Italian National Champions Dominate Japan’s Nobeyama Cyclocross Day 1, Tim Johnson Second

Nobeyama features a spectacular setting and all the right amenities for a top-notch cyclocross race. Unfortunately, it’s just far from most population centers. © Cyclocross Magazine

NOBEYAMA, Japan — High up in the Yatsugatake mountains in Japan, sitting at 4429 feet, the little town of Nobeyama has cemented itself as a cyclocross destination thanks to Daisuke Yano’s UCI C2 event.

We covered the unique event extensively in Issue 16 (available digitally on uberflip, iTunes and Google Play), and also the 2011 race via our Nobeyama Cyclocross race report and photo gallery, and maintain it should be on the bucket list of any cyclocrosser also hoping to visit Japan.

Nobeyama features a spectacular setting and all the right amenities for a top-notch cyclocross race. Unfortunately, it’s just far from most population centers. © Cyclocross Magazine

Every year, a handful of Americans head over to the event in search of great racing, adventure, and awesome food and company. The food court at the race does not disappoint, and it’s not hard to get a good meal in Japan, even at convenience stores.

Yano, who lives just meters from the race course, typically hosts many of the racers, and every year, a few of the racers he hosts come to Nobeyama on the hunt for UCI points. Molly Cameron and Tina Brubaker have made the trip and come back with points, and this year, Tim Johnson and Zach McDonald, along with Italy’s Cyclocross National Champions, Gioele Bertolini and Alice Maria Arzuffi all made the long flight in hopes of bagging some points while many of the world’s best were contesting the World Cup in Milton Keynes.

This year, world class mud awaited the racers. It was mud that even renowned mudder Tim Johnson was impressed, Tweeting that the mud in Nobeyama was “no joke.”

The long trip and deep mud were worth it for the Italians and Johnson, with both Italian National Champions taking the victory, and Johnson finishing second, 41 seconds in arrears, while nursing a bad back.

The mud created huge time gaps. In the men’s race, Kazuhiro Yamamoto finished in third, two minutes behind the winner, with former winner Yu Takenouchi finishing in fourth. Zach McDonald followed Johnson briefly, but would not finish.

そして男子　野辺山CX 1day C1（UCIレース）　優勝 Gioele Bertolini ２位 Tim Johnson,　３位 山本和弘。こちも、すでにご存じとは思いますが・・・ pic.twitter.com/Wz51bmFRMo

— CycloVision (@cyclovision) November 29, 2014

Former winner Ayako Toyooka finished second in the women’s race, three minutes in arrears, with Japanese National Champion Sakiko Miyauchi finishing in third, another full minute behind.

See the video from the very muddy day at 2014 Nobeyama Cyclocross Day 1.

Full results below.

2014 Nobeyama Cyclocross Day 1 Men's Results

2014 Nobeyama Cyclocross Day 1 Women's Results