The story of how a cycling beginner finished 80km in 7 hours

Hello! I'm Yume-chan😊
I went to Ehime on a trip the other day!

I took the Shinkansen to Fukuyama (Hiroshima), and
headed to Ehime bybicycle!

...

Bicycle????

That's right!The "Shimanami Kaido"!!!
This article is the story of howus cycling beginnersfinished
the Shimanami Kaido (80km)✨

People who should read this👀

・Those who want to try cycling the Shimanami Kaido
・Those who want to travel to Ehime
・Those who are looking for activities on their trip

I want to share this feeling with everyone, so
I want those who haven't done it to definitely try it, and
I would love for those who have done it to leave a comment!!

▼ Following Mount Fuji, I am participating with the same friend.

What is the Shimanami Kaido...

First, for those who don't know about the Shimanami Kaido, I will explain!

The Shimanami Kaido isa road exclusively for vehicles connecting Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture and Imabari City, Ehime Prefecturethat connects the islands floating in the Seto Inland Sea with bridges.
You cross six major islands, and the total distance is 70-80km.

It seems you can start from either the Onomichi side or the Imabari side.
I started from Onomichi🚲💨

By the way, I heard this later, but
the Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge, which crosses from Oshima to Imabari City, is the longest (4km)
and it is difficult due to both headwinds and uphill slopes, so it seems easier to start from Imabari City..

So, I will talk about the starting point!

Starting point

The starting point is the Onomichi Station Port Parking Lot.

I rented a bicycle here.
It's very cheap at 3000 yen per bike/day! 💲

Since it's run by locals, there's a laid-back atmosphere. 🌪️
All the other customers besides us were from overseas, and
to think they chose cycling after coming to Japan,they have great taste.✨

I thought we would start right from where we rented them!!
But we didn't cross the Onomichi Bridge by bike; we took a small boat to Mukaishima. 🚢

Cycling begins

So, the Shimanami Kaido cycling trip begins! 🚲
For now, we'll ride quickly to the third island, Ikuchijima!

- Break

Having said that, the scenery was so beautiful that we took a break to take pictures at a spot where you can see the Ikuchi Bridge!

Every time I see a bridge, my excitement goes up, haha.

- The ordeal of the uphill climb

The toughest part of this cycling trip is that
there is an uphill climb for a while before each bridge.It's obvious, but since the bridges are high up, you have to climb, and there are roads with a gradient of about 3% (an incline of 1.72 degrees) for about 1.5 to 2.5 km.

This was exhausting...

The thing to be careful about here is
adjusting your gears appropriately.As a cycling beginner who hasn't really used a bicycle since junior high school, I haven't used gears much, but there are about 21 levels.It feels like, 21 levels?? But there are 1-7 on the right handle and 1-3 on the left handle. The smaller the number, the lighter the pedal, but the power per stroke becomes smaller.
I felt it was important to set the gears so that you can pedal without putting too much strain on your legs on flat ground, downhill, and uphill.

- The view from the bridge

The view you see after overcoming the ordeal of the uphill climb is spectacular.
The blue of the sky and the blue of the sea are truly beautiful.
And the wind is cool, making it feel like the fatigue in my legs and body from the climb is disappearing.

- Shimanami Dolce

We crossed two bridges, arrived at Ikuchijima, and took a break here.
When I looked it up on Instagram, I found a famous shop on this island calledShimanami Dolcewhere I ordered
Hakata Saltgelato andSetoda Dekomikangelato!

We took a break here for about 30 minutes and then set off.
I wasn't very tired in the first half!
I was having so much fun that I wondered, 'Is cycling not tiring?'

- Lunch miscalculation (meal)

I had been riding the whole time relying on prior information that there were quite a few restaurants on Ikuchijima, but before I knew it, I was in front of Tatara Bridge (the end of Ikuchijima), thinking,

"Huh????"

It wasn't that there were no restaurants at all, but there were few, and even those that existed weren't open. Since it was Tuesday, it wouldn't be strange for them to be closed... But was the prior information wrong, or was my research insufficient...

Anyway, I couldn't turn back, so I decided to move forward!!!

- Arrived at Omishima

I crossed Tatara Bridge without any issues and took a photo at the cyclist's sanctuary.

I was really hungry by now, so I started looking for a place to eat.

