Frenchman Wins Japanese Cycling

Gerard Mercadier of France won a 81.8-mile men’s cycling road race by 4.60 seconds while Chantal Gorostegui of France took the women’s 37.2-mile race in an international cycle road race Sunday.

Mercadier, Philippe Chaumontep of France and Japan’s Hiroshi Daimon were in a dead heat until the final stage then two Frenchmen pulled ahead during the last 300 meters.

Mercadier was timed in 2 hours 58 minutes and 10.60 seconds, followed by Chaumontep in 2:58:15.20. Daimon was third in 2:58:16.35.

In the women’s race, Gorostegui was clocked in 1:32:25.91, followed by De Bruin Petra of the Netherlands in 1:32:26.06. Marie-Claude Audet of Canada finished third in 1:32:26.10.

Ruth Matthes of the United States was fourth in 1:32:26.31.