Mynavi Tour de Kyushu 2025 – Kumamoto Aso Stage (Stage 2)

The second day of the Mynavi Tour de Kyushu 2025 brought riders to the Kumamoto Aso Stage—a course once again expected to shake up the overall standings. Riders who had placed highly the previous day each started with their own goals and strategies.

Second overall, Rein Taaramäe (KINAN Racing Team), only four seconds behind the leader, said before the start:

“I’ve ridden many stage races, so I know that each day offers a new chance to try something. I’d like to do something today.”
The veteran, with his wealth of experience from multiple European week-long stage races, looked ready to make his move.

General classification leader and rivals side by side: Wearing the blue leader’s jersey, Kyrylo Tsarenko (SOLUTION-TECH–Vini Fantini) stood next to the points classification leader (by reassignment), Rein Taaramäe (KINAN Racing Team).

Third overall, Niccolò Garibbo (TEAM UKYO), was wary of the riders chasing from behind—especially Joseph Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team), just 30 seconds behind.

“I’m nearly a minute behind the top two, so my focus will probably be on defending third. I need to watch out for the three riders right behind me — Pidcock, Vanboven, and Verschaeve.”

Garibbo’s concern was justified. The TotalEnergies team of sixth-placed Matteo Vercher had come to Japan determined to win, not just to finish sixth overall.

“We didn’t come here to settle for sixth. It’s a fresh start today—we’ll aim for both the stage win and a jump up the GC. The climb is far from the finish, but we’ll still make our move.”

After an aggressive but ultimately frustrating Stage 1 (where they finished sixth), TotalEnergies looked to strike again with their climbing ace Jordan Jegat. His move could also threaten Garibbo’s podium position.

At the same time, Nariyuki Masuda (TEAM UKYO), seventh overall, was clear about his mission:

“Our team’s goal is to bring home as many UCI points as possible. While keeping my own results in mind, I’ll work to defend Garibbo’s third place—or even help him move up.”

 

Before the start, a ceremonial tape cutting was held. From left: Shuji Kawazu, Member of the Kumamoto Prefectural Assembly; Tetsuji Sakamoto, Member of the House of Representatives; Takashi Kimura, Governor of Kumamoto Prefecture; Kazuhiro Ikebe, Chairman of the Tour de Kyushu 2025 Organizing Committee; Yasuyuki Kaneko, Member of the House of Representatives and Secretary-General of the Parliamentary League for the Promotion of Bicycle Use; and Shuji Takahashi, Mayor of Minamioguni Town.

Starting from Senomoto Rest House in Minami-Oguni Town and finishing at Minamiaso Village Hall, the Kumamoto Aso Stage is a familiar route in the race, though this year it featured a crucial change: riders would tackle the first-category Milk Road climb twice within the circuit—making it a high-difficulty stage. However, the second summit still lay 53 km from the finish, offering time for regrouping.

The Kumamoto Aso stage saw a series of attacks right from the start.

GC contenders, opportunists, and riders eager to animate the race battled toward the first sprint point at 23 km, located on a downhill stretch. With time bonuses at stake, GC teams could not afford to let a breakaway go unchecked.

A signature stage of the race, set against the stunning backdrop of Aso’s breathtaking scenery.

The first sprint point was contested in the main group, with Jordan Jegat (TotalEnergies) crossing first—an aggressive display from a rider known as a climber.

The peloton heads toward the first-category climb.

A group of five riders, including Sei Oda (Matrix Powertag) in the King of the Mountains jersey, broke away at the front and began the first-category climb.

On the long first climb, Oda broke away solo, cresting the summit alone to consolidate his lead in the mountains classification. Behind him, Thomas Bonnet (TotalEnergies) bridged across, and the two formed a new leading duo.

Oda later said:

“I could’ve dropped back, but since I was already there, I decided to stay up front as long as I could. I thought, ‘This must be my own Tour de France.’”

Further attacks came from TEAM UKYO and TotalEnergies riders on the climb, but the peloton eventually regrouped. Bonnet took first at the second sprint point.

Jordan Jegat (TotalEnergies) launched an attack on the second climb.

Entering the second ascent of Milk Road, TotalEnergies ramped up the pace—catching the break and launching Jegat in a solo attack. Alessandro Fancell (TEAM UKYO) followed, the two cresting the summit together. However, their gap was short-lived; a 17-rider group formed on the descent, including all the top-six GC riders.