That's when I found this place! It's a hotel and cafe, and the interior is stylish too!

Alright! I decided on this place and headed over.

Closed... Too bad... Regrettable... See you next week... I couldn't just say that, so I looked for another shop.

As shown in the bottom left of the photo, after arriving at Omishima, I was heading toward a shop in the opposite direction of my route. Because of that, I was debating whether to go back or keep going forward, but there was another delicious-looking shop further ahead...

- Lunch (miscalculation)

The shop I arrived at was a stylish pizza place.

pizzeria TAKIBI
Pizza dough made with Omishima homemade fruit yeast and Ehime-grown wheat, which just opened in April 2024.

This was a major miscalculation.
To think there would be such a stylish shop in a place like this!!!!
And it's an authentic pizza place too!!??!!?

There are many menu items using vegetables, meat, and fish from Ehime, making it very rewarding to choose!

Both had pizza crusts that were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, making for a very satisfying meal!
Plus, the ingredients were chunky, which helped me recover from the fatigue up to this point! ❤️‍🩹

By the way, I haven't even made it halfway yet... about 35km.
And the time is 13:30, with a goal of arriving in Imabari City by 16:00...
Will I make it in time?

- Roadside Station

About 2 hours after leaving the pizza place "pizzeria TAKIBI" ⌚️
I kept riding almost non-stop and stopped at a roadside station before the Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge for a bathroom break.

I bought a Shimanami Kaido sticker and a Shimanami towel here lol

By the time I got here, I had already crossed two mountains, crossed five bridges, and climbed numerous uphill slopes. The strain on my legs is immeasurable.
Above all, my butt hurts 😭

Complaining won't get me to the finish line, so I'll just keep pedaling toward the goal.

- Final Boss 😈

The Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge, which I mentioned earlier, is the longest (4km) in the Shimanami Kaido.
Once I cross this, it's the finish line.

Anyone who has ridden across a bridge knows this,
but it's windy on the bridge,
and on top of that, there's a brutal headwind here...

That's right. Even if I pedal, I don't move forward at all.
And it's an uphill slope, so I move even less.

This last bridge really was thefinal boss.

But since there's nothing I can do but pedal, I just kept pedaling.

Arrived!!!!!

30 minutes of continuous pedaling

Finally arrived!!!
I did my best!!!!

Taking a break with coffee at the 'Ocean View Cafe' right after crossing the bridge.
The shop is open until 5 PM, so it should be fine.

A sign saying 'Please enter by 4 PM'

'Hmm?'

Current time is 16:10... Didn't make it in time.

The goal of finishing by 4 PM was specifically to visit this cafe.
However, unfortunately, I couldn't make it.

Well, it can't be helped, so I'm heading to return the bicycle.

- Entering Chapter 2

Anyone who thought the cycling was over? 🖐️
Actually, it's not over yet.

The place where we are returning the bikes is Imabari Station.
After crossing the Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge, there is still about7kmto go to Imabari Station.

In other words, I still need to ride a bit more.
Chapter 2'The long road to the station'has begun.

Even though I still had physical energy left, for some reason, I didn't have the strength to lead.
So, I had my friend take the lead, and I followed behind them.
I just kept pedaling, and pedaling, and pedaling...

Arrived at Imabari Station!!!!!

I finally made it!!!
This cycling trip, which felt long yet passed in the blink of an eye, has now come to an end!
The time taken was 7 hours and 11 minutes, and the distance covered was 81.8km.

Reflections

This was my first time cycling!
Despite various accidents, I'm really glad that there were no injuries or major incidents.
Here are three things I thought about while looking back on the cycling trip↓↓↓

- The scenery was too beautiful

The scenery was just too good!
Everywhere I looked, there was blue sky, mountains, and the sea...
I feel like my eyesight even improved just from this one day...

More than anything, I feel that having good weather was the luckiest thing.
If it had rained, I wouldn't have been able to enjoy the scenery, and above all, I think it would have been quite cold.

- My butt hurt too much

There's nothing I can do about this, but my butt hurt so much!!
I don't know if the saddle shape didn't fit, if I wasn't used to it, or if it's just supposed to hurt in the first place.

I didn't know the cause, but since it hurt from the moment I first sat down, I think the shape just didn't fit me.

For beginners, I recommend wearing pants with extra padding in the seat area or using a cushion.

