Now then, the ultra-long-distance cycling event “The Japanese Odyssey” (hereafter referred to as TJO), set in the familiar landscape of the Japanese archipelago, is well-known to us. After more than a year of silence, the announcement for its 2025 edition finally appeared on its official website last autumn. It also mentioned that the starting point would return to Hokkaido, where the journey began 10 years ago. Amazing!

The event began in 2015 with only six riders, all of whom were foreigners. As word of its craziness gradually spread, the number of participants grew to 21 in 2016 (still without any Japanese riders). For this year’s Global Ride, we are pleased to present a series of reports by photographer Eigo Shimojo, who captured the stories of each of the 12 participating riders. Through their diverse bike-packing styles, reasons for joining, and riding experiences, we hope you’ll feel the essence of this unique event.

Here’s to another great ride in 2025!

＊You can find the previous essay here.

The Master of German Packing Systems／CARLOS FERNANDEZ LASER （Germany）

In the 2016 Japanese Odyssey, there were several riders participating on bikes from Pelago Bicycles, a rising Finnish bicycle manufacturer, thanks to the event’s partnership with the brand.

Carlos, stylish with his monochrome original jersey, an impressive beard and long hair, and a bandana wrapped around his head, was one of the Pelago riders and part of the filming crew. As a photographer supported by the renowned Leica company, he joined from Germany. His bike-packing system was, unsurprisingly, also German-made. Equipped with fully waterproof panniers from the globally trusted Ortlieb company, his bike carried over 20 kg of gear, including his photography equipment, making it a true heavyweight.

In 2016, the event was struck by a massive typhoon. Carlos struggled at the checkpoint at Norikura amidst the storm but managed to keep his expensive equipment safe from the heavy rain, thanks to Ortlieb’s reliability. One might think he had a strong passion for this kind of adventure, but surprisingly, Carlos revealed that he was originally a pure BMX rider and had never even considered riding a road bike before.

Despite the tough conditions of the 2016 event, he impressed everyone with his strong physical endurance, covering nearly 200 km daily. Unfortunately, with two checkpoints remaining, a mechanical failure caused his derailleur to break, forcing him to withdraw from the race. However, on the final day, he was seen celebrating with his fellow riders at the goal in Dotonbori, Osaka—a sight that, combined with his unique appearance, left a divine impression.

After two weeks of riding a bike completely different from his usual BMX, Carlos reflected on his first ultra-distance race, saying, “I feel like my body has completely transformed into something else.” Upon returning to Berlin, he held a photo exhibition featuring pictures taken during the Japanese Odyssey, energetically sharing his experiences, which were well-received.

Tartaruga’s Ultimate Finisher／DAVID BONNITCHA（Australia/Japan）

David, a regular at TJO who has participated consecutively since the 2016 event, is an Australian originally from Tasmania and currently residing in Kyoto. With his highly original equipment and travel plans, he garners attention every time. Remarkably, during his first participation in 2016, he was the only one to ride a small-wheeled bicycle. His striking entrance with an unconventional small-wheeled bike into the scene of ultra-distance cycling, which was still in its early stages, left a vivid impression on me, who was covering TJO for the first time. Unconcerned with trends in ultra-distance cycling, which were heading toward maturity, he was undoubtedly the coolest person at Nihonbashi that day.

When you take a closer look at his bike, it’s quite a special machine. It’s an ambitious model from Tartaruga, a niche Japanese manufacturer of small-wheeled bikes, with 20-inch (rim diameter 451) wheels and, surprisingly, full suspension despite being a small-wheeled bike! On top of that, it’s packed with carefully selected camping gear without a single flaw in organization. His ingenious packing techniques are the result of accumulated experience honed over time. A pure bike camper, David spends most of his journeys camping with tents or hammocks and cooking his own meals. By the final day, he had cleared all 11 designated checkpoints and was close to finishing, but unfortunately, he ran out of time. Personally, I silently recognized him as a finisher in my heart, admiring his style and spirit. Out of the 21 participants in 2016, I believe he was the most hardcore and eccentric cyclist. Since then, he has continued to participate as a beloved regular of TJO, and his bike setup is uniquely eccentric every time.

In 2016, my inexperience in reporting and the instability of GPS data made it difficult to track his dot, and I couldn’t capture a single shot of him in action after the Nihonbashi start. That failure has become a lifelong regret for me. Since then, I’ve considered it my duty to atone for this by catching him during the journey. However, capturing him, who vanishes like a ninja, is no easy task. It’s truly a game of “Catch me if you can.”

The Designer Equipped with Elegance／PASCAL VIOUT （France/Japan）

Raised amidst the rich natural beauty of Provence in southern France, Pascal moved to Paris to establish himself as a graphic designer while nurturing a deep admiration for Japan. He eventually fulfilled his dream of coming to Japan. Now, after ten years, he lives in Tokyo, thriving as a popular graphic designer. Like the event organizers Emmanuel and Guillaume, Pascal maintains a balance between being French and being a cyclist, with his unwavering passion for bicycles remaining intact. His keen awareness led him to discover ultra-distance cycling early, and after participating in the Transcontinental Race, he naturally couldn’t miss TJO (Trans Japan Alps Race), Japan’s first ultra-race, in 2016 in the country he had chosen to call home. Since then, he has been a regular participant of TJO and one of my key photography targets.

As a designer, Pascal’s sense of aesthetics is unavoidably reflected in his gear every time.
In his first year of participation, 2016, he opted for a stainless steel frame from RITTE, an emerging brand from the West Coast of North America, paired with SRAM components, embracing cutting-edge trends of the time. His bikepacking bags were uniformly from Apidura, with a minimalist and smart packing style that brought the total weight to around 11 kg. Now a globally standardized staple, Apidura was just beginning to dominate as a specialist bikepacking manufacturer at that time.
The gear ratio was a compact 50/34 in the front and a maximum of 28 in the rear. By today’s ultra-distance standards, this gear ratio may seem small, but it was a common climbing setup back then—although quite a challenging choice for ultra-distance cycling.
When asked why he didn’t use the now-standard DH (aerobar) setup, which allows upper body rest during long endurance rides, he simply said, “They’re heavy, and I don’t like the style.” For him, it wasn’t about functionality—it was about aesthetic restraint. Style matters.
Pascal has completed all tasks and finished every time he participated in TJO, including his first year in 2016.

Waiting for him at the deserted goal in Nihonbashi was a beautiful woman—his wife. Their reunion at the finish line was a scene that could have been mistaken for Pont Neuf in Paris! Today, they have a lovely daughter.

I am looking forward to Pascal’s next participation, who has become a loving father in his beloved Japan.

Text & Photo by Eigo Shimojo

Next time, we will introduce three more crazy rider, too. Stay tuned!

Overview of the 2016 TJO:
Theme: Japan’s Top 100 Mountains (Mt. Haruna, Mt. Norikura, Mt. Tsurugi, Tengu Highlands, Mt. Sasayama)
Route Overview: Nihonbashi/Tokyo → Gunma Prefecture → Nagano Prefecture → Nara Prefecture, Mie Prefecture → Sanin Region → Tokushima Prefecture, Ehime Prefecture, Kochi Prefecture → Dotonbori/Osaka
Distance: Approximately 2,400 km
Total Elevation Gain: Approximately 3,500 km

🚴‍♂️The Japanese Odyssey Report Series
Second series
#01 Before Dawn
#02 The wave has arrived.
#03 “Be prepared”
#04 Moving Dots in Motion
#05 CARLOS / DAVID / PASCAL

First series
#01 Into the World of Ultra-Distance
#02 2015, aiming for July 18th.
#03 Toward The First Year of My “The Japanese Odyssey”
#04 A crazy setup.
#05 The mastermind behind the “mystery”
#06 “Japan favoritism” or “Bias towards Japan”

🚴‍♂️The Japanese Odyssey Official Website
https://www.japanese-odyssey.com/

Profile

Eigo Shimojo
Born in Nagano Prefecture in 1974
Belongs to IPU Japan Photographers Union
He became independent in 2000 as a freelancer and established Greenhouse Studio, which handles a wide range of photography and video production.
His life’s work is pursuing underground HIPHOP and bicycle culture around the world.

Post Date：2025.01.10