The season 2018 of the #OrangeBlue will end this week-end in Japan with the Tour of Okinawa. A race with a special relevance both for Kohei Uchima, in his home race, but most of all for Alan Marangoni, at his last competition as a Pro.
Tour of Okinawa.
Sunday 11th of November will end the 2018 season of the #OrangeBlue. The Italian-Japanese team will close the season in Japan, with 4 riders at the start.
The first of them is Kohei Uchima, that as usual will have a special attitude in the Okinawa race, because it this is the home-race for him. This year it will be a very special race also for Alan Marangoni. For the great team-worker it will be the last professional race after 7 years of World Tour, 11 years of professionalism, 2 of them in the #OrangeBlue roster. Among the many career races in 19 classic monument, 7 great tours (Giro, Vuelta and Tour), courses alongside great champions. In the NIPPO Vini Fantini Europa Ovini he has done a great job as experienced rider in group, but above all has been a source of valuable advice for all the Japanese teammates, fully embracing the mission of the Italian-Japanese team. A great man and a great athlete who for this reason will close his career in Japan, alongside once again his Japanese teammates. Masakazu Ito and Hayato Yoshida will complete the line-up.
Shinichi Fukushima will be the Sports Director in race, here his pre-race declaration:
“This week-end we are going to start our last seasonal race. Uchima have a strong motivation for his home race and also Marangoni for his last race of the career. Both Ito and Yoshida will work for them, but they can also have their own chance. Motivation will make the difference in this kind of race because we are at the end of the season.”