[Sukumo Gravel 2DAYS] Day 1: An intense 30km pre-ride!

Introduction

The day before, I travelled from Uwajima to Shimanto City in the rain.

[Sukumo Gravel 2DAYS] Day 0: An intense ride from Uwajima to Shimanto City by bike!

2026/08/20

And the next day was the first day of the long-awaited "Sukumo Gravel". The venue was a seaside facility called "Sukumo 84 Marine Terminal", and I had to cycle about 30km from the hotel where I was staying.

Honestly, I felt the warm-up was a bit long, but since the first day's event course was "only about 30km", I thought it wouldn't be a problem.

However, I was about to learn firsthand that this was not "just 30km"...

It always starts with rain

The day before, while having dinner, I checked the weather forecast and it said "cloudy". No more getting wet in the rain!

"Looks like tomorrow and the day after will be fine!"

We said, and greeted the morning.

It was raining normally.

What did we do to deserve this...

Thinking it would probably stop raining while we were riding, I started cycling towards Sukumo. I was glad I'd applied wet lube the day before, and rode for about 30km.

It rained almost continuously for 30km, and just as the venue was in sight, the rain stopped. A beautiful rainbow even appeared, and I couldn't help but laugh at the sheer absurdity of it all.

The sea.

The 30km ride in the rain from the morning was tough. When I wrung out my socks, water came out like a damp cloth from a bucket. As I was drying my shoes in the sun, looking exhausted and pale, acquaintances started showing up one after another. Suddenly, it felt like a real event!

I'll just briefly summarise the event below.

Start!

The opening began with a speech from the mayor.

Let's go, start!!!

As we slowly entered the forest road, we found some nice gravel. This photo is just before a steep section. I tried it, but had to put my foot down.

Each aid station was well-stocked. If you have bottles, you don't need any snacks.

Senpai's bike, number 24. Cool.

Heading to the next mountain on paved roads.

Detoured to a muddy spot on the way. I even jumped into the river with my shoes on. It felt incredibly good. Couldn't we just finish here...?

From gravel to beyond

Riding forest roads to the next gravel section.

After a lunch break, we'll move on to the second half.

The number of photos decreases significantly from here because the sections became more intense and I was desperately trying to stay on the bike. Some parts were out-and-back singletracks, which made passing difficult, so it was a bit tricky.

Incidentally, a superb view awaited us further along the course.

For a while after that, it was a pleasant downhill on a wide double track.

However, the course took an unusual turn, entering the mountains from the middle of that pleasant path. It became a thrilling singletrack where falling to the right would be the end.

I was genuinely scared when I saw the rear wheel of Kabo-san, who was riding in front of me, slide spectacularly...

And finally, the downhill course, which was apparently carved out for this event.

But this wasn't just gravel; it felt more like a path for an MTB, and the difficulty was so high I almost cried. I think everyone ended up walking their bikes down.
I tried a few times and fell, but then I managed to make the inexplicable mistake of "just falling over on a perfectly flat section and injuring my knee". (When I fell, my calf cramped up and I let out a yell, causing Mr. Bia a lot of worry!)

Leaving the mountains, we reached the sea. The final section was so intense that the sense of security on the paved road was overwhelming.

We finished the day riding along the peaceful coastal road.

There were fun gravel sections with high difficulty from the start, but the latter half had some parts that felt a bit dangerous. Honestly, it would have been even better if the course had been a little more enjoyable to ride.

There were rumours that the pre-course on the first day would be set up for enthusiasts, but it was so intense that I felt more exhausted than you'd expect from just 30km.

[Bonus] Pre-event party

Attended a mysterious pre-event party with guests and even the mayor.
There was a lot of local food, and it was a special feast with a lively atmosphere.

I won a serious competition held there and received an entry ticket for "Tamba Cycle Days" from Panaracer, who sponsored the event. I've got an event to attend now. Looking forward to it!!

By the way, Fara-san won participation in the Nozawa Onsen Cycling Festival, and Bia-san won participation in Niseko Gravel (!!!). What kind of event is this...

And so, tomorrow is finally the main second day!