Team Sky round out a successful 2015 season with a long-haul trip to the Far East to take on the Japan Cup Cycle Race.

A firm favourite among any riders fortunate enough to make the journey, the combination of passionate Japanese fans, a testing parcours and an end-of-season atmosphere make the event an extremely enjoyable one.

Spread over three days with a team presentation (October 16), showpiece criterium (October 17) and road race (October 18), there are plenty of opportunities for fans to meet the riders, and for the peloton the chance to win a race that is increasingly growing in reputation.

100km to the north of Tokyo, the action plays out in the Tochigi Prefecture of Utsunomiya in the picturesque Forest Park. Sadly the recent Typhoon No. 18 caused landslides which have necessitated changes to the race route, shortening it slightly to 144.2 kilometres.

Team Sky make their third successive trip to Japan with a motivated five-man squad. Bernhard Eisel returns from injury to ride his final race with the team, while Sebastian Henao and Ben Swift make the trip direct from Abu Dhabi. Stagiaires Tao Geoghegan Hart and Alex Peters complete the line-up and will gain more valuable experience in the pro ranks.