RIDEALIVE in Yamanashi ~Dusk to Twilight~

It’s been a while, but we are finally able to upload our ride report for RIDEALIVE in Yamanashi.
We have documented the intense three-day journey on the RAL website, split into three parts: DAY1, DAY2, and DAY3, so please be sure to check them out. I hope this inspires you—even just a little—to hop on your bike and head out on an adventure. And if this makes you want to join a RIDEALIVE event yourself, well, then you’ve fallen right into our trap.
　

　
When I was tasked with being in charge of one of the RIDEALIVE 2018 events, many people I wanted to enjoy it with and places I wanted to visit crossed my mind. But the one thing I was certain would be incredible—the absolute best—was my encounter with Mr. Ishikawa from SUNDAY and the existence of the magnificent field that is Yamanashi.

I first met Mr. Ishikawa last autumn at a joint pop-up event at SUNDAY. I was charmed by his personality, and after experiencing the vast potential of Yamanashi as an activity field during an outdoor event the day before, I knew I wanted to visit with my bike for a ride someday.
　

　
The more I thought about this project, the more convinced I became that there was no other place to do it. I was full of anxiety when I first reached out to ask him, worried he might say no, so I was truly overjoyed when I received his positive response shortly after. However, due to the fact that we were holding RIDEALIVE in largely unknown territory and my own lack of experience, I brought in my senior mentor RawLow Mountain Works’ Ryotaro-niisan to help, as well as Toshi-chan from TORAYA EQUIPMENT, who had recently moved his base of operations to Yamanashi. With that, RIDEALIVE in Yamanashi became a four-person operation. Once we had this team, I felt no more anxiety—it even gave me a sense of security, as if we were truly unstoppable.

Even so, I had various worries leading up to the day of the event, and of course, I was most concerned about the weather. But I was certain that if we could clear that hurdle, it would be an incredible experience. After all, we had visited Yamanashi many times to scout routes and grab meals, and we were genuinely having fun ourselves the entire time.

During the event, people told me, "That hill was tough!", but I could clearly see that everyone savored the sense of accomplishment and even turned that struggle into part of the fun. I believe that, overall, everyone was satisfied. (If anyone feels otherwise, please let me know. I’ll keep it in mind for future reference.) Regardless, I personally had a blast, and I was truly happy to see the satisfied looks on the participants’ faces. I felt a genuine sense of, "Ah, I'm so glad we did this."

I want to express my deepest gratitude to Mr. Ishikawa, Ryotaro-san, and Toshi-chan for planning this with me; to Mayu-nee-san, Hee-chan, Keita-san, and Shin-chan for their meticulous support in various areas; to Tanaka-san and Eri-chin for their ride support and camera work; to Mr. Meisak of Far Yeast Brewing, Kubo-hide-san of Bumpy Finish Food Service, and Naomi-san of Naomi Camp for their catering support; to Kinpusansou; and, above all, to everyone who participated in RIDEALIVE in Yamanashi—thank you all so much! I cannot thank you enough.

I look forward to the next one!
　
December 2018
Circles
Yoshinori Yanase