HAYASHIBARA assured his win at the championship by dominating the battle of the steep slope before the goal
(photo: Itaru Mitsui)
HAYASHIBARA Shoma (3rd year, School of Law) of the Cycling Club won the 39th All Japan Student Championship Individual Road Race Competition held in Kiso-gun, Nagano Prefecture on June 15 and 16.
As in previous years, the race was held on the Okukiso Lake lap course in Kiso-mura, Kiso-gun, Nagano Prefecture. HAYASHIBARA competed in the men's road race on the second day, running 17 laps of 9 km per lap plus 1 km for a total of 154 km. A total of 108 riders, including HAYASHIBARA, MURAKAMI Yujiro (4th year, School of Business Administration), NAGANO Shomi (3rd year, School of Science and Technology), SUZUKI Rei (2nd year, School of Political Science and Economics), NAKAGAWA Teita (2nd year, School of Law) and JIDANJI Hajime (1st year, School of Political Science and Economics) of Meiji University, competed in the race.
From the early stages of the race, the riders were engaged in fierce battles of attack (*1). HAYASHIBARA jumped out with competitors from other universities on the seventh lap in the middle of the race and continued to run away for more than 90 km. While the positions of riders from other universities were changing, he kept a steady pace throughout the race, winning the last battle of a steep slope before the goal and cutting the finishing line.
HAYASHIBARA won the All Japan Student Championship for the first time, marking the Club's historic first championship as well.
*1 Attack: In a road race, the act of attempting to jump out of the bunch, in which riders ride to avoid wind resistance, to lead alone or create a new top bunch.
Comment from HAYASHIBARA Shoma
Just before this competition, I had some time to think about my future career. This was the race that made me take a serious look at this sport again and feel the appeal and excellence of the sport. With this change in my mindset, I am amazed at the positive results I have achieved so early.
I had set the Japanese National Road Race Championships coming up on June 22 as my target race, so the top priority for this competition was to avoid falling off the bike. I took a strategy of running away to reduce risk and started off feeling relaxed.
At the beginning of the race, I watched the movements of the leading riders to assess the timing of the attack, and in the seventh lap, I managed to run away with three riders from Kyoto Sangyo University and Meisei University. I communicated with them and rode in concert to run away as long as possible. At the same time, my teammates took control of the bunch.
In the middle of the race, when the main bunch picked up the pace and the time gap narrowed, I was excited to see that my teammate Mr. MURAKAMI Yujiro came to bridge (*2) the gap alone. Although I had leg fatigue, I recovered with mineral supplementation and continued to maintain the time gap with the bunch with the help of other riders.
I was able to calmly deal with the situation when the riders from Hosei University, Gakushuin University, and Juntendo University tried to bridge the gap in the remaining laps. As for the last 1 km uphill after the lap course, I had simulated several patterns in advance. At the same time that the rider from Juntendo University tried to bridge the gap, I made sure that no other riders could follow and pushed the pedals as hard as I could. This strategy worked in the end, and I was able to win the championship. I feel that the coaching by Mr. YOSHII, an alum of the Cycling Club and an advisor to the Club, was a major factor in my being able to carry out the race in such a calm manner. I realized that my performance has improved this season.
Thanks for all the support and encouragement, I will continue to strive for even higher goals. I am aiming for further improvement by targeting the Japan Cup Cycle Road Race in the second half of the season, so please continue your support and encouragement.
*2 Bridge: To catch up with a rider or bunch in front of you by attacking from the bunch you are riding in.
In the attack battles, HAYASHIBARA kept a steady pace and managed to run away for 90 km
(photo: Itaru Mitsui)