CHIGASAKI STYLE**2020 World Cycling
by: Naoki Sakai

Some interesting things happening in the cycling world as the Olympics loom for the summer in Tokyo.

 

 

 

NTT has become the sponsor, taking over from Dimension Data, switching from the South African IT company to Japan’s Nippon Telegraph and Telephone.  They’ll ride the Tour de France, in 2020 under the NTT name, and are the only team to ride BMC bicycles.   It’s been awhile since a Japanese sponsor for world road racing, so perhaps it’s a signal that road racing will be in the news more and creating popularity in Nippon!! 

 

 

Tom Dumoulin has switched from Team Sunweb to Jumbo Visma, riding with talented riders like Primoz Roglic and Steven Kruijswijk, on Bianchi.  With a strong team of domestiques, is this the year Bianchi wins over Pinarello and Ineos’ power, boasting 3 straight Tour de France wins with three different riders in Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas and Egan Bernal?  We shall see! 

 

 

The 2020 Tour de France course has only one individual time trial on the penultimate day, and no team TT, , thus favoring the climbers such as defending champion Bernal.  It should be an exciting cycling year in 2020 with the Olympics following the end of the Tour de France within 2 weeks, so who races where may become an issue. The acclimation from France to the muggy heat of Japan could be a deterrent to team and riders decision to race either the Olympics or the Tour, as peak performance at both events could prove to be difficult.