Rapha Prestige Kumano

The attraction of Rapha Prestige
ラファプレステージの魅力

On September 30, 2023, I participated in the ``Rapha Prestige Kumano'' event, which started and ended in Kushimoto Town, Wakayama Prefecture, the southernmost town on Honshu.
2023 年9月30日、本州最南端の町、和歌山県串本町をスタート・ゴール地点として開かれた「ラファプレステージ熊野」に参加してきた。

The Rapha Prestige is an event in which teams of four to five people ride together in some of the most enchanting places around the world for cycling. The route is not easy at all, approximately 150km long and has an elevation gain of approximately 3,000m, including many gravel sections.
ラファプレステージは、世界各地に点在する、自転車で走るのに最高の魅惑の地を舞台に、４〜5人のチームを組んで走るイベントだ。約150km、獲得標高約3000mのルートは、多くはグラベル区間を含み、決してラクではない。

However, the courses created by cyclists who are familiar with the region are full of beautiful scenery unique to the region, exciting roads that will make you feel the joy of riding a bicycle. I participated as many times as I could, even though I knew it was outrageous.
けれど、地域に精通したサイクリストがつくるコースは、その地域ならではの美しい景色や、土地に馴染んだ人でなければ知り得ない魅惑的な道、自転車で走る幸せを改めて感じるような躍動に満ちあふれている。だから、キツいのを承知で、何度でも参加したくなるのだ。

Start at sunrise
朝焼けの中スタート

48 teams participated in this year's "Rapha Prestige Kumano". It starts at 5 a.m. with Hashikui Rock, which is designated as a national natural monument, in the background.
今回の「ラファプレステージ熊野」は48チームが参加。国の天然記念物にも指定されている「橋杭岩」を背に、朝５時から順番にスタート。

After riding on a flat road by the sea, we entered a mountain road and went up a long climb. Even though it was the last day of September, it was still very hot, so when we found a vending machine on the mountain road, stopped to cool down with a cold drink.
海辺の平坦少し走った後は山道に入り、長い上りを上っていく。9月の最終日だというのにまだまだに暑くて、山道の途中で自販機を見つけると立ち止まり、冷たいドリンクで体を冷やした。

Through the gaps in the trees, we could see the clear water of the river flowing beside us. This time there were only paved roads and no gravel sections, but there were many large falling rocks and bumps, making it nerve-wracking.
Sunbeams filtering through the trees, moss, a mountain path with exposed rock surfaces, and the ocean beyond...
Kumano's bright, wild, and powerfully beautiful landscape has a divine quality that is unlike any other place
木々の隙間から、横を流れる澄んだ川の水が見える。今回は舗装路のみでグラベル区間はなかったが、大きな落石やデコボコが多く、神経を使う。
木漏れ日、苔、岩肌をあらわにした山道、向こうに見える海…。
明るく、荒々しく、力強い美しさをたたえた熊野の風景は、ほかのどの場所とも違う、神々しさがある。

When we arrived at the first checkpoint a little before the 40km mark, I still had enough energy.
Chat with the teams that arrived first and those that came later, and take commemorative photos. I ate the supplementary food I brought with me, took a breather, and set out again.
40km地点少し手前の第１チェックポイントに着いたときは、まだ余裕があった。
先に着いているチームや、あとから来たチームと、おしゃべりをしたり、記念撮影をしたり。手持ちの補給食を食べ、呼吸を整えて、再出発。

Long steep hill section　
長い激坂区間

As I was slowly descending, a wall-like slope suddenly appeared in front of me. Hoping it was just an optical illusion, I built up some momentum and started climbing, but soon the pedals became heavier. It's not an illusion, it's a real steep hill. “What’s this?” I and my teammates asked, sharing wry smiles.
ゆるく下りながら、突然目の前に壁のような坂が現れた。目の錯覚であることを願って、勢いをつけて下り、そのまま上りにさしかかったが、すぐにペダルがずしりと重くなる。錯覚ではなく、本物の激坂だ。「なにこれ？」と、チームメイトと思わず苦笑する。

From there, the toughest climb on this route began. Up until there, we had been running along a forest road in the shade of trees, but there the area around us has opened up and rice terraces have appeared. The sun hits me directly, and the double punch of the steep slope and heat hits my body.
そこから、今回のルートでいちばんのキツい上りが始まった。これまでずっと林道の木陰を走っていたのが、周囲が開けて、棚田が現れた。日が直に当たって、激坂と暑さのダブルパンチが体にこたえる。

