To all cyclo-crossers, happy new season.
While the season has already kicked off in various regions, the Kansai Cyclo-Cross series also held its first race yesterday.
At last, our Circles Racing Club and Hunter/SimWorks CX Team are officially in full swing.
So, we headed out to the first race, which was held at Makino Kogen in Takashima City, Shiga Prefecture.
The course, utilizing a ski resort, was a power-focused track mainly consisting of wide grass sections, and it was a tough layout that cleverly used the elevation changes of the slopes. With this location now set to host the All-Japan CX Championship in December (it was originally planned for a different venue), the excuse was that we wanted to preview the course, but the truth is that I'm nervous about whether I can retain my Category 1 status for a third season, so I wanted to get as much race experience as possible.
Starting this year, a new Category 4 has been added to Kansai Cyclo-Cross, and even Category 3 now has requirements for staying in the class. It’s all quite a hassle—moving up, staying put, getting relegated, and so on. Still, everyone does their best to reach their respective goals.
There were three sets of stairs, large and small, and they were really tough. During Go-san's C3 race, seen in the photo, the rain and wind picked up, making for some severe conditions on the slippery grass.
Jin-san, who is like a Master Yoda to me, was having fun on the Desalvo he built recently. It's a very impressive bike—a belt-drive disc SSCX.
And Hayashi-san, who is sure to have a great season this year, raced in C2. Next to him was Shingo-san from Movement, a shop in Osaka. Hayashi-san didn't try to start at the front on purpose, opting to start from the back, but he powered through toward the end of the race to finish 7th. With this, he's earned his seeding for the next race and can compete fair and square. That grit of his is amazing.
Then Gishi-kun, Occhi-san, and I raced in C1. The sun came out in the afternoon, drying the grass and making it easier to ride. If it had stayed wet, I probably would have made mistake after mistake. It seems I’m not very good on wet grass.
All three of us managed to secure our first ticket toward retention. Getting one in the first race of the season has really put my mind at ease.
My next scheduled race is the UCI event in Nobeyama on November 16th and 17th. Of course, if you see the Circles Racing Club or Hunter/SimWorks CX Team jerseys at other races, please be sure to cheer us on!!