Hello everyone, nice to meet you.
My name is Aya Akamatsu, and I have just started working here at Circles. I go by Aya.
Without further ado, let me introduce myself.
I’m from Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture, and I’ve loved being physically active since I was a child. I started playing tennis in my first year of elementary school and continued through college, spending my days immersed in the sport. I competed in national tournaments and even had the chance to practice with top-ranked Japanese players like Kurumi Nara and Misaki Doi. I also looked up to superstars like Hingis and Federer, who were at their peak at the time, and for a while, I aspired to be a professional tennis player. However, I eventually buckled under the pressure of intense training and the strict hierarchy of the club, and when it came time to plan my future in college, I decided to quit, feeling that a career in tennis would be too difficult. That was when I first started cycling.
That said, I haven't come to hate tennis—I’m always ready to hit some balls, so if there are any tennis lovers out there, I would love to play a match. I’m best at singles, but playing doubles is always fun, isn't it? I could go on forever about tennis, so I’ll leave it at that for now.
Encountering Cycling
When I was a college student looking for a part-time job, I found a listing at a bike shop and started working there. However, the summer after I had been working there for six months, I bought a bike from a different shop. I had seen a bike shop featured in a Kansai fashion magazine called *Kaji Kaji*, and when I visited, I fell in love with a road bike they had—before I knew it, I had placed an order. I suddenly remembered that during my college entrance interview for a program intended for tennis, when asked if there was anything I wanted to do, I had inexplicably said I wanted to try a triathlon. I never thought that would actually become a reality.
After that, I started participating in various races, from triathlons to hill climbs and road races. As I learned more about cycling, I became interested in carbon frames, which are more race-oriented. Through my research, I realized that my first bike didn’t actually fit my body. I had chosen it solely based on its design without worrying about the size, and at that time, there were very few bikes available for petite women. For my second bike, I didn't choose by color; I had my limb length measured properly and purchased a carbon frame.
Enrolling in a Cycling Vocational School and Meeting Rapha
That was when I started wondering: what do women smaller than me do? Around that time, I found an advertisement for the Tokyo College of Cycle Design while reading a cycling magazine. I was in my third year of college, a time when I was struggling with my career path. I considered becoming a police officer, but the desire to "build bikes that fit my body and build bikes for women" was much stronger. My parents were against it at first, but I persuaded them and decided to move to Tokyo.
At the Tokyo College of Cycle Design, you can study three curriculums: building, maintenance, and design. Being a cycling school, the student body was 95% male—you could count the number of women on one hand—and most were young, so it felt like being at an all-boys school; it was a very fresh experience.
About three months later, once I had gotten used to life in Tokyo, I wanted a goal since I had gone to the trouble of coming all the way there. That was when I learned about the Rapha Women’s 100, an event organized by Rapha where women challenge themselves to ride 100km, so I signed up. This led to me working part-time at Rapha Tokyo and meeting other female cyclists. After that, I participated in the Rapha Prestige with a team, and by connecting with many other women, I feel that my enjoyment of cycling expanded even further.
Encountering Cyclocross
In the winter of my third year of college, I participated in a Kansai cyclocross race on a mountain bike. I was invited to join, told they would lend me a bike, and having no idea what was going on, I just pedaled away. My only memory of that time is how incredibly painful it was.
One day, while I was working at Rapha Tokyo, Mr. Watanabe, the owner of …&Bicycle in Chiba, visited. That day, we only introduced ourselves, but he contacted me later and invited me to "race with our team," which is how I started cyclocross. Even if he had invited me to a different sport at that time, I might not have said no. I just had this burning desire to challenge myself with anything.
I still continue cyclocross today because I genuinely find it fun. No matter how painful it is or how much I think during a race that I never want to do it again, I have the cheers of those supporting me along the way, I get to look back on the race with people I rode with, I enjoy the ever-changing conditions, and when it’s over, I find myself wanting to do my best next time. I don't think there's any other time you can smile as happily as you do when you're covered in mud. At the very least, I think it’s easier than tennis. Now, I’m getting bumped around in the top women’s category (CL1), but I’m enjoying the competition and riding within my limits.
In the process, I thought I’d try building a bike to race on myself, but it didn't go well at all... that frame is currently retired.
(I built 9 frames as a student; the photo shows one of them.)
The Bikes I Built
I built various frames during my three years at school, so I’d like to introduce a few of them here.
(The title of my graduation project bike is "1LDK")
First is the bike from my graduation project, which was the culmination of my three years. The theme was a bike like furniture; I wanted to build a bike that enriches life and fits closely with daily living. I designed it with 650B wheels and thought about the part assembly with women in mind.
(Photo: Mihoko KITAYAMA)
This is a 650C Road Racer that I secretly built while working on my graduation project. As a student, I had decided not to accept orders because I was still inexperienced, but I had always wanted to try building a 650C bike, so I took it on, thinking it would definitely be a great experience. The owner of the bike is 150cm tall; she also participates in cyclocross races and is a strong woman who uses her cross bike for everything in her daily life.
She wanted a bike that wasn’t too extremely sloped or horizontal, but simple and well-balanced overall, so I built it with 650C wheels. If you use 700C, the larger wheel diameter makes the handlebar position higher, which can lead to a situation where someone with a lower saddle has the handlebar higher than the seat. This is exactly why handmade frames are so great. Once finished, it had an exquisite balance that doesn’t look inferior, and it turned into a bike that can handle both mountains and flat roads with ease.
Creating a Place Where Women Can Shine
I feel like the number of women riding bikes has increased compared to a few years ago, but it still doesn't compare to running. I want to change this male-dominated world somehow, and I want to share the joy of cycling with more women, so I’m starting by handling bikes myself and sometimes riding them. I believe that if women approach things from various angles and keep challenging themselves, we can build a better future. I’ve been riding as a member of Sim Works CX Racing since last season, and I would be happy if you could feel something from that. Also, while I’ll be working at Circles, I plan to continue building frames under the name AYABIKES and will be accepting orders as I go.
First of all, please come visit us at the shop. I would love to help in any way I can, whether it’s with specific worries women might have or for anyone thinking about taking that first new step. There is so much I can talk about from a woman’s perspective. Life only happens once—why not challenge yourself to do the things you want to do?
So, that was a long story, but I hope you’ll join me in welcoming Aya Akamatsu as the newest member of the Circles team!