The Nakasendo
When I took on the role of ambassador for RIDEALIVE 2017 alongside Kantoku (Motonobu Nakamura), the idea of an “old road journey” immediately came to mind when we started thinking about what kind of route would best represent us.
For the first event this year (in Mie), we did on-road riding and hiking; for the second (in Shizuoka), we focused on activities around a lake. This time, we decided that it would be great to fully enjoy the dirt.
Like the Tokaido, this is a highway that connects Nihonbashi to the Sanjo Ohashi bridge in Kyoto.
Because it passes through the interior compared to the Tokaido, it involves many mountain roads and still retains an atmosphere of the past.
With the forecast of rain from a typhoon and the autumnal rain front on the actual day, the event itself was in jeopardy, but we took the plunge and decided to hold it regardless.
Day 1
Just 2km after departing from our start point in Ena, a cobblestone climb greeted us.
Due to the recent continuous rain, the cobblestones were slippery, and most people ended up pushing their bikes up.
At the top of the climb, a "ichirizuka" (milestone marker) remained, and these continued to welcome us along the way as markers every 1 ri (approx. 4km).
After that, we alternated between dirt and asphalt repeatedly.
The sense of relief when hitting asphalt, and the slight anxiety and excitement when entering dirt paths—despite the ride beginning in the rain before noon, everyone I saw from the front was smiling.
“I’ve been tricked!”
“I thought it was going to be a more relaxed ride!!”
“We’re climbing on dirt again!?”
Though they were complaining, everyone had a smile on their face.
We veered off the Nakasendo and headed toward the Yaozu area to reach our Day 1 goal, the mountain cabin cafe "Yama-nanya." After crossing an asphalt mountain pass, we hit some exquisite winding roads along the river. We made it all the way to Maruyama Dam without pedaling even once. It’s the Kiso River, which serves as the water source for us folks in Aichi Prefecture.
A local guy told us,
“If you take that path over there, you can pass right in front of the Maruyama Dam~”
Just as he said, we passed right in front of the massive man-made structure, Maruyama Dam, and climbed through the town of Yaozu to arrive at "Yama-nanya."
It was many years ago now, but we used to organize a music and bike festival called “NUTS fes” where Circles customers would gather, and you were only allowed to come by bicycle.
That nostalgic spot, “Yama-nanya.”
The participants who knew it felt nostalgic, and those visiting for the first time were filled with curiosity, wondering, "a place like this exists?"
At Yama-nanya, they prepared not just jerk chicken, but jerk wild boar for us.
While we barbecued, Kantoku and I played some music, and we had drum-can baths lined up next to us.
Temperature control was difficult, and it was smoky from the firewood, but everyone was laughing.
Perhaps due to the unfamiliar dirt roads in the rain, everyone gradually drifted off to sleep...
Day 2
With the typhoon approaching, we decided to shorten the itinerary.
We visited the Yaozu Senbei factory at Minoshoku Seika, which we had requested.
Despite it being their day off, they got the line running for us, and we all got to stamp the word "Gratitude" onto the crackers.
We ate fresh, warm crackers while bagging them up.
After the tour, we all took a commemorative photo.
After that, we met up at “Engiya,” the after-party venue, while visiting points on the map.
To save time, we went through a tunnel instead of mountain roads to get to Mitake, where we munched on croquettes while listening to Eurobeat on our way to Engiya.
I hope all the participants will make use of the Day 2 map—which became a phantom route—to explore Gifu again.
At Engiya, they kindly prepared for us four hours early for our after-party.
Everyone was all smiles thanks to the delicious food, as always.
I can't thank Kacchan (Mr. Hayashi of Engiya) enough.
Thanks as always.
On uphill climbs, on dirt, while taking shelter from the rain, while cooking Bivouac Ration, at the BBQ, in the drum-can baths, at the factory tour, at the after-party, and even in the typhoon,
everyone was smiling.
Yes, precisely when things get tough, that's when you've got to laugh!
And to all the participants, thank you so much!!!
TODAY’S RIDER
| Frame | Desalvo | 29er ATB |
| Paint | Kyutai Paint | |
| HeadSet | ChrisKing | 1-1/8 NoThread Set |
| Rim | Velo city | VXC |
| Hub | Shimano | XT |
| Tire | Panaracer by fairweather | XC by GC |
| Stem | Profile Racing | Helm MTB Stem |
| Main Group | Shimano | XT |
| Crank | Shimano | XT |
| Frame Bag | Welldone | Originals |
| Seat Bag | RAL | UT Loader |
| Helmet | Smith | Forefront |
| Shoes | Pearl Izumi USA | X-Alp Enduro5 |
TEXT by Takashi Inoue ／ PHOTO by Eri Tanaka