On Saturday, July 18th, I participated in a workshop and race hosted by sfiDARE CRIT at Rainbow Sports in Kuwana City, Mie Prefecture! And what’s more, this time it was a night race!
We were fortunate to have clear skies during the rainy season, and you could catch glimpses of everyone’s smiles. Check out the highlights of this incredibly fun event!!
Safety First
While sfiDARE CRIT workshops are typically held at the Hirata Riverside Plaza in Kaizu City, Gifu Prefecture, this was a special event where we rented out a circuit course usually reserved for racing karts, and we really pushed the pedals to the metal.
Of course, given the impact of COVID-19, the athletes and staff prioritized safety and took appropriate measures as we headed onto the course!
sfiDARE CRIT Welcomes Everyone!
The workshop and practice runs started around 5:00 PM. While going through the course, sfiDARE CRIT team leader Toshifumi Kodama provided practical instruction on cornering points and pedaling control, so even beginners can participate with peace of mind!
Also, thanks to the energetic efforts of Kazuyo Kodama, we were happy to have female riders participating as well. Among them was our very own SimWorks Racing athlete Aya Akamatsu, who mainly focuses on cyclocross.
Let’s Night Race!!
And finally, the night race started at 6:30 PM!
First, there were three qualifying heats, A through C (6 laps for qualifiers). The atmosphere was completely different from the practice runs. The expressions on the athletes' faces changed, and they stared intensely at the flag.
Based on the race results, the top performers were selected to move on to the next stage, with C, B, and A finals scheduled to match riders according to their skill levels. By the way, I qualified 2nd and made it to the A final (the 15-lap Super Final)!
After the Race
Everyone has their own opinion on what makes fixed-gear bikes interesting. Personally, I find the appeal in how, on a race track without brakes, you can use your own strength to effectively control acceleration and deceleration on a concrete surface.
In this race, I focused on how to hold the grips. I imagined maintaining a posture like wrapping my hands around a large ball. While winning is important in a race, finding a challenge and working on it is another form of enjoyment.
I finished 7th out of 10 riders. It was a frustrating result, as I was overtaken by Kodama-san and was cut from the race. I’m still not riding the way I want to, so I hope to build my strength steadily so I can perform better in the future.
Tomohito Tatsuta took a brilliant win in the Super Final. He is a very friendly athlete with a wonderful smile. When asked about his gear ratio for this race, he said, "Sorry, it's nothing too special, haha."
By the way, as for the gear ratios of sfiDARE CRIT JAPAN’s "Tossy" and "Kazunyo," Tossy uses 3.0 compared to Kazunyo's 2.88, so it seems there isn't much of a difference.
Am I the only one who thinks that watching people give their all in a race scene is the most beautiful thing ever? Of course, because we are competing, the results are important. But I was thinking while riding that there might be something even more important. It’s the staff involved in planning and operations, family members, and friends who come to the venue together. It was a day that reminded me that nothing exists without people. Thank you so much for such a wonderful event!
I’m sure there will be opportunities like this again, so let’s definitely go together next time.
Special Thanks / Photo By Masatsugu Kaneko & Daisuke Kitagawa & Aya Akamatsu