We left the shop, headed through the city, out to the riverbanks, and finally, into the familiar mountains.
It was a very warm day with the cherry blossoms in full bloom—truly perfect riding weather. Even on roads I know well, the scenery looks completely different when the seasons change.
The sights before my eyes, the temperature of the wind against my skin, the faint scent of grass and trees in the air.
Every bit of it is a special experience that can only be savored in that very moment.
And that experience shifts depending on the people you ride with.
This day, we held the WEIS Gravel Group Ride as part of the WEIS POP UP STORE events.
It turned out to be an exceptional ride, featuring the crew from WEIS Manufacturing, including Terry Barentsen.
I was impressed by how, after arriving in Nagoya, they test-rode the route with limited time, quickly grasping the path and making it their own.
The pace of the ride was a bit faster than usual.
While things were fine in the city, the difference became quite noticeable once we reached the mountains and the climbing began.
Many of the participants were breathing hard while climbing with all their might at this "slightly faster than usual" pace.
Yet, strangely, even those moments were fun, and before I knew it, everyone was wearing a smile.
Then, on the gravel descents, our spirits were at an all-time high.
There were a few moments where excitement led to a tumble, but I was relieved to see that everyone finished the ride without any major injuries.
That was especially impressive considering some of the riders were on fixed-gear bikes.
There were 14 of us in total for this ride, including the WEIS team and myself.
Beyond the joy of riding with the WEIS team, personally, it was also a great pleasure to share time with people I haven't had many opportunities to ride with before.
The WEIS Manufacturing Japan tour just concluded, and I truly hope more opportunities like this will arise in the future.
And….
It has been decided that Circles Tailored will now carry WEIS products. We plan to start with a selection of parts.
Actually, there is already a part I’ve decided to purchase myself, but...
I’ll share more about that another time.