Second consecutive victory for Tommaso Dati at the Tour of Japan 2026. The twenty-three-year-old Italian from Team Ukyo, already victorious yesterday in the short opening prologue in Sakai, also claimed the first stage with start and finish in Kyoto, beating in a tight sprint Benjamín Prades (VC Fukuoka), his teammate Federico Iacomoni (3rd) and Estonian veteran Rein Taaramäe.

Decisive was the acceleration made by the four riders in the final of the six laps of the circuit drawn around the finish line when, breaking away forcefully from the group, the quartet went to catch and then drop an excellent Giacomo Garavaglia, who had been in breakaway from the early stages and managed to resist alone at the head of the race for a long time.

For Dati, who confirmed himself as leader of the general classification of the Japanese race, this was thus the fifth elite-level victory of his career, the fourth (after the third stage of the International Week Coppi and Bartali, the first stage of the Tour of the Alps and the prologue from 24 hours ago) in this season where he is definitively gaining the spotlight and the attention of many top teams on the circuit.

FINISHING ORDER

1. Tommaso Dati (Team UKYO) 2:39:06

2. Benjamín Prades (VC Fukuoka) s.t.

3. Federico Iacomoni (Team UKYO) s.t.

4. Rein Taaramäe (Kinan Racing Team) +0:03

5. Kasper Andersen (Swatt Club) +0:23

6. Luke Mudgway (Li Ning Star) s.t.

7. Tilen Finkšt (Solution Tech NIPPO Rali) s.t.

8. Nicolò Garibbo (Team UKYO) s.t.

9. Leonel Quintero (Victoire Hiroshima) s.t.

10. Atsushi Oka (Astemo Utsunomiya Blitzen) s.t.