The Champion System Pro Cycling Team added to its string of top five finishes at the Tour of Japan Saturday when Pengda Jiao and Gang Xu finished second and third, respectively, as Kam-Po Wong of the Hong Kong National Team took the win.
Jiao and Xu’s results on Stage 5 were their best of the season and added to the Champion System team’s previous top five results by Chris Butler (third on Stage 4), Will Clarke (winner of the opening stage) and Cameron Wurf (second on Stage 1 and fifth on Stage 3) at the six-day race.
“We’re still hoping for a stage win,” Champion System Assistant Director Chris Wherry said. “Today was the toughest stage so far and I was very proud of the guys. We were only beaten by a great rider and there’s nothing you can do except congratulate him (Wong) for a well-timed move.”
The strength of the Champion System team was evident in the 146.4-kilometer race when all six of the riders on Asia’s first pro continental team still remained in a reduced peloton of only 20. Attacks by Jiao and Xu shattered the group and only Wong was able to follow, setting up the final dash to the finish that Wong took, two seconds ahead of Jiao and four seconds in front of Xu. Champion System’s Adiq Othman finished seventh, marking the 15th time he has finished in the top 10 this season.
With only Sunday’s 112.7 km race in Toyko remaining, Fortunato Baliani, (Team Nippo) remains the race leader. Butler, in fifth, is Champion System’s best-placed rider overall.
