If you were expecting the race to be finished within this episode, then you’re going to be sorely mistakened.

(Spoilers in this review) 

Slow and steady might win the race, but the pacing for this show is seriously sluggish and might prove discourging for viewers.

Anyways, this episode really was all about creating trains (when riders ride behind other riders in order to fight against wind resistance). Apparently this is what Shiki-sensei had in mind when she told the girls to use teamwork!

Unfortunately for the Cycling Club, Korone told some of the third years about this strategy (since they bought food from her stall). Even our favorite Swimming Club Senpai and her henchman knew about this technique! As a result, everyone was making use of trains and of each other.

Towards the end of the episode, Mr. Bear from the Cosplay Club is really far ahead as first place while the Cycling Club and the Rocket Club are in (lukewarm) pursuit. Meanwhile Swimming Club Senpai and her minion are being chased by the third-years, who are making SCS and co. fight the wind so they recover their strength.

In order to catch up to Mr. Bear while preventing the third-years from overtaking them, the first-years decide to do a self-destructive gambit (to guarantee that at least one of them has a chance at victory. They’ll start pedaling with all that they got in order to create a train. Girls who run out of steam pull away from the group, similiar to how unneeded boosters on a rocket are discarded. The goal is to get either Hiromi or Natsumi to finish first!

Every girl in the Cycling Club pulled her weight in this episode…aside from Hiromi, our useless main character. Natsumi fought against the wind and was the head of the train for most of the race despite nursing an injured shoulder (that rude second-year should really apologize later). Tomoe came up with the rocket plan. Fuyune helped the Rocket Club memorize the quickest path by copying Natsumi’s movements. I guess Hiromi has to win the race so she’s not a deadweight!

Thoughts on this episode:

• How the heck is Mr. Bear so far ahead of everyone else? The person in the costume can’t even grip the handlebars properly! I’m almost positive her stamnia is going to give out at the end, allowing Natsumi to win. I’m also pretty sure she’s the blonde girl in the OP. We shall see?
• I really dig the announcer’s hairstyle. It is perfection.
• The Rocket Club girls are pretty nice girls to cooperate with the Cycling Club. I guess they would rather have a fellow first-year win instead of a person in a sketchy Mr. Bear costume, a second-year, or a third-year.
• We learned how to do maintenance checks before riding bikes during the live-action segment. I only included that picture because it looks like the bike is coming out of the guy’s crotch.
• All in all, the show is not really alleviating the concerns I had with the first six episodes. It remains very slow-paced and uneventful. At least the girls in the Clycing Club demonstrated their strengths in this episode.