Prologue LONGING-2

When I became a senior high school student, I bought a bicycle for cycling tours with the money I earned by a part-time job.
The mountain bike I got costed me was over 100,000 yen. (Now I think why I did buy such an expensive bicycle.)
The part-time job was a mail delivery that was also made by a bicycle.(^_^;)

After getting my own bicycle, I went from Tsukigase village in the north to Odaigahara in the south in Nara Prefecture.
(Later on  Tsukigase Village merged into part of  Nara City.)
For outside Nara Prefecture, I went to Osaka Airport.
Most  Charriders. ran together with another cyclist, not alone like me.
(Charrider means cyclist. Cyclists are often called Charriders especially in Hokkaido. )

When I was in my second year of senior high school, I made a cycling tour around the Kii Peninsula.
It was my first time to travel alone by bicycle while staying overnight.

The trip was really unexperienced so that it made me think, “I want to quit the cycling.”

Because it seemed a very tough trip and not compared to my ever cycling tours.

In short, the trip up to that point was at most a day trip, and the luggage was light and also no need to carry with my personal belongings for overnight.
When I went around the Kii Peninsula, I equipped the rear carrier of the bicycle with side bags, a tent and sleeping bag inside, and also a backpack on my back.

With such heavy equipment, the more the riding time, the more physical and mental fatigue I surely expected.

Another reason, why the trip was harsh, was that I would be exposed to the “sunshine”.
I was an idiot for only wearing short sleeves just because it was summer.
Both exposed arms to the direct sunshine became red and swollen as if they had been burned.
Only two days after my departure, I felt pain even getting the sunlight a little bit. On the way back home the skin under the skin became peeled off, was swollen and what’s more turned severely painful.

Quite frankly, it wasn’t a pleasant trip at all.

Since then I was thinking about this to make good use for every time when I tried another cycling. It became a precious lesson mentioned below.

“How many kilometers to my destination?”
“Seriously do you make such a climbing and descending…
How many more numbers of uphill are there? No need to worry about!”
“In case you want me to climb up, don’t let me down!!
Don’t let me do anything useless!!”
“Why do I have to suffer alone like this!?
What an idiot I am to do something like this … ”
“Even though anyone else could enjoy this summer right now!!”

Some feeling in my heart.
I felt like complaining about, but I wouldn’t say it anymore.
Because it would surely make me miserable.


Anyway, it ended with the trip without any serious mistakes. By such valuable  lessons made me think, “I’ll never do this again!”

After this trip, I seriously thought about it.

I wondered if the other Charriders  were having a lot of fun and having such a painful experience.
I wondered if each one of them just wanted to brag about having ridden a long distance like I did.

Vol.0 LONGING-2 Episode 0