It’s time for the Cycling Club’s first race!

(Spoilers in this review) 

The girls decide to listen to the principal’s suggestion and enter the race being held at the upcoming Kamakura Night Criterium (I guess it’s a school festival being held at their school). Everyone now has road racers besides Hiromi, who’s stuck with a mommy bike (…I kind of like mommy bikes because they have convenient baskets in the front…). However, the loli shop manager does Hiromi a solid and makes a road racer out of spare parts for Hiromi to borrow for the race. Cue montage where they all learn about and practicing riding bikes.

Once they arrive at the Kamakura Night Criterium, the girls get a bit nervous seeing all these tryhards stretching and testing their bikes. They also notice that a lot of their classmates are entering the race despite not knowing much about bikes before running into swim-club-senpai. The upperclass(wo)man tells them a bit of the festival, how the athletic clubs are all vying for members (but no one has an idea why girls in the cultural clubs are participating)  and then points out that everyone has their eyes on the Cycling Club.

After getting a breif run-down of the rules, the Cycling Club (who are to get a head-start in the Beginners race because they’re fresh(wo)men) feel a bit nervous. Shiki then gives them some advice on how to work together as a team, but we don’t get to hear her words.

During the actual race, Natsumi has a slow start (she had some issues with her cleats) and is left behind. Once she actually is ready to race, it’s time for the second-years to enter the race. Some rude girl knocks down Natsumi and Hiromi heads back to check on her. Fuyune and Tomoe follow suit and the girls start the race over together. I guess we’ll have to see if they can catch up next week, I guess.

Thoughts on this Episode:

• I wasn’t sure if the Cycling Club should put into the Beginners Race like that, but I guess they’re just beginning to bike seriously.
• It felt like this episode had so many moments that will be elaborated on in later episodes. Perhaps we’ll learn what Shiki-sensei had to say to the Cycling Club in regards to working together next week. Or perhaps she just said, “Stick together,” which would be a little lame. Why are girls from the cultural clubs (the kind of clubs that are more of the in-doors type and thus not that athletic) participating?
• We saw Hiromi’s mom this episode (she’s the nurse with glasses). I’m sorry to say this, but Ami’s mom beats her in the looks department hands that (I need to get on that Long Riders! series review today…)
• What’s the significance of the bear??? How the person wearing the bear costume see well enough to ride a bicycle???
• I would have been really happy if their first race experience was completed within a single episode, but that would have been made for a really rushed episode. Can’t say I’m unhappy about the show so far with its fair pacing.
• But now I’m left wondering if they’re actually going to win the race and prove that the Cycling Club has enough merit to stick around as an official club. The girls were concerned about this before the race, but their anxities kind of flew out the window once the race started, so this tension has been largely downplayed. But I guess it’s good that they value friendship more than results.