- Too much standing while pedaling

This started because my butt hurt,
but since it was painful to pedal while sitting, I ended up standing and pedaling even on flat roads!
Standing while pedaling puts a heavy burden on yourthighs.
As a result, in the second half, I couldn't pedal hard against the headwind and was just pedaling slowly in a lower gear.
Because of that, my arrival time was a bit delayed.
I should have taken better measures to prevent my butt from hurting...

Summary

How was it?
Did you also think, 'I want to try cycling!!'?

For those who want to have an active trip, I highly recommend the Shimanami Kaido cycling trip✨
It's perfect for a trip with a sense of accomplishment, and above all, you can get a sense of exhilaration that you don't usually feel!
I'll be starting my career as a working professional next year, but I hope to go on active trips like this regularly🚲

Extra Edition

From here on, I would like to introduce the clothing and items for cycling,
as well as the inn I stayed at after the cycling and the lead!

- Clothing and Items

I went on Tuesday, February 25th, and the high was about 10°C and the low was about 3°C that day.
I felt it was warm for February!☀️
When I left at 9:30 AM, it felt a bit chilly, and even after I started pedaling, I felt cold from the wind!
However, once I started climbing uphill, my body temperature rose, so I was able to ride quite comfortably from then on!

・Clothing
Top:Heattech, short-sleeved shirt, windbreaker (the swishy kind),
a thin hooded outer layer
Bottom:Inner tights, shorts
Other:Gloves, neck warmer

When riding, it was cold if my neck or wrists were exposed!
But since I would get hot on the uphill climbs, I took off the neck warmer after crossing the first bridge, the Innoshima Bridge!

・Belongings
-Shoulder bag (I used one from GU this time, but it might be a bit big)

-Drinks
-Towel

You won't have any trouble if you have at least these!
I think you can have a more comfortable cycling trip if you have a mobile battery and portable snacks like chocolate!

- Ryokan (Japanese Inn)

The place I stayed after cycling was "Yonenaga Ryokan"

I had forgotten to book a place to stay until the day before, and when I hurriedly looked for cheap inns, this one came up!
Believe it or not, the price was 14,400 yen for 2 people,7,200 yen per personincluding dinner and breakfast!!
Isn't that super cheap????

However, after I booked it, I looked it up and found some reviews that made me wonder if it would be okay, so I was a little worried.

When I arrived at the inn, a man who seemed to be the owner came, handled the check-in procedures, and showed me to my room.

A key directly on the sliding door (fusuma)???
This single sliding door separates the hallway from the room.
It wasn't exactly a private space, was it...

The room itself was a normal ryokan room with a Japanese-style feel, and the heater worked very well, so it was barely okay!
However, the bath and toilet were shared!
Not being able to use them whenever you want is just part of sharing, isn't it?

That was the situation, so I thought that was why it was cheap, but
I also had the feeling of "Will the dinner be okay??"...

At 6:30 PM, when I went to the place where I could eat dinner ↓

???????????
Simmered sea bream head??!! Isn't this super luxurious!!!

The food was so luxurious and delicious that I felt stupid for worrying🍚
Also, the landlady kindly explained the meal, and it was a fulfilling dinner time!

By the way, breakfast was also substantial

It was delicious!!
With that said, I have summarized the details of the inn I stayed at this time below!

- Public Bath ♨️

The inn's bath was shared and quite small, so I went to a public bath near Imabari Station!

"Shimanami Onsen Kisuke no Yu"

This place was ranked 5th in the 2024 West Japan Sauna Ranking and 9th in the nation for well-equipped facilities.
As the name suggests, there were multiple types of public baths and saunas!

When I actually went inside, I could tell at a glance that it had a different atmosphere from a regular public bath. The ceilings were high and it was very spacious!
Just like on the website, there were many types of bathtubs and multiple saunas!

My impression after trying it out was,

Because there are so many types, the space to enter them is small... yeah...

There were many things like reclining baths and jet baths that only a few people could enter, and there were few large baths like a typical public bath.
Because of that, it was easy for them to get crowded since not many people could fit in.

The sauna and the hot spring itself were really great, so I definitely want you to go if you visit Imabari✨

Summary 2

And with that, the cycling trip came to an end!
It was fun regardless.

I would like to continue taking on various challenges in the coming years😁