Rali, who controlled the peloton for much of the day, successfully defended first and second place in the general classification. With only the Speed Channel Tokyo Stage remaining, the team moved one step closer to overall victory. The points and young rider classifications remained unchanged. 

Rider Comment Stage Winner – Oscar Gallagher (CCACHE X BODYWRAP)
"A few days ago, in the Watahan Shinshu Iida Stage, I raised my arms because I thought I had won, but I actually finished fourth. Out of respect, I couldn't raise my arms today. I've been getting close to victory throughout the race, so I'm really happy to finally win. The pace increased with two laps to go, and when I saw other riders beginning to struggle, I felt confident that today could be my day. In the future, I'd like to join a development team of a WorldTeam and continue progressing as a rider." 

General Classification Leader (Green Jersey) – Matteo Fabbro (Solution Tech NIPPO Rali):
"We controlled the peloton well as a team and managed to get through the day successfully. The course was demanding, and the pace increased significantly toward the finish, which made for a stressful finale. However, our team was strong and everything went according to plan. I hope tomorrow will be a sprint stage, and if it is, we'll also aim for victory with our sprinter." 

Points Classification Leader (Blue Jersey) – Tommaso Dati (TEAM UKYO)
"Today my goal was to collect as many sprint points as possible, so I joined the breakaway. As the peloton got closer, I went all-in for a stage win, but alone it was always going to be difficult. After being caught, I did everything I could to support my teammates. My legs felt good today, but sometimes cycling is a gamble, and today I lost that gamble by a small margin." 

Mountains Classification Leader (Red Jersey) – Francesco Carollo (Swatt Club)
"Today was a day when I had to be in the breakaway. To secure the jersey, I needed to be first over two KOM points. That's why I attacked from the start, and with the cooperation of Garavaglia and riders from other teams, I managed to lead both climbs. I'm very happy to have achieved my goal. Regarding the five-yen coin necklace, I had such a wonderful five-day experience at last year's Tour de Okinawa that I wanted something to remember it by. I didn't know about the Japanese meaning of 'GOEN' (good connections), so thank you for teaching me that!" 

Best Young Rider (White Jersey) – Will Heath (CCACHE X BODYWRAP)
"I've spent a lot of time with Oscar this year, so I'm very happy to see him win. NIPPO controlled the race and the first half was relatively calm, but like the other stages, the pace became incredibly fast toward the finish. At this point in the race my body feels completely empty, but I managed to hang on. With the time gap I have, I'm looking forward to wearing the white jersey again in Tokyo tomorrow." 

Stage Classification
1. Oscar Gallagher    CCACHE X BODYWRAP    2h 23m 02s
2. Leonel Quintero Arteaga    Victoire Hiroshima    +1s
3. Tilen Finkšt    Solution Tech NIPPO Rali    +1s

Individual General Classification (Green Jersey)
1. Matteo Fabbro    Solution Tech NIPPO Rali    13h 27m 35s
2. Camille Bonneu    Solution Tech NIPPO Rali    +55s
3. Benjamí Prades Reverter    VC Fukuoka    +58s

Points Classification (Blue Jersey)
1. Tommaso Dati    TEAM UKYO    79 pts
2. Benjamí Prades Reverter    VC Fukuoka    62 pts
3. Oscar Gallagher    CCACHE X BODYWRAP    55 pts

Mountains Classification (Red Jersey)
1. Francesco Carollo    Swatt Club    33 pts
2. Genki Yamamoto    KINAN Racing Team    26 pts
3 . Giacomo Garavaglia    Swatt Club    20 pts

Young Rider Classification (White Jersey)
1. Will Heath    CCACHE X BODYWRAP
2. Masao Shimazaki    Japan National Team
3. Oscar Gallagher    CCACHE X BODYWRAP

RTA Prize　Kanta Umezawa（Japan National Team）
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/live/XftuURSDgDs?si=KzoIcK5u_quLIGqs