Turn the heavy pedal slowly. The linen bandana I wore around my neck, a trademark of the team, was heavy with sweat.
We went into the shade of the trees agin, but the slope was so steep that I could only move slowly. "Hi, Chie-san!" some friends from another team called out to me as they passed me by. I had no choice but to proceed at my own pace. My teammates were running a little ahead of me.
重いペダルを、ゆっくりと回す。チームのトレードマークとして首に巻いていた麻のバンダナが、汗を含んでずしりと重い。
再び木陰に入ったが、斜度があってゆっくりとしか進めない。「あ、ちえさん」と、別のチームの知り合いが何人か、声をかけつつ抜いていく。マイペースで進むしかない。チームメイトは、少し前を走っている。

The second checkpoint has reached the final stage of the strategy. I was exhausted, but if we went a little further we would reach the town of Nachi Taisha, so we just got a stamp and set out again.
どうにかこうにか、上りきったところが第２チェックポイント。ヘロヘロになっていたが、もう少し行けば那智大社の町があるので、ここではスタンプだけもらってすぐに再出発。

To Nachi Falls　
那智の滝へ

As we descended, we suddenly stopped in our tracks as we suddenly saw the mountain road, the ocean, and the horizon. We stopped for a while and looked at the scenery, I saw the team that had passed us earlier running on the other side of the road. This is the sight of Rapha Prestige.
下りながら、向こうの山の道と、海と、地平線がパッと開けて見え、思わず足を止める。しばらく立ち止まって景色を見ていると、向こうの道に、さっき私たちを抜いていったチームが走っているのが見えた。これぞラファプレステージ、という光景だ。

Enter the udon restaurant a little beyond the “Nachisan Tourist Center”. I ordered udon with “mehari sushi”. Until that time, I'd been relying on the supplementary food I had on hand, but I was glad to be able to eat something warm. I sweated a lot, so I drank all the soup. I felt it was so delicious the salty taste of Mehari sushi.
那智山観光センターの少し先にあるうどん屋さんに入る。めはり寿司つきのうどんを注文。これまでは手持ちの補給食でつないでいたけれど、温かいものを食べられてうれしい。たくさん汗をかいたから、汁まで飲み干す。めはり寿司の塩気がありがたい。

As soon as we finished eating, we set off again. We could see “Nachi Falls” ahead of our line of sight.
I couldn't get rid of the fatigue. Descend, climb back up a shorter pass, and descend carefully and slowly down a narrow path strewn with large falling rocks and tree branches. I was starting to feel sleepy and was having a hard time concentrating. I felt quite tired.
食べ終わるとすぐに再出発。視線の先に那智の滝が見える。
疲れが抜けなかった。下って、さっきよりは短い峠をまた登り、大きな落石や木の枝が散らばる細い道を注意深く、ゆっくり下る。眠気が襲ってきて、集中力を欠いていた。だいぶ疲れているなと思った。

Although we were running out of time, I was relieved when we decided to take a break at “Roadside Station Taiji” in Taiji, a town known for its whales. I returned with soft serve ice cream and iced coffee. Many teams had lunch there.
時間は押し気味だったが、くじらの町として知られる太地町にある「道の駅たいじ」で休憩しようということになり、ホッとする。ソフトクリームとアイスコーヒーをいただいて復活。ここでランチというチームも多かった。

A sudden steep slope, rain and the goal　
不意打ちの激坂、雨、そしてゴール

We arrived at the third checkpoint just before 3:00 p.m., which was the closing time. Just barely.
The remaining distance was approximately 35km. It was starting to rain. Everyone let their guard down and rode, thinking there would be no more big passes, but at the very end, a steep hill appeared.
第３チェックポイントについたのは、閉門時間の15時少し前。ギリギリだ。
残りは約35km。ポツポツと雨が降り始めていた。もう大きな峠はないはずと思ってだれもが油断して走っていたが、最後の最後で激坂が現れた。

A unique landscape that looks like a steep rock. After rounding a curve, I was surprised to see an even steeper slope. It felt like a punishment game to my body, which had already let its guard down. The rain was coming in heavy drops.
岩が切り立ったような、独特の風景。カーブを曲がったら、さらに斜度のある坂が続いて愕然とする。すでに油断してしまった体には、罰ゲームのように感じる。雨は大粒になっていた。