After the two Category 1 climbs, a lead group of 17 riders was formed.

Despite expectations of fireworks among the GC contenders, the downhill run to the finish discouraged attacks, and the pace eased. With 31 km to go, the Solution-Tech–Vini Fantini-led chase group caught up, forming a peloton of about 40 riders.

The main peloton was led by Solution Tech–Vini Fantini.

The final intermediate sprint at Iromi saw Henok Mulubrhan (XDS–Astana) take maximum points, with Jegat second, gaining more bonus seconds.

At the intermediate sprint point in Iromi, the riders were almost side by side, with Henock Mulbrun (XDS Astana) crossing first on the far right.

In the final kilometers, several late attacks were neutralized by Solution-Tech, setting up a mass sprint. On the uphill finish, Dries De Pooter (Intermarché–Wanty) launched first from his teammates’ leadout and held off Geoffrey Soupe (TotalEnergies) and Henok Mulubrhan (XDS–Astana) to take his first professional victory.

Dries De Pooter (Intermarché-Wanty) took the lead in the sprint.

Geoffrey Soupe (TotalEnergies), who finished third at the Sasebo Criterium, and Henock Mulbrun’s chase were unable to catch him, and De Pooter claimed victory. At 22 years old, this marked his first professional win, and he jumped up to sixth in the overall standings.

Kosuke Takeyama (Utsunomiya Blitzen), who joined the sprint and finished eighth on the stage, earned the Best Japanese Rider award for the day.

Ultimately, the top five overall positions and time gaps remained unchanged after the Kumamoto Aso stage. The gap between overall leader Kyrylo Tsarenko and second-placed Rein Taaramäe stayed at just four seconds—a slim margin that still allows for a potential change through bonus seconds. The fight for the overall victory will now be decided in the final stage, Miyazaki–Oita.

TotalEnergies, which animated the race with aggressive riding over consecutive days, came just short of the victory they had targeted. Attention now turns to whether they will make another decisive move on the final day. TEAM UKYO also rode aggressively, successfully defending Niccolò Galibbo’s third place overall. While the stage win went to a WorldTeam rider, two of the top three overall are from Continental teams.

Stage 2 Results – Kumamoto Aso

Stage Winner:

1. Dries De Pooter (Intermarché–Wanty) – 2h 35’47”
   
   
2. Geoffrey Soup (TotalEnergies)
   
   
3. Henok Mulubrhan (XDS–Astana)
   
   

General Classification:

1. Kyrylo Tsarenko (Solution-Tech–Vini Fantini) – 5h 25’09”
   
   
2. Rein Taaramäe (KINAN Racing Team) +4s
   
   

Niccolò Garibbo (TEAM UKYO) +49s

Kyrylo Tsarenko (Overall Leader):

“Other teams attacked all day, trying to make the stage hard, but thanks to great teamwork I can wear the leader’s jersey for another day. I don’t know what will happen tomorrow, but I’ll do my best to defend it.”

Dries De Pooter (Stage Winner & Points Leader):

“After 78 race days this season, I’m not at my peak on the climbs. I suffered on the first big ascent and conserved on the second. I skipped the intermediate sprints to save for the finish—and it paid off. My teammates Kamp, Brawats, and Vanboven gave me a perfect leadout. I can’t thank them enough. Tomorrow, I’ll gladly support them the way they supported me today.”

Intermarché–Wanty claimed the stage victory through strong teamwork.

Gerardo Ledesma (Best Young Rider):

“I tried to get into the break, but TotalEnergies set a hard pace. I aimed for the second intermediate sprint bonus but finished fourth—close but not enough. The final sprint was chaotic, but I stayed upright and kept the jersey, which was the main goal.”

Hijiri Oda (King of the Mountains Leader):

“Five of us hit the first climb together, but I saw the peloton closing in, so I switched from an even pace to full gas and went solo. When a TotalEnergies rider joined me, I managed to stay in front until the second climb. My goal was clear—to take every KOM point I could.”

Kousuke Takeyama (Best Japanese Rider):

“It was tough to form a proper leadout train because the bunch was huge and chaotic, but I found a clear line and sprinted through. We hadn’t made the podium yet this race, so I’m glad to tick that box. Yesterday only the veterans (Arashiro and Masuda) made the main group, which fired me up to fight back today. Even without our team leader, we showed that Utsunomiya Blitzen can still be competitive.”