Japanese champion, Takenouchi Yu's hand made bike "Toyo frame" (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Tsujiura Keiichi (Team Bridgestone Anchor) with the crowds (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
The mechanics hard at work (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Seven Japanese riders and staff attended the cross world championships (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Relaxing over a coffee (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Toyooka Ayako (Panasonic Ladies) tested out the race course many times. (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Yokoyama Kota talks about the course with team staff (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Japanese champion,Takenouchi Yu (Team Eurasia) (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Yokoyama Kota (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Sawada Toki (Team Bridgeston Anchor) was waiting for the race start (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Toyooka Ayako (Panasonic Ladies) ready for the race (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Miyauchi Sakiko (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Japanese champion, Takenouchi Yu's hand made bike "Toyo frame" (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Riders stayed in Belgium for almost a month (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
While Belgium may be the world's power in cyclo-cross, and the USA might be the biggest emerging market for the discipline, Japan is also a hotbed of 'cross and the top racers from that country took part in the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Koksijde on Sunday.
Yu Takenouchi, the Japanese national champion and runner-up Keiichi Tsujiura took part in the elite men's race, but with few UCI points and a poor starting position on the grid, they could not hold off being lapped by winner Niels Albert from Belgium.
In the elite women's race, Ayako Toyooka and Sakiko Miyauchi put up a good fight, and were only overtaken by Marianne Vos on the final lap, finishing just behind 31st place.
The future of Japan's 'cross team is bright, as junior racer Toki Sawada put in an extraordinary performance to take 19th place, while Kota Yokoyama and Michimasa Nakai finished in 41st and 42nd, respectively.
