Hello everyone, thank you for waiting. You might say, "nobody was waiting," but my blog debut is finally here.
Hello, I’m Uno-chan.
The reason I’ve picked up the pen this time is that I’m taking on my first-ever hill climb, and I wanted to somehow convey that riding a bike to places you don’t usually go and meeting people you otherwise wouldn’t is just the best thing ever!
Honestly, if not for a word from my boss, I never would have encountered hill climbing. But thanks to that, I was able to learn a new kind of joy, something I had been indifferent and uninterested toward. Also, there is something called GURUREN, which started last month and—though I may be presumptuous in thinking so—seems to be gradually gaining popularity around Circles. We base ourselves at Heiwa Park in Meito Ward, and basically, we ride a fixed course at our own preferred pace, sometimes pushing each other, and sometimes pulling each other along. After we finish riding, we often enjoy a fun feast at LARDER, a shop in Kakuozan that also helps us with various events every year.
At GURUREN, I consciously focused on training that would lead to hill climbing every week. Whenever I had time, I would secretly head to Heiwa Park on my own to work on self-training. Though it was a long time ago, I spent my entire student life sweating away in track and field. Because it was an explosive type of sport, my body was built differently from that of a cyclist, so I started from zero. However, now that I have more opportunities to ride alongside people who are actively competing in bike races, the visible things—the basic way to pedal, how to shift, posture, and so on—were fresh to me. I started by just trying to imitate them, and little by little, I began to feel the joy of communicating with my bike and my own body.
On my days off, rides with staff and customers—with the premise of riding to the fullest—have become very important and special days. One day, we planned to start from Owari-Seto, Aichi Prefecture, and head toward a ramen shop called Akintei in Mizunami City, Gifu Prefecture, while touring the mountains of Owari-Seto with friends along the way. Since the temperature was a bit low that day, that bowl of ramen at Akintei for our chilled bodies became a memorable one, and it filled the ride with great memories. In the afternoon, the sun peeked out, and I could feel the refreshing sensation of being drenched in sweat rather than rain. Through repeating such non-routine activities, I realized that the way I spend my daily life and my way of thinking are just as important. I also felt that there is no "good" or "bad" way to ride; if you can ride to the fullest and laugh to the fullest, that’s what "using a bicycle" means to me right now.
Then, on Sunday, August 6th, I took on the hill climb race at the Ise-Shima Skyline. It was held with a total of about 400 participants; we arrived at the site at 4:00 AM, and the race started sequentially from 7:00 AM. Before the race, it was foggy and raining hard, but as the start time approached, the weather cleared up, making for perfect racing conditions. Finally, Uno-chan’s first hill climb race began. Early on, perhaps because of the nerves, I was pedaling while watching the movements of the surrounding cyclists, but as I gradually relaxed, I decided that I just had to climb. With carbon bikes rumbling ahead and behind me, I straddled my "out of place" steel bike and pedaled away with the determination not to lose to those guys.
As for the bike, I took on the challenge with a Cielo by Chrisking Cross Classic. I suppose I should have chosen a proper racing bike, but I had a strong desire to compete on my own bike, which I use for everything from my daily commute to weekend fun.
In the process leading up to this hill climb race, I felt that the bicycle had unconsciously become a tool that was part of my daily life. It was a period during which I deeply realized the joy of experiencing new things through the bike—people and places—and the importance of human interaction. Of course, the preparation for the race (even though I was just riding like crazy!) may have become a motivation for my daily life as a form of obsession for working toward something.
・Race Result Postscript・
There were 283 participants this year.
I placed 49th overall.
There were four classes: Elite, Sports, Ladies, and Beginners.
I entered in the Sports class. There were 90 entries in the Sports class.
My result was 25th place.
My time was 29 minutes and 25 seconds, with an average speed of 17.53 km/h.
By the way, the winning time was 22 minutes and 27 seconds. There was a difference of about 7 minutes. It seems that top-tier competitors exist in every world, and that is part of the fun of sports and one of the reasons why these competitions continue to be held. My honest impression is that it was an exhausting hill climb race, but more than the suffering, I felt a sense of frustration that remained, which sparked a desire to try other races. The fact that the race turned into something to look forward to and served as daily motivation was a big harvest. Once again, I am very satisfied with the experience of a cycling competition like this, and I am grateful to the staff who gave me the time to do it. And to everyone involved in the operation, thank you very much.
Lastly, it has been two years and a few months since I joined Circles. There are teammates here who are teaching me the full extent of the joy of cycling, even though I'm still just a greenhorn. So, from now on, I want to keep riding to all sorts of places and share that excitement with our customers!
It’s a clumsy blog, but I’ll do my best to keep the Uno-chan blog going! I would be very happy if you all would continue to read it!
Well, I’ll close here, believing that your life with bicycles will become richer.