Lately, I’ve been all about gravel, but on my last day off, I went for a road-only ride for the first time in a while. Gravel riding has the thrill of pushing through uncharted paths, but on the road, you focus more on the simple act of turning the pedals and putting power down. I also tend to ramp up the pace on mountain passes to push my body, which reminded me once again that this is the real joy of road cycling. It was the warmest, most pleasant day we've had recently, and with the benefit of such gentle sunshine, there were plenty of moments where I could just loosen up and take in the scenery at a leisurely pace.
My partner for the day was Mr. Funahashi, who rides a SEVEN CYCLES / Axiom SL. While he ended up leading the way on the climbs, the sight of him from behind left a lasting impression. He’s more slender and slightly smaller than I am, but when he stood up from the saddle to start dancing on the pedals, the rhythm was just a pleasure to watch, and the way he accelerated in sync with it was beautiful. I certainly couldn’t call myself fast, but since I enjoy climbing mountain passes and prefer dancing on the pedals, I found myself longing to ride like him.
When we first met, Mr. Funahashi was part of an industrial league team, dedicated to training on his carbon road bike. If I recall, the first time we rode together, he was decked out in his team jersey. Back then, his approach to cycling was all about speed and physical strength, but at some point, he began to question that and slowly started distancing himself from the sport. Even then, our connection remained, and we continued to ride together; it was around that time that he met the man we all call "Paisen."
Some of you reading this blog may already know who he is—he was the one who wrote the “RIDE IS LIKE HIKE” column for SIMWORKS, and he is without a doubt the preeminent cyclist in our circle. He rides his bike for no one but himself, turning the pedals toward whatever destination his heart desires, savoring the scenery along the way, and taking pleasure in feeling the air change with the seasons on his skin. And to traverse the diverse roads he encounters, he rides the bike that is perfectly suited to him. It was the relationship between that man and his beloved bike that moved Mr. Funahashi to order his own SEVEN CYCLES / Axiom SL.
Of course, since he had previously dedicated himself to riding fast, he still valued speed, but he sought, above all else, to know how comfortably he could cover long distances. He told SEVEN CYCLES about his riding style—a high-cadence approach with frequent dancing on the climbs—and the result was the Axiom SL, marked with his signature star pattern. Beyond that, by extracting various information—the types of bikes he previously owned, body measurements, current positioning, any physical stress experienced while riding, and the specific ride quality he desired—a SEVEN CYCLES bike is crafted to be the optimal machine for every owner who orders one.
Three and a half years have passed since he started riding it, yet he always looks like he's having a blast when he's on the bike. It’s impressive how he still speaks about his bike with such pride and fresh enthusiasm.
Since then, he has gone on to order a new Mudhoney, adding a new partner for his gravel rides and CX races.
A partner that can carry one's own spirit—I find myself spending these days facing my own order sheet, wondering if that day has finally arrived for me.