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Imaizumi vs onoda

The race course as described by Shunsuke.

This unofficial race was held in the storyline's first year and happen when Shunsuke Imaizumi challenged Sakamichi Onoda to a race after being intrigued by his climbing. Picking up one of anime club flyers Sakamichi dropped in a panic, Shunsuke is able to convince him to participate by offering to become a member of the anime club if Sakamichi wins. Sakamichi vehemently agrees to a race in four days (as his bike chain broke after his last trip to Akihabara and should be repaired by then), and Shunsuke keeps the anime club flyer that Sakamichi dropped. After class, Shunsuke accidentally drops the flyer in the hallway after speaking with Miki Kanzaki, who learns about his challenge after a quick interrogation and explaining that she knows Sakamichi. Although he tells her to keep the race a secret, on the day of the race he's annoyed to find that she invited some of his fangirls to act as spectators. This makes Sakamichi nervous, but Miki tells him that if he can win against Shunsuke on his utility bike, it will be cool. This along with Sakamichi's desire to rebuild the anime club makes him solidify his desire to win.

Shunsuke elects to give Sakamichi a 15 minute handicap, meaning that he will not start the race until 15 minutes after Sakamichi has started. He mounts a cyclocomputer, a speed meter and timer that tells you how fast you're going, to Sakamichi's handlebar so he can keep track of things. Sakamichi was surprised when some girls he passed said he was "fast," and when he rode on par with a motor scooter. He had never considered his own speed and was, therefore, amazed to see that he was biking past 27km/h and climbing to 30. Sakamichi completed the first 3km of the race in about 10 minutes, reaching the base of the back-gate hill. Sakamichi thinks that Shunsuke must have miscalculated, but it is revealed that Shunsuke actually expected Sakamichi to reach the hill in that amount of time, and he planned it out so Sakamichi would be properly warmed up to take on the hill. When 15 minutes finally pass and Shunsuke takes off, he accelerates to speeds upwards of 40 km/h, passing the scooter Sakamichi was on par with earlier. Shunsuke even reaches 52km/h, passing a car in the process. After about 8 minutes, Shunsuke catches up to Sakamichi on the slope and then passes him.

Miki, her friend Aya Tachibana, and the students invited to cheer piled in a taxi to follow along behind the race. They catch up to Sakamichi, who has stopped after being passed by Shunsuke. Miki adjusts the saddle position of Sakamichi's bike and encourages him to catch up. At first, Sakamichi was surprised at the higher saddle position, but Miki told him that it was his ideal setting. It turns out that Sakamichi had not adjusted the saddle since receiving the bike in fourth grade. When he takes off at a speed that shocks Aya, Miki notes