Rapha Prestige Team IMEZI A team race report

Event Name and Date: Rapha Prestige Sanjo

WEATHER & COURSE CONDITION

☆Weather: perfect Niigata spring weather

☆Course condition: 120km, 2,500m up, 30% gravel

The usual weekend group ride for Team Imezi!

ROSTER & EQUIPMENT

#1 Team IMEZI A Racer’s name signed up from left to right:
1. Face, the charmer (Ito)
2. Hannibal, the leader (TNG)
3. Murdock, the joker (Andy)
4. BA Baracus, the strong man (Tzaki)

☆How do you feel before the race?

A stressful week doing paperwork. Late nights. Skipped meals. Beer. Sake. Worst condition since Shiori Hillclimb when my first son was born 13 years ago!?!?

☆Equipment used by #1 IMEZI Racer
※bike: Vitus Substance Aluminum gravel bike
※gearing: Sram Apex gearing and hydraulic disc breaks, Sensah rear derailleur with SRAM pulleys, Shimano GRX 40T chain ring, 11/42 cassette
※wheels: IMEZI GRV167
※tires: IRC BOKEN DOUBLECROSS 42mm
※tire pressure: 1.6bar front, 1.8bar rear

☆Lap times:
120km, 2,500m elevation, 5h20

☆Result: Team competition 1st finisher!

 

430am. We are at Hayakawa enterprises. The sponsor of my 1,500,000 yen TREK Speed Concept TT bike.

But where is Hannibal? Here he comes. He’s painted the A TEAM van white?!?!

Ride to the start. BA Baracus hasn’t ridden gravel for a while.  He’s carrying a parachute!

Pre race coffee is always good!

IMEZI Teams A and B at the start line. 3,2,1 GO!

Quick into the gravel!

Hannibal flexes his muscles for the cameras!

The first few climbs. The pace of Hannibal and BA is killing me.

We pass all the other teams on the course.

“Can I join you!? These guys are killing me!”

 

Internal fighting. BA and Hannibal attack Face and Murdock!

Ride the gravel bike like the TT bike.

Murdock is first to CP1.

“I am No.1, you are No.4!”

Great Niigata scenery. Even Hannibal stops sometimes!

 

The advantage of being a  home team is you know where the water is at.

The last gravel of the day.

First riders to reach the goal! The Imezi A team!

The B Team arrives soon afterwards. A great performance by all!

Hannibal, “I LOVE IT WHEN A PLAN COMES TOGETHER!”

3rd race in 3 weeks next week.

GRV TROPHY Stage 1, Hakuba Gravelfest.

To the max!