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Asai Satoshi wins 1581 Ceribian Tour
By Richard W. Wallace
Published: Elva 24, 1581


Asai Satoshi during stage 20


Ceribia | Sainamese climber Asai Satoshi (Nitenryu Cycling) won the 1581 Ceribian Tour, after defeating his main rivals in the last stage, a 33-km time-trial stage. The stage was won by Strathaen Dáire Tadg McRoibeirt (United Strathae).

Unlike the last Tour de Valland, the 1581 Ceribian Tour lacked a clear top contender and six different riders wore the golden maillot at least one day during the last week of the race. Four riders, Strathaen climber Kieran McLucais (United Strathae), Mordvanian Slavoj Savincek (Mordvelo), Satoshi himself and Sequoian Christophe Malletze (Le Cycle Super) came to the last stage with options not only to fight for a place in the podium, but to win the Tour as well.

The veteran Strathaen climber, who had won the Tour de Valland in 1579, had fourty-nine secons over Savincek and one minute and twenty-seven seconds over Satoshi, while Malletze -who had started stage 18 as leader of the general classification- was down to one minute and fifty-six seconds.

Satoshi, although not a specialist, proved to be a competent time-trialist, ending with a time of one minute and twenty-two seconds over the stage winner, and about two minutes better than his main rivals. McLucais failed to keep the first position and had to resign himself with the second position in the general classification.

Christophe Malletze, who had prepared the season thinking to win the Ceribian Tour, lost one minute to Satoshi, and ended third, only six seconds ahead of Slavoj Savincek, who after a great season, will have to resign with a 8th and 4th position in the two Grand Tours.

Along with Kieran McLucais' runners-up and two stage wins, United Strathae won the team classification again, and Kelly R. McCullain won the Mountain classification, becoming the first Strathaen to win the Mountain classification in both Grand Tours.

Richard Malone (Dido-Dreher) won four stages and the Point classification, to be added to the five individual stages and the Point classification he had won earlier this season in the Tour de Valland. In his best season of his career, Richard Malone is considered the favourite to win the World Championship in Chartois, Kyrland, late this year, although it is not he will not face many contenders. Between them, Nylander Pierce Frazier (Dagslag-NVB), who won three stages this Ceribian Tour.

Gehennan Jan Daxenberger (Scholden-Gulcron) won the Young Rider classification, after winning the same classification in the last Tour de Valland, becoming the second rider to achieve it after Christophe Malletze, who won both classifications in 1579. Daxenberger led the general classification jersery for a day after stage 14, ending 14th after a declining third week. Despite that, Daxenberger is expected to be the great hope for Gehennan fans in the next decade.  

Asai Satoshi, 28, who already was third in the 1580 Ceribian Tour and has not  confirmed if he will join the Sainamese national team in the coming World Championship, has declared he aims to focus in the 1582 season to win the Tour de Valland, although he will try to defend the title in the 1582 Ceribian Tour.

He will not have it easy, as the Sainamese climber will have to face Stavros Michelakakis -between many other contenders-, who aims to become the second rider to win four times the Tour de Valland. Michelakakis (MTS Team), who will 34 in 1582, ended 8th in the Ceribian Tour, lacking the regularity and power he showed in Valland.