Fujimoto Masaaki never won a race.
Hailing from Kyoto, the 25-year-old Japanese neophyte found himself in unfamiliar surroundings when he signed for Dutch Div 1 team Ahploeg in Year 12.
While his signing was a virtual non-event and he only ever made two appearances for his first-ever pro team, Masaaki instead endeared himself to thousands of fans through a semi-regular column in the OCM newspapers.
Despite his exhibiting all the talent of a "monkey on paracetamol" (which incidentally led to his leaving the team after barely two weeks), Masaaki's tongue-in-cheek writing style found an audience eager to know what it was like making a living on two wheels.
Incredibly enough, or perhaps due to his newfound fame, the Japanese pro earned himself yet another contract with a Div 1 team after bouncing around in the lower divisions with two teams over the course of a year...
Read moreFujimoto Masaaki never won a race.
Hailing from Kyoto, the 25-year-old Japanese neophyte found himself in unfamiliar surroundings when he signed for Dutch Div 1 team Ahploeg in Year 12.
While his signing was a virtual non-event and he only ever made two appearances for his first-ever pro team, Masaaki instead endeared himself to thousands of fans through a semi-regular column in the OCM newspapers.
Despite his exhibiting all the talent of a "monkey on paracetamol" (which incidentally led to his leaving the team after barely two weeks), Masaaki's tongue-in-cheek writing style found an audience eager to know what it was like making a living on two wheels.
Incredibly enough, or perhaps due to his newfound fame, the Japanese pro earned himself yet another contract with a Div 1 team after bouncing around in the lower divisions with two teams over the course of a year.
Polish team Kremer were willing to take a chance on the fledgling domestique and the myriad of potential marketing opportunities as Masaaki eagerly made the move across Europe.
A fair-to-average hiller at the best of times, Masaaki spent five more seasons in the upper echelons of OCM - his best finish a 20th place showing at Werne-Solingen in Year 14, before semi-retirement with a lower profile Dutch team.
Masaaki never won a race, but he charmed a continent.
Japan