I participated in Sado Long Ride 2023, which was held on May 21, 2023.
This article is “The previous day to the start of the day Part 1”.
The situation on the day of the event is ``Start - Niigata sightseeing edition”.
What is Sado Long Ride?
Sado long rideis a long bike ride event that takes place around Sado Island in Niigata, and is held every month around mid-May.
Long ride events are not races, so unlike Yowamushi Pedal, the goal is to finish the race, rather than competing for position or time.
The short course is 100km, going half way around the island, and the longest course is 210km, going around the island once, so it can be enjoyed by everyone from beginners to experts.
First time on the ferry
This time I will be participating alone.
I live in Tokyo, but my parents' house is in Niigata, so I'll be taking the Shinkansen to Niigata on Friday.
My parents paid for my accommodation and sent me the next day, so I treated myself to some famous sushi in Niigata City.
The next day, Saturday, I got up at 4 a.m., and my parents dropped me off at the Sado Kisen Terminal, where I arrived before 5 a.m.
Board the ferry departing at 6:00 and head to Sado Ryotsu Port.
There is also a jetfoil that takes about an hour to get there, but it takes about two and a half hours to get to Sado Ryotsu Port by ferry.
The passenger seats on the ferry are divided into suites, special, 1st class, and 2nd class.
2nd prize is cheap at about 3,000 yen, but it is a low-class seat with no fixed seat or space.
I booked a 1st class carpet seat for an additional 2,000 yen as I could easily predict that it would be crowded with Sado Long Ride participants.
Carpet seats have one mattress, a pillow, and a blanket where you can sleep.
It was early in the morning, so when I woke up, I had arrived at Sado.
Ryotsu Port - Sawada
It's been about 10 years since I came to Sado since I was a student.
Ferries (also jetfoils) arrive at Ryotsu Port, but Sawada, where the reception and starting point are located, is directly opposite.
The distance between Ryotsu and Sawada is approximately 15km with some ups and downs.So, it's not impossible to go there by yourself.
I'm going there the day before, so I have plenty of time and energy, so it's not a problem, but getting back is a problem.
On the way back, I will have to ride this distance even after the event ends, and if I am late for the ferry or jetfoil. . With this in mind, I made a reservation for the shuttle bus.
People ride buses normally, and bicycles are loaded onto trucks and delivered.
The shuttle bus fare is 3,000 yen for a round trip from Ryotsu to Sawada on Saturday, and from around Sawada to Ryotsu on Sunday or Monday.
You can't make a one-way reservation, and you can't just want to ride on the same day.
If you are worried, I think it would be a good idea to make a reservation.
It takes about 40 minutes to depart from Ryotsu and arrive at Sawada.
Arrival at Sawada - Reception
Assemble the bike, 10:30.
The famous conveyor belt sushi restaurant opens at 10:30.Benkei”.
There seemed to be quite a line if there were two or more people, but since I was just one person, I was guided through without having to line up.
There are several stores in Niigata city, and to be honest, there are also stores in Tokyo and the Kanto region.
Still, Sado's local products were delicious.
Especially “Nanban shrimp (sweet shrimp)” was delicious.
The store was quite crowded and it took quite a while for the food we ordered to be served.
After finishing the meal, we returned to the venue and completed the reception at 12:00.
The reception itself only took a few minutes, and pre-registration for baggage storage for the next day was completed at 12:15.
Hotel check-in starts at 15:00, so you have quite a bit of time.
There aren't that many at the reception venue, but there are food and drink booths and sale items such as clothing, so you can browse around a bit.
I killed some time by eating turban shell curry using the 500 yen discount coupon that I received at the reception, but it was only 1:30 p.m.
I decided to head to the hotel for now.
Arrival at hotel
The biggest problem for events like this is securing hotels and lodging.
Nearly 3,000 participants flock to the island all at once, and some people also just visit for sightseeing, so the hotels and inns are quite crowded.
In anticipation of crowds due to events, travel agencies reserve hotels and inns near the starting point, so you can only book hotels and inns located far away from the starting point through accommodation sites.
If possible, I would like to stay alone at a hotel or inn close to the starting point, but if you go through a travel agency, you will generally have to book a shared room if you are alone.
So this time, in a shared room with 6 people,HachimankanI will stay at ``.
https://hb.afl.rakuten.co.jp/hgc/1dbf8fad.4a5d8164.1dbf8fae.092c41c8/?pc=httpstravel.rakuten.co.jpHOTEL61966196.htmlcidtr_af_1632&link_type=hybrid_url&ut=eyJwYWdlIjoiaXRlbSIsInR5cGUiOiJoeWJyaWRfdXJsIiwic2l6ZSI6IjB4MCIsIm5hbSI6MSwibmFtcCI6InJpZ2h0IiwiY29tIjoxLCJjb21wIjoiZG93biIsInByaWNlIjowLCJib3IiOjEsImNvbCI6MSwiYmJ0biI6MSwicHJvZCI6MCwiYW1wIjpmYWxzZX0
It is located quite close to the starting point, about 3km, and is a high-class inn.
Is a road bike a banquet hall? I was able to put it in a place like this, and it was safe because it was stored indoors.
I arrived at the hotel before 14:00, but since check-in starts at 15:00, I decided to kill time by playing with my smartphone in the lobby.
Finally, it was 15:00 and we checked in.
I'm the first one to enter the room, and others come in one after another and say hello.
I'm relieved that everyone was so nice, even going to the convenience store to buy some things.
After shopping, I take a bath.
The slightly slippery hot springs were the best.
It's small, and self-rolling is prohibited, but the sauna, which uses sauna stones, was also attractive.
I was able to take a bath in the open air, and the sea breeze from Sado soothed me.
After the bath, we have dinner.
Grilled turban shell
Sashimi
Pickled sea bream bowl
I was able to fully enjoy Sado cuisine.
I'm feeling good about drinking, and since I have an early day tomorrow, I go to bed after 8pm.
I woke up around 11pm because of the snoring and movement of people who couldn't sleep.
Even though I took a bath in the hot springs, I didn't feel sleepy, and after that I had a hard time falling asleep, and it was around 2 o'clock when I finally managed to fall asleep.
However, some people start getting ready after 3 o'clock, so they are forced to wake up an hour later.
In the end, I only slept for about 4 hours (the first 3 hours + 1 hour), which made me feel a little restless.
For breakfast, a rice ball bento box is provided.
After breakfast, changing clothes, and getting ready, we checked out of the hotel around 4 o'clock and headed to the starting point.
Before the start
It was a 10 minute drive from the inn, and by 4:30 we had arrived at the meeting point before the start.
This time I will be participating in the 210km A course, which goes around the island.
The A course is divided into A1, A2, and A3 based on the self-reported target completion time.
Since it is a self-reporting system, you will choose one of A1 to A3 when you apply, and there is no penalty if you exceed the time limit.
To be honest, I applied for A3, but if I could start early, I would have more time to meet the time limit, so I should have thought about it a little more before deciding.
There was already a waiting line for A1 and A2 around 4:30, but the line for A3 started around 5:00, so I had to wait a little longer.
The distance from the meeting point to the starting point is about 1 km, but you will be asked to leave your bicycle and walk this distance.
I think it's unavoidable that so many people are standing in a vertical line, but the 1km distance is difficult to walk in cleats, and the number of cleats is reduced. .
The line continued to move forward and the race started around 6:00.
It's getting long, soFrom the day before to the start of the day'That's all.
Next time ``Start - Niigata sightseeing edition” at.
