Niseko Classic
Date
Saturday 14.06.2025 - 15.06.2025Distances
80 - 140 kmCity
Niseko
Country
JapanJapan is the number one country on the Asian continent with a history of World Championships Elite (Utsunomiya 1990) which is the only road World Championships held in Asia so far. The Niseko classic was organized for the first time in 2014 and delivered a great event as qualifier in the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships on a difficult and scenic mountain route on Japan’s northern island. The area is a well-known ski area in winter. Niseko will also be host of the 2026 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships.
General
Niseko is an area located in Hokkaido, the North island of Japan. It is a very wellknown ski-area with a lot of international visitors in winter, but also the summer is interesting for mountainbiking, hiking, golf or to take the gondola up the mountain.
The easiest way to get to Niseko is by an international flight to the new Chitose Airport. Many flights by various carriers fly into New Chitose Airport, including daily flights from East/South-East Asia cities.
Niseko is about 100 km southwest of Sapporo city and Sapporo New Chitose Airport (2 hour driving distance).
Road race
The Niseko Classic road race course has two distances, a distance of 140 km that counts as a qualifier for all men 19-49 and a distance of 77km which is the qualifying distance for all women and men 50+. The races are held in opposite direction towards the courses used in the past years to prepare the 2026 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships.
The 140km race is a real mountain stage with a 20 km climb to an altitude of 1000m above sea level. The 77km race is easier but is still hilly. The race will also achieve fully closed roads for the first time.
140km
77km
Time Trial
The time trial will be held on a new course in preparation of the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in 2026. The 16.3km course in Kyowa near the sea is a back and forth loop over the same road towards a turning point halfway. it’s a flat race on a split road.
