Hello! This is Nabetaku, getting darker and darker from sun exposure.
It’s been so hot lately, it feels like summer. A fan has finally been installed in the pit!
In the midst of this, I built a new MTB, so I participated in the 100km SDA (Self-Discovery Adventure) in Otaki last Sunday!
SDA in Otaki is a dirt enduro event held twice a year in May and September in Otaki Village, Nagano Prefecture. In May, riders must complete the 20km, 42km, or 100km course within the time limit. MTB enthusiasts gather from all over the country, with over 1,000 total entrants!
The stage for the event is a national forest road at the foot of Mt. Ontake that is only opened for this race. Perhaps because we were blessed with good weather, I found views throughout the course that were even more spectacular than the famous Norikura. It is worth riding just to see these views!
By the way, it’s accessible within a 3-hour drive from Nagoya.
This year, BUCYO COFFEE also set up a shop. It’s reassuring to have such an essential infrastructure for filling the stomachs of participants at cycling events in the Tokai region. I had five bowls of pasta over two days.
I entered the 100km because I thought this might be the only event in Japan where you can ride 100km on dirt, but the 100km is quite tough, so for those who want to know the joy of gravel or want to try it on a cyclocross bike, I think it’s best to enter the 20km or 42km first.
Photo posted by YutaFuna (@yutafuna36) –
A customer who participated in the 42km for the first time finished the race on a Cielo Cross Racer equipped with WTB NANO 40c tires.
It looks like fun, so why not try riding a cyclocross bike? Like a drop-bar category, of sorts.
The course conditions were hard-packed with rocks of various sizes mixed in, with some muddy sections where streams crossed, and loose gravel spots where you could easily slip. There was almost no flat ground, only climbs or descents.
Many people might imagine that a 10% grade is a pretty tough mountain pass, but since you can't stand and pedal on loose gravel without slipping, you just keep sitting and spinning in your lightest gear as you climb. This is actually quite exhausting.
This is a totally easy road surface by comparison.
As for the result, I finished without any trouble in 7 hours and 7 minutes. They say if you break 7 hours, you earn the right to enter the September 120km Otaki race, but unfortunately, I didn't make it, so I'll be back in September for a 100km rematch. After finishing, there is nothing but a sense of accomplishment. I think I almost went to heaven about three times during the race. lol
Everyone writes about times and rankings, and since the elite riders at the front are racing to win, some might think, "Is this a really serious enduro race?" But "Self-Discovery Adventure" means that everyone sets their own goals and rides toward them, which I think is the essence of cycling.
For me, while a fast time is good, my primary goal was to finish without any trouble.
A rival I battled extensively in cyclocross when I was in the Kanto region entered, and though we rode together, I think we were only able to finish because we pushed each other to do better. That’s why, while it’s fine to enter alone, I think it’s also great to enter and ride with friends.
Also, you don't have to be riding the whole time. The 100km course has three checkpoints, and the only supply available there is water. You can also retire there. It’s just between us that I was so exhausted at CP2 that I took a 30-minute break. lol
Otaki 100km, a comparison between @nabetak100 and @_enopy_.
Video posted by Yasutake Enomoto (@_enopy_) –
Besides that, there were cool riders during the race, and if I saw someone I thought was amazing, like a rider powering up the hills on a single-speed, I would try to talk to them. When you're having such a grand adventure, everyone there starts to look like a comrade.
A woman who entered the 100km finished in 9 hours and 50 minutes and was celebrated by everyone. Even ASIMO was racing! (I thought the person inside must be a Super Saiyan because they were working hard at BUCYO COFFEE right after finishing. Great job!)
For those who think Otaki sounds even a little bit fun, please let me talk to you at the store.
I want to go with everyone and share this sense of accomplishment.
It’s been three years since I started cyclocross. I learned the joy of riding on dirt, went on more gravel rides on forest roads, became curious about how to ride trails where you have to carry your bike if it were an MTB, and was shocked by how "cool!" cross-country racing looked, which inspired me to buy an MTB.
I never thought my shakedown would be Otaki, but my new partner carried me safely to the finish line. From here on, this Cielo will take me on adventures, into races, and to places I’ve never been before.
MTB is fun!
I will introduce the details of the bike later.
To everyone who participated in Otaki, great work!
