I served as the head referee for the 14th edition of the annual Tour of Japan professional bicycle race during May 16-23. The race, which ran from Osaka to Tokyo over the course of a week, was challenging for riders, organizers and officials alike. These are some of my observations about the seven-stage, eight-day event.
I was assigned as a referee for an international cycling race at the Olympic velodrome in Beijing, China, during the weekend of January 17-19, 2009. And, although the trip was quite abbreviated, it was my first time inside China, so I wanted to try to get a look at it as best as I could. [...]
At the end of each year, it’s traditional for companies, associations and groups to have year-end parties, called “bounenkai”, which affords a relaxed time to eat, drink and socialize among friends and colleagues. I was very pleased to learn that the Kansai-region UCI International Commissaires also have their own bounenkai. It’s very common for Japanese [...]
I was recently assigned by the International Cycling Union (UCI) as the head referee at the 2008 edition of the Tour de Okinawa bicycle race [English | 日本]. Held on the weekend of November 8-9, this year was the event’s 20th anniversary and the first time it would be run as a stage race. This [...]
