Hello, nice to meet you.
My name is Asumi Ueno, and I've been working as a staff member at Earlybirds since the beginning of the year.
At Earlybirds, I'm called Acchan.
I'm a little nervous because this is my first time writing something like this, but I'd like to start with a self-introduction.
My days as a bank employee who thought playing basketball was her job
In a word, I am a total sports-minded basketball fanatic. According to "animal fortune-telling," I'm an "elephant that moves straight ahead" and a "koala full of service spirit."
Up until now, basketball, which I started in elementary school, was the center of my daily life. I just wanted to get better at basketball, and since I dreamed of becoming a pro even after joining the workforce, I spent almost seven days a week practicing as if it were my duty and my job. Looking back now, I spent my days in a bizarre way, taking the first Kintetsu train on weekends to travel to Osaka for training. Of course, I was just a regular office worker at a financial institution, and I was a total nobody as a basketball player—in fact, I wasn't even particularly athletic.
Back then, I couldn't have imagined that the day would come when I'd step away from basketball. But one day, I suddenly realized that basketball wasn't my job, and I was struck by the thought that I couldn't go on like this. It took me a long time to realize that. However, I "graduated" from being a basketball fanatic, and for the first time in my life, I took a step in a direction that didn't involve basketball.
Taking on a new challenge
I believe that unless you challenge yourself, nothing is born and nothing changes.
During the approximately one and a half months between quitting my previous job and starting at Earlybirds, I took the rare opportunity to go on a solo trip abroad.
I headed to Asia (Sri Lanka and Indonesia) and several European countries, starting with Germany. It was an anxious beginning, as I had only booked my flight and departed in a hurry, but I met so many people who helped me. Whether due to joy, being moved, or feelings of anxiety and loneliness, I shed tears several times, but I was able to come back from a very fulfilling journey. It became a major experience in my life, and I'm glad I took on the challenge.
The scenery I see in places I visit out of interest and the encounters with people I never would have met if I had stayed in my usual life are very stimulating. For me, having only known the limited world of basketball, these experiences have broadened my perspective, so traveling to various places, both domestic and overseas, is very interesting to me right now.
According to the animal fortune-telling mentioned earlier, I have the following traits:
・I always want to be dedicated to something
・I can't do complex calculations
・I'm a romantic but also a realist
・I'm good at individual play
This seems to be true. Also, as people around me often say, my virtue is being serious. However, I'm sometimes too serious and stubborn, so a recent challenge of mine is to become more flexible and not miss out on fun things.
I bought a bicycle
Until now, I had only ever ridden "mama-chari" (city bikes), but I borrowed a single-speed bike to make my commuting debut. I remember being thrilled that day by the ride quality, the sensation of cutting through the wind, and the speed. Even though both the city bike and the single-speed bike I'm riding now are bicycles, I was surprised, as if they were completely different vehicles.
The distance between my house and Earlybirds is 20 kilometers round trip, but thanks to the physical strength I built up from my days of being obsessed with basketball, I'm able to commute cheerfully every day. By the way, I've had about four flat tires in these six months, so I've also learned how to fix flats.
And so, I recently bought a bicycle. I bought an ALL–CITY SPACE HORSE DISC, a brand founded in America in 2009. It's a road bike, but with its light ride, stable performance, and the ability to equip wider tires, it's a high-energy model that can be used for anything from daily rides to touring and mountain trails.
Why I chose the SPACE HORSE
This February, when I was borrowing a single-speed bike, I went on my first long-distance ride to Gamagori. I aimed for SUNDAY SPICE and Kissa Hiraya, which I had wanted to visit for a long time, and rode about 50 kilometers. I savored the thrillingly delicious curry and coffee that soaked into my body after the ride.
I also went to Kyoto and Mie by bike with the seniors from PFM (Ride Reports - Part 1/Part 2/Part 3), and they took me out to ride in other prefectures too. And the feeling that always bubbled up then was: "I want to go play in more places by bike! On my own bike!" I want to go to further prefectures, take it abroad, and even go camping in the mountains. So, I thought I wanted a bike I could take anywhere without hesitation. When I consulted the staff at Circles, I was introduced to the SPACE HORSE.
The reason I chose the SPACE HORSE is that it fulfills all my selfish wishes—everything I want to work hard at, want to do, and want to enjoy. Another reason was that not many women ride it yet, and there is a frame size that I, at 162cm tall, can ride without difficulty. Being able to properly ride a bicycle that I think is cool is a wonderful feeling. So, I also thought the wide range of available sizes was one of its attractions.
The parts for the bike were suggested by Shige-san, who is currently on a business trip to Portland, and by unifying them in black, a very dashing SPACE HORSE was assembled. Makoto-san, just back from Portland, did the assembly, but I was allowed to help with the parts I could manage, like running the brake cables and choosing the fasteners in my favorite colors. No matter the task, just having a part that you assembled yourself makes it look even more adorable.
When I first straddled the bike after it was delivered, I was surprised by the ride quality, which was again completely different from the single-speed bike I had been borrowing. The forward-leaning posture from the drop handlebars, the sensation of pedaling, and the feeling transmitted from the ground due to the wider tires—everything was different. I wasn't used to it and was wobbling at first, but it was still so much fun that I couldn't help but grin with excitement.
＼A life with a bicycle has begun／
I wrote earlier that because I got my own bike, I want to go to other prefectures and overseas, and do many things. Another simple joy of having my own bike is that it adds color and richness to my everyday life.
Even for roads and shops I've been to many times, or places I already know, just choosing to use a bike to get there changes the scenery I see, my perspective, what I feel and think, the people I meet, and the events I encounter—everything changes. That discovery and noticing those differences is interesting, which is why I want to go to various places and meet many people.
When I traveled around overseas for a month and a half, I saw scenes of people riding bicycles everywhere I went, whether in developing countries in Asia or emerging countries in Europe. People ride for work, hobbies, livelihoods, and as a means of transport; naturally, the types of bikes they ride and how they use them vary. But I remember thinking, while watching those scenes, that the bicycle, as a common tool for the world, is something attractive and full of dreams.
I believe it's very cool to use your own legs to go where you want to eat, where you want to meet the people you want to see, and to see the scenery you want to see, so I'm certain I will come to love cycling more and more.
And because I want to ride with my own bike, I'm looking forward to "RIDEALIVE 2017 Hamamatsu Edition: Waterfront Summer Vacation" on July 22nd and 23rd, which was the number one reason I bought the bike.
This will be my first cycling event, so to all the participants, I look forward to meeting you.
I'm really looking forward to making this newly started life with a bicycle—and this SPACE HORSE—something even more exciting from here on out.
