Today is a clear, perfect day for cycling; I hope those of you with the day off are enjoying your time.
The CRC crew, including our staff member Shige, participated in the Rapha Gentlemen’s Race held in Oguni, Kumamoto, in Kyushu, and it seems they fully enjoyed themselves amidst the harsh, vast nature.
Meanwhile, Kenporo, who had been out on a journey—not necessarily a soul-searching one, but a trip seeking encounters with nature, objects, and people through cycling—has arrived safely back at Circles.
He seemed exhausted, but he has returned grown in more ways than one.
Welcome back, Kenporo!
Stay tuned for the final blog post about Kenporo’s journey and the report on the Gentlemen’s Race, both coming soon!
As for this post, I’d like to announce that we have restocked the Quoc Pham shoes that were missing some sizes—the very pair Kenporo wore every single day during his travels.
When it comes to Quoc Pham, it’s understandable that the style makes you want to pair them with a clean, polished look, but it’s also cool to use them hard for things like traveling or long rides on your days off, just like Kenporo does.
Quoc Pham
Tourer ¥24,800_ (plus tax)
The photos in Kenporo’s blog the other day showed how broken-in and nicely weathered they’ve become.
And here is a photo from the first day of his trip. They’ve matured beautifully.
Come to think of it, I was talking about shoes with a staff member from a certain select shop the other day.
He’s a shoe lover through and through, regardless of whether it’s sneakers or leather shoes.
But as someone who commutes by bike, he told me that although he owns many sneakers, the shoes he wears most frequently, even on rainy or snowy days, are his leather shoes.
The reason? Because if you take care of leather shoes the more you wear them, they only get better. That makes total sense to me.
It reminded me once again that I want to keep these shoes for a long time by not neglecting their care.
Also, the gentleman who participated in the RGR today completed the race wearing the Quoc Pham "Tourer."
Here is this gentleman's usual riding style. It’s classy!
And here is a look at today's ride.
Yes, you really can ride hard in Quoc Phams, too.
These are also turning out nicely.
Just because they’re leather shoes doesn’t mean you have to be confined to traditional styles; please, go ahead and wear them in like this.
And don't forget to give them a little care now and then.
I’m sure that for anyone, Quoc Pham will become an indispensable, beloved pair of shoes.