Off-Road Triathlon & Cycling

Triathlon, MTB, Gravel, Cyclocross, Gran Fondo

Off-Road Triathlon Races

There are relatively few off-road triathlon races in Japan. If you know of any other races in Japan, please contact us here with information. Thanks!

1. Xterra Japan - There are two Xterra races in Japan: Neouekogen, Gifu Prefecture and Marunuma, Gumma Prefecture. For more information about Nenouekogen, read a blog post about the 2022 race.

2. World Triahtlon Cross Triathlon - information on World Triathlon's (formerly ITU) version of Xterra

3. Off-Road Triathlon in Tahara - Held in September in Tahara, on the Atsumi Peninsula, Aichi Prefecture.

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4. Off-Road Triathlon in Shōbudani - Last held on August 25-26, 2023 in Shobu Valley, Hyogo Prefecture. This is organised by Tatsuno Mountain Bike Association which holds a number of MTB races throughout the year.

5. Hokuryuko Off-Road Triathlon - Held around the beautiful Hokuryu Lake, near Nozawa Onsen, Nagano. It was held only once in 2019 before the pandemic. It remains to be seen whether it will be held again.

6. JTU Cross Triathlon - Information about JTU-sanctioned off-road triathlons

Nenouekogen Xterra 2022

Myoko Gran Fondo 2020

Gravel & Fondos

1. Ride Japan

Ride Japan organises several Gran Fondo events / races which together make up the GRV Series. The websites are in English. The three races are:

Hakuba Gravel Fest - the 2023 edition will be on the weekend of June 3-4.

Myoko Gran Fondo - based at Myoko ski resort, Niigata Prefecture, this mixed road and gravel fondo takes you through incredible alpine scenery; held in mid-September

Bikes, Beach & Bergs - 122 km of hilly roads around southern Izu Peninsular; 99% on road

Mountain Bike Races & Events

As with off-road triathlons, there is a limited number of MTB races. Please use our contact form to let us know of other races in Japan.

1. Coupe du Japon - National MTB series. The 2024 calendar is available here.

2. Self-Discovery Adventure Series - Three events with multiple races distances, including the spectacular Otaki 100k and 120k MTB races held every September by the active volcano of Ontake in Nagano Prefecture.

3. Susuno MTB Challenge - Held on a 6.3 km course in Susuno, Shizuoka Prefecture in November. There are 1-lap, 2-lap, and 3-lap races.

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4. Gran Fondo Mashu MTB Ride - Held around Lake Kussharo in the Akan-Mashu National Park, Hokkaido, in October. There are 29 km and 64 km courses.

5. Specialized Race Day in Kisarazu - A 3-hour MTB enduro race held for the first time in December 2022. The course is a 2.5 km loop along broad gravel tracks, winding single-track paths, and short technical sections in the forest. The aim is to see how far you can ride in three hours. The 2023 course was much less technical than 2022, but it did include a small BMX course.

6. Spoen Race List - A list of MTB races on Sports Entry.

7. Forest Bike - a mountain bike park near Odawara; a good place for beginners to learn MTB skills in a safe environment

Kisarazu Enduro 2022

Inagi cyclocross practice.mp4

Inagi cyclocross practice track

Cyclocross

There is an active cyclocross scene in Japan which includes the Shonan Cyclocross Series and other races in the Tokyo area. In the lower categories, you can ride any kind of bike, including a mountain bike. Since modern road bikes take fatter tyres, you can do races on your regular road bike. For the higher elite categories, rules include maximum tyre width of 33 mm. If you are wondering why triathletes are riding cyclocross, check out this blog post.

1. Cyclocross Practice Tracks - There are two cyclocross practice tracks by the Tama River. They are both about 2 km with many twists and turns. Furuichiba is on a flat, grassy area; Inagi runs through tall grasses on bumpy, sandy soil. Cross Coffee, a well-known cycle cafe, is nearby.

[Furuichiba, Kawasaki] [Inagi, Fuchu]

2. AJOCC Race Calendar - The Association Japanaise des Organisateurs de CycloCross has an excellent calendar of races with links to entry websites.

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3. Spoen Cycle - Lists some cyclocross races, as well as other events, such as MTB races.

4. Shonan Cyclocross - an excellent series of races in the Shonan area of Kanagawa

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