Lenny Martinez ends season with victory in Japan Cup, Riejanne Markus helps teammate to win in China

Early in the Japan Cup, a surprisingly strong group broke away. Georg Steinhauser (EF Education - EasyPost), stage winner in the 2024 Giro d'Italia, was joined by Felix Engelhardt (Jayco-AlUla), Jamie Meehan (Cofidis), Fabian Weiss (Tudor), Rainer Kepplinger (Bahrain Victorious), and Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek). The sprinter had recently won the Japan Cup Criterium and was enjoying himself at the front of the race on Sunday.

He didn't last long: with 100 kilometers to go, the Italian had to let go, but by then the attacks from the peloton had already begun. Riders such as Jardi Christiaan van der Lee (EF Education - EasyPost) and Louis Barré (Intermarché-Wanty) ensured that the breakaway riders were caught 90 kilometers from the finish. A very turbulent phase followed, with many breakaways.

Luca Van Boven (Intermarché-Wanty) was the only one who managed to stay ahead of the pack for a while, but a group of favorites quickly managed to make the crossing. Twenty strong climbers would battle for the victory, including Van der Lee, Martinez, Mauro Schmid, Michael Matthews (Jayco-AlUla), Ion Izagirre (Cofidis), and Riley Sheehan (Israel - Premier Tech). With 30 kilometers to go, Martinez launched his first attack.

It was unsuccessful, and his second acceleration was also countered. However, his third attempt was successful: with 9 kilometers to go, he rode away from Alex Baudin (EF Education - EasyPost), Alessandro Fancellu (UKYO), and Izagirre. At the finish line, he had a 32-second lead over his compatriot Baudin, who finished second, with Izagirre crossing the line in third place.

The Tour of Guangxi has reached its final stage for the men, but before it could start, the women were to ride a race in Nanning themselves. It would follow the same route as the men, albeit one lap less. But with the steep climb to Qingxiushan, there would be more than enough to experience.

As expected, the battle was fought there. Early on, a nice group formed, including Riejanne Markus and Henderson from Lidl-Trek, Usoa Ostolaza (Laboral Kutxa), Caroline Andersson, Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Liv AlUla Jayco), and Elynor Bäckstedt (UAE Team ADQ). These riders managed to stay out of the clutches of their rivals and would battle it out for the victory.

Andersson picked up the pace on the final passage of the decisive climb, and only Henderson was able to follow. Behind them, the pace slowed, partly thanks to Markus, who was able to disrupt the group. The two riders sprinted for the victory, with Henderson proving to be the strongest. Andersson had to settle for second place, ahead of Ostolaza.