Event report on “Nagato Blue Ocean Ride with Akiyoshidai 2019”

Ride starting at Senza Kitchen, Roadside Station

On Saturday, November 23, "Nagato Blue Ocean Ride with Akiyoshidai," a cycling event around Nagato City and Mine City, was held. This event, which allows participants to enjoy riding while tasting the "spectacular scenery" and "food" of the region, was first held in 2016 and will be held for the fourth time this year.

Before 8:00 a.m., about 400 participants gathered at Senza Kitchen, the roadside station where the event started and finished.

At the opening ceremony, the members of the Shimano Racing bicycle road race team, who were invited as guest riders to liven up the event as they did last year, made an appearance. The microphone was passed from Mr. Ichimaru to Director Notera, who called out to the participants on traffic rules and manners.

(from left) Ryo Minato, Sakiya Kuroeda, Naogo Ichimaru, Tadaaki Nakai, and Hidenori Notera, Manager

Then we lined up five or six people at a time for the start and departed for Akiyoshidai, where the first spectacular view awaited us.

In this event report, we look back on the convention from three perspectives, with "spectacular views," "food," and "trains" as keywords.

Running through the spectacular autumn scenery

The first spectacular view is the Akiyoshidai Karst Road, lined with countless white limestone rocks.

A seemingly endless expanse of scenery, ups and downs, and gentle curves await the participants.

The first half of the route from Akiyoshidai to Tawarayama is mostly a mountain road. Nevertheless, as we headed north, the scenery opened up and the cobalt blue ocean came into view. Under the blue skies that followed last year, participants were greeted by a sparkling sea that lived up to the name "Blue Ocean Ride.

The "Ohama Beach," the setting for the photos that adorn the posters and pamphlets of the rally, and the "Higashi Gohata Terraced Rice Paddies, " selected as one of the 100 best terraced rice paddies in Japan, are some of the best photo spots near the sea for this rally. Even though they had already run more than 90 km, they showed their hearty smiles in front of the camera.

Enjoy local flavors in the midst of nature

There were five aid points this time.

The first half was in Mine City; at the 22-km point, Akiyoshidai Refresh Park, a stone oven bakery Boulangerie Kura offered "fresh sandwiches with stone oven bread"; at the 45-km point, Beppu Bentenike, a special pork soup made with local vegetables and spring water from Bentenike was prepared in a large pot surrounded by steam.

The "Satoyama Station Tawarayama" at the 68km mark is the main aid station. The "Satoyama Plate," a sumptuous plate of nine dishes filled with the delicacies of Tawarayama, was produced by the Myuzu Kitchen, a group of women mainly from farm families in Tawarayama.

Rice balls made from Koshihikari rice produced in Tawarayama, pickles, oden, tofu and venison hamburger steak, pasta with wild boar meat soup. Even the desserts, such as pears and "okome purin," are made with ingredients from Tawarayama and have a delicate taste.

On this day, students from Shimonoseki City University and children were also in charge of serving the food. When the students asked the participants, the most popular menu item was the "Soup Pasta," but some answered, "It's all the best because it's filled with so much love. It was a time to give them energy to overcome the mountains that await them ahead.

At the "Ohama Beach" at the 90km point, you can taste tomato curry made with "Choshu-dori" brand chicken from Fukagawa Chicken Farmers Cooperative Association. This time, it is topped with "Hanakkori-ten" from Fuji Mitsu Co. The chicken and fish paste, two of the city's most popular products, were served at the same time.

The last aid point at the 103km mark is the Kohadoguchi Meeting Point. This is the point where coffee, hot ginger, gateau chocolates, and cheesecake from the Hagiyaki Gallery Cafe "cafe&pottery sound" in Nagato Yumoto Onsen are available. With 12 km remaining, this was a place to take a breather in preparation for the last spurt.

Special "cycle train" return trip

One of the unique points of this event is the "Train Course," in which participants ride on a train in the middle of the course. This event allows participants to travel to the downtown area of Nagato City on a special "cycle train," which they can ride along with their bicycles.

Two courses were prepared for this year's event: a 51-km "short" course that started at Ohfuku Station in Mine City and ended at Senzaki Station, and an 83-km "middle" course that started at Hitomaru Station in Aburaya and ended at Nagato City Station. The time spent on the train in the cycle jersey is a little strange and fresh.

The Middle group was treated to scones from Eucalyptus and Taiyo, which have stores in the Tawarayama area, and drip coffee from Coffee & Roaster Yama, while the Short group enjoyed a special seafood bowl at Senza Kitchen's Kaisendon Ajito after the goal. The "short" group was treated to a special seafood bowl at Ajito in Senza Kitchen after the goal.

The Train Course is a different way to enjoy the course than the longest "Cycling Course. Although the number of participants is limited due to the number of train passengers, this is a popular course every year that even beginners can enjoy with ease.

Moments at the end of a long journey

As the sun gradually begins to set, the long journey comes to an end. Welcomed by their families, staff, and community members, the participants once again walked through the gate of Senza Kitchen, a roadside station, with smiles on their faces.

At the goal aid, in addition to drinks and ice cream, the members of the Nagato Area Local Production for Local Consumption Promotion Committee handed out Nagato Yuzukichi confiture and "chikumaru," a prepared bread stuffed with chikuwa and chicken meat.

While we have enjoyed a lot of "food" up to this point, there is still a wealth of ingredients in this town. It is a moment when you can encounter new discoveries as you talk with the people involved in production and processing.

It was a satisfying day of enjoying the spectacular scenery, food, and meeting local residents.

At the venue, where the shadows stretched in the opposite direction from the start, smiling faces reflecting on a fulfilling time were illuminated by the setting sun.

Barbecue with guests

After the sun sets, we gather at the "grill house" of Senza Kitchen, a roadside station.

A guest exchange party was held with guest riders "Shimano Racing".

In addition to chicken and beef, the venue offers a variety of seafood such as rock oysters, turban shells, squid and dried fish.

After the dinner, the guests also enjoyed the "food" of Nagato, and a big lottery and rock-paper-scissors tournament were held, where they received a sakosh signed by the players and an assortment of local specialties.

The participants, who have been attending the tournament every year, as well as those who supported the tournament as staff members, came to the Grill House tonight. At the end of the event, everyone was photographed together with big smiles on their faces.

Once again, thanks to the support of so many people, including all of you who participated, the staff who helped run the aid points and provide course security and various other support, and all of you who cheered us on from the roadside, we were able to successfully complete our fourth annual event. Thank you very much for your support.

In Nagato City, we are working to create a town where cycling is more enjoyable, including rental bicycles andCycle Friend Shops. We hope you will enjoy riding in Nagato City again someday, enjoying the blue sky and the blue sea.

Related Links

• cycling in Nagato
• Nagato Blue Ocean Ride with Akiyoshidai 2019
• Roadside Station Senza Kitchen