TEAMS
BGT
TEAM BRIDGESTONE CYCLING
CT
TEAM BRIDGESTONE CYCLING
Track Specialists Show Their Power on the Road
A historic team founded in 1964, now consisting largely of track specialists, with many Japanese national team riders.
Fast riders aim for victories on flat courses with excellent teamwork and sprinting.
With Bridgestone headquartered in Kurume, Fukuoka, the Tour de Kyushu is essentially their second home race.
Naoki Kojima won the first stage and the Kokura Criterium in the inaugural event and is now in the Japan Keirin Training School.
Shoi Matsuda, with two domestic wins this year, is also on the path to keirin, leaving Tetsuo Yamamoto as the central rider in Kyushu.
Track-point race Asian champion Yamamoto’s speed and aggressive style are supported by captain Shoki Kono and young riders Kanta Umezawa, Toranosuke Yamashita, and Ryosuke Yumen.
The team exemplifies the global trend of combining track and road racing.
