Team Sky closes 2015 season at Japan Cup

Austrian Bernhard Eisel will make his final competitive appearance in Team Sky colours at the Japan Cup this weekend (October 17-18).

Eisel joins British team-mates Ben Swift and Tao Geoghagen Hart, and Colombian Sebastian Henao in Japan for Sky's season-closing race.

The 34-year-old Eisel will be reunited with former HTC-Columbia and Sky rider Mark Cavendish next season at MTN-Qhubeka/Dimension Data on a three-year deal.

The Japan Cup comprises a criterium on Saturday (October 17) and a road race on Sunday (October 18).

Nathan Haas (Garmin-Sharp) won the road race last season, with the roll call of previous winners including Daniel Martin, Damiano Cunego and Ivan Basso.

The road race is ranked 1.HC by the UCI, and comprises 144.2 kilometres based on the 1990 World Championships race route in Utsunomiya.

In previous years, riders have been involved in sumo wrestling as a publicity stunt for the race.

The vision of Chris Froome in bib shorts and bare feet wrestling a large man is something we will not easily forget.