OMM BIKE has already been over for nearly a week now.
First of all, what is OMM BIKE?
OMM (Original Mountain Marathon) is the world's oldest two-day mountain marathon race, held continuously in the UK every year since 1968.
This race tests "comprehensive mountain ability": the experience, physical strength, navigation skills, and camping techniques required to navigate mountain terrain safely and accurately. As the concept Face Your Challenge suggests, while confronting the vastness of nature head-on, participants face their own physical strength, running ability, and mental limits. They must determine the route to the finish line by grasping their current situation, assessing their own skills and endurance, and deciding whether to push forward, turn back, or—sometimes in harsh conditions—call it quits. It is a constant process of making choices. OMM BIKE is the bicycle version of this event.
(From Toyoshige Ikeyama's blog, "OMM BIKE: A 'Mountain Version Alleycat' is the Perfect Description")
It goes without saying that memories fade as time passes, but this second annual OMM BIKE will not fade from my memory; there is something about it that wells up more and more as time goes by...
Yes, it was a heaven and hell that I will never forget.
July 14th, morning.
The Circles van and the HiAce were packed full of gear for our very own SimWorks, which was exhibiting at OMM BIKE again this time, and Pine Fields Market, participating as an exhibitor for the first time.
The bikes of our staff and members competing in the race began to arrive one after another.
There were cyclocross bikes, MTBs, and even some tough guys on fixed-gear single-speed cross bikes. (Monja)
Once the bikes were loaded into the Circles van and the HiAce, we set off for Hakuba Iwatake in Nagano Prefecture.
We drove straight along the Chuo Expressway. Near Nakatsugawa, we encountered a downpour that was truly "raining cats and dogs"—strangely, it actually got us excited, even though at one point it was almost frightening.
As we neared our destination, the clouds thinned out, and every time we went through a tunnel, more blue sky opened up.
By the time we reached Hakuba Iwatake, the air was crisp and the sun was beating down with intensity.
Speaking of Shinshu, it’s Soba
Once we arrived near our destination, we decided to get some fuel, so we headed to a local soba shop.
The soba we ate there was incredibly voluminous and tasted absolutely delicious.
It was so good that I kept thinking, "I don't want to finish eating!" and "I want to keep eating this forever!"
Now, having arrived at the venue, we finished our setup quickly and, beer in hand, started mapping out our strategies for tomorrow.
Staring down the maps we were handed, the battle against distances and contour lines had begun.
Many of the exhibitors were wholesalers, and since we were the only ones exhibiting with a bike shop as our base, this was where we could show our skills.
Enter the Circles proud neutral mechanic service.
Whether it’s a teammate's bike, a friend's bike, or a rival's bike—no matter whose it is or what kind of bike it is, we maintain it. While I’m honestly happy when people say, "That’s a relief!" or "That’s awesome!", it also makes me a bit bashful.
From Friday evening, participants who arrived a day early—in addition to the exhibitors—began to gather, and tents started popping up one by one like flowers. By nightfall, it was a truly magical landscape.
Music, laughter, and the savory scent of what might have been a barbecue filled the air.
Well, tomorrow is the big day. I should get a good night's sleep, I thought, but that was never going to happen.
The party went on into the night.
To be continued in our OMM BIKE 2017 DAY 2: "THE Ecstasy!! Fatback Hell Riders!"