Japan is the number one country’s 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 Series on a difficult and scenic mountain route on Japan’s northern island. The area is a well-known ski area in winter.
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 150 km that counts as a qualifier for all men 19-49 and a distance of 85 km which is the qualifying distance for all women and men 50+. The 150 km race is a real mountain stage with a 20 km climb to an altitude of 1000m above sea level. The 85 km race is easier but is still hilly.
150km
85km
Time Trial
The time trial is being organized on a 15km course in the nearby town of Kutchan for a mainly flat and fast course with some minor elevation. Start and finish are very nearby each other.