The 20-year-old Brit broke away early in the 25-lap race around the Japanese fortress and dusted his rivals in the sprint to the line. This is Lukas’s first win as a pro. He was overjoyed to throw his arms in the air, while wearing his EF Education-EasyPost shirt, and soak in the cheers of the huge Japanese crowd.

"It’s pretty cool!" Lukas said. "I just came here over excited, wanting to see the country. Obviously to race here is super special. The Japanese are big into their cycling so it was really nice to have all the fans out there."

The Kokura Castle criterium was a fast and furious prologue for the Tour of Kyushu. The five-corner 1.8-km course ducked and dove around Kokura Castle, racing past Kitakyushu City Hall and into Katsuyama park, before turning 180 degrees back up and around the fortress. Once he was away, Lukas rolled through smoothly, taking the turns fast and saving every pedal stroke he could. He trusted his sprint. Down the finishing straight, he showed why.

Sports director Matti Breschel watched the race from the roadside.

“From what I saw, Lukas was almost on a different level,” he said. “He was super good and super motivated. He made that split and got away with two riders. It looked like he beat them pretty easily. It’s a really good start. We have high expectations for the Tour of Kyushu, and I think Lukas is up for it.”

Tomorrow, the Tour of Kyushu proper starts and Lukas and his teammates, Jardi van der Lee, Gavin Hlady, Edvin Lovidius, and hometown hero Yuhi Todome are excited to carry today’s momentum into the first stage.

"The team is great," Lukas said. "It would be nice to get the win at the end of the race. I don’t really know how hard the first two stages will be. They might come down to a sprint, so I’ll try to stay safe, but then the last day suits me well and I think I can give it a go and make the race hard on that day."

Keep the good times rolling, guys!