We held our second Aya Ride the other day, and while we intended to go out and feel the breath of spring, it turned into a ride where we felt the chill of winter as snow and rain occasionally mixed in... However, since this is a rare experience to have, it seems those who participated still enjoyed themselves.
Before such rides, we always head to Early Birds, which opens at 7 a.m. right next to Circles and keeps our staff well-fed, to enjoy a delicious breakfast and coffee while we chat.
Sunday mornings are still quiet, so it’s a wonderful time to get some exercise, whether by bike, running, or walking.
Since only a few people were departing from Circles that day, we took a different route than usual to get to our meeting point at Owari-Seto Station.
Just as we reached the station and were about to head out, a few drops of rain began to fall, but since it wasn't a downpour yet, we decided to press on.
This time, as a warm-up for events like OMM, we chose a route that was relatively easy to ride, even for those who had never been on gravel, so they could give it a try.
Once we hit the gravel, the rain turned into a real downpour. However, thanks to the trees providing some cover, we managed to get through it, and since everyone was riding with such focused enthusiasm, it seemed like they eventually forgot about the rain entirely.
Finally, just as we caught our breath after climbing the intense slope that awaited us at the end, snow began to flutter down... We had planned to go to the summit of Mt. Mikuni, but as the weather turned worse than expected, we returned the way we came and headed straight back to Circles.
It was a day that felt like we’d gone back to the middle of winter, but thank you to everyone who participated!
We will announce the next ride here, so stay tuned.