We descended carefully and slowly on the mossy rainy road. We went slowly along the grassy road, and although we had a little time to go, we were hungry and needed to replenish. There was also a team repairing punctures.
苔むした雨の下りは、慎重に、ゆっくりと下る。草だらけの道をクネクネと行き、あと少しだけれど、お腹が空いて補給。パンクの修理をしているチームもいた。

After climbing a small hill, the view opened up and we could see the ocean. We couldn't help but smile
Cross the traffic light, returned to the coastal road, and reached the goal.
It was 15 minutes past the 5pm time limit.
小さな坂を登ったら、視界が開けて海が見えた。思わず笑顔がこぼれる。
信号を渡って海沿いの道に戻り、ゴール。
制限時間の17時を15分回っていた。

Our team, “Kumano Tankentai” Team (Kuma-tan for short, meaning ”little bear”) started 20th, in the morning glow at 5:39, just as the sun was rising. Sunrise, sea, and Hashikui Rock in the background. The course director is photographer Kei Tsuji.
私たちのチーム「熊野探検隊（略してクマたん）」は20番目、ちょうど日が昇る５時39分、朝焼けの中をスタートした。朝焼けと海、橋杭岩をバックに。 コースディレクターはフォトグラファーの辻啓さん。 photo by @keitsuji

The path continues along with sunlight filtering through the leaves, moss, and a river with clear water flowing below. The beautiful, bright, and even wild landscape has a strength and divinity that cannot be found anywhere else.
木漏れ日と苔、下には澄んだ水が流れる川が見える道が続く。
美しく、明るく、荒々しくさえある風景は、他の場所にはない、力強さと神々しさがある。

At CP1, @cycle_masaoka and @high_m.a.t from team "TOKYO DOUNUTS". In keeping with the team's name, they attached a knitted donut mascot made of wool to their bicycles, and handed out mini donuts to everyone they met. Prestige is also unique in that you can enjoy different concepts for each team.
CP１にて、チーム「TOKYO DOUNUTS」の@cycle_masaokaさんと@high_m.a.tさん。 チーム名にちなんで、毛糸で編んだドーナッツのマスコットを自転車につけ、会った人にはミニドーナッツを配っていた。チームごとにさまざまなコンセプトで楽しむのもプレステージならでは。

The slope that looked like a wall was no optical illusion. This is where it got tough.
壁のように見えた坂は、目の錯覚ではなかった。ここからがキツかった。
photo by @keitsuji

Rice terraces in Kosaka with stone walls piled up.
石垣が積まれた小坂の棚田。

The mountain road, town, and horizon visible beyond.
向こうに見える山道、町、そして地平線。

I was taken aback by the slope at the end, which seemed like a no-go.
The course couldn’t forgive us so easily.
The elevation gain for the entire course was about 2500m, but I felt even more tired.
最後のダメ押しのような坂に愕然。あっさりゆるしてはもらえない。
コース全体の獲得標高は2500mほどだったが、それ以上に疲れを感じた。
photo by @keitsuji

From the left: Yogi bear @integrale16v, who became unwell after eating too much just before CP3 (he recovered by taking stomach medicine), Chie @k.farmer.chie, who is not good at going up, @higashi.asuka looks cool on the way up, but has a grim expression on her face on the way down,  @hxsx_ryxhxx even though he had extra power until then, 5km before the finish line, he suddenly had a hanger knock and couldn't go over 20km/h.
左から、CP３直前に食べ過ぎで体調不良に陥ったYogi bear @integrale16v （太田胃酸を飲んで復活）、
上りが苦手なChie @k.farmer.chie 、上りでは涼しい顔、下りになると険しい表情になる@higashi_asuk、誰よりも余裕だったのに、ゴール５km前で突然ハンガーノックになり時速20km以上出なくなった＠hxsx_ryxhxx
Events like that become fond memories later on.　Although the time limit of 17:00 passed, there were no injuries or equipment problems and they made it to the finish line.
そんなデコボコ具合も楽しい思い出。
制限時間の17時は過ぎたものの、ケガも機材トラブルもなく無事ゴール。

A group photo at the afterparty held that night. The real thrill of the Rapha Stage is the interaction between cyclists from all over the country.
当日夜に行われたアフターバーティでの集合写真。全国から集まるサイクリスト同士の交流も、ラファステージの醍醐味。
photo by @keitsuji