This event was the 10th annual BikeNavi Grand Prix 2018 (aka Tour de Moricoro), which is held at the Moricoro Park cycling course, which is a 5km circuit closed off to cars and walkers, making it a great place to ride (and race) road bikes!

Here’s some more information about the event for those interested.
http://www.bikenavi.net/08Moricoro2018/02.html

They hold road races on this course every few months, though they are sometimes done through different race promoters.

Here’s a video of a full lap of the course at race speed in the top group.

Also, a big thanks again to Zac from BMC Japan for lending me this great bike (SLR 01) to use for the event since my main road bike was still in the shop.

Today’s ride on STRAVA
https://www.strava.com/activities/1983359293

The awards ceremony after the race was also a lot of fun, and we got to have our cheerleader podium girl debut.

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今日はモリコロパークのサイクリングコースを紹介したいと思います！

This park is an amazing cycling facility nearby our home in Nagakute, Aichi Prefecture Japan, which is just east of Nagoya.

愛知県の長久手市にあります。私たちの自宅からほぼ５キロだけでよくここに遊びに来ます！

The Morikoro Park cycling course is open only to bicycles, and completely closed off to all other pedestrians. It is a very wide path with lots of space for safe cycling, and the course is about 5.1 km in length.

There are distance markers along the course, as well as rest areas and even restrooms, along with many other park attractions that you can stop at. Eventually, this park is also going to turn into a Ghibli theme park of sorts..

One extra thing to be aware of on this course is that you must stop and get off of your bike after each lap and walk back over to the start if you want to do another lap.

More information about the Morikoro Park Cycling Path Usage

This course is free to use if you bring your own bike. There are also lockers that you can use for free to store your valuables.

You can also rent bikes (kids or adult size) for 100 yen ($1) per lap.

You must wear a helmet on the course, and sandals must have an ankle strap.

Once you arrive, make sure to sign your name on the sign in sheet, and write the number of laps you completed next to your name once you finish so they know you are no longer on the course.

Access to Morikoro Park

Most people go by driving over with their bike, or riding over, but there is also a train stop right at the entrance on the LINIMO train line which connects at Fujigaoka (the end of the Higashiyama line).

The post Morikoro Park Cycling Course モリコロパーク サイクリングコース appeared first on Two Wheel Cruise.

I actually bought her these shoes a couple months ago, but we were lacking cleats for her to use, and then she had to go back to Vietnam for a few weeks. After arriving back in Japan, we had some rides already planned, and didn’t want to risk learning on the main roads, so we decided to wait..

Diadora X Trivex Plus II Womens cycling shoes

We also ordered her some new Shimano SPD pedals, which came with some new cleats.

For her first attempt at using the new cycling shoes and SPD pedals, we went to Morikoro Park’s Cycling Course.

This cycling course is a closed off 5km course that is specific for cycling only. This means that we are safe from cars, making this a perfect place to practice out using the new cycling shoes and SPD pedals.

Trying the new shoes on!

Time to try them on!

She actually rode over with her regular shoes, so this was her first time every trying out the new cycling shoes with her new pedals.

Attempting to Clip In

As with any beginner to new cycling shoes, the first time clipping in can be the biggest hurdle. We spent a few minutes fumbling around trying to get her clipped in, and for a while things were looking hopeless..

But after a while, she finally was able to clip in!

I taught her the strategy of holding only a pole/wall and sitting down while clipping in. After a bit of practice, she started to get the hang of it!

Starting to Ride

Now comes the easy part, just pedal!

She instantly felt a big difference and was telling me how light the pedals felt now. She couldn’t believe how big of a difference it made.

After finishing our lap of the 5km course, she was able to clip out (just twist) and stop safely!

For good measure, she practiced clipping in again and we did another lap, but faster this time. She beat her goal of 10 minutes on the course, and was feeling pretty exhausted, but proud and confident with using her new shoes and clipping into the SPD pedals.

All in all, it was a great success and hopefully these new cycling shoes will help take her/us to many new awesome places going forward. See you in the next cycling VLOG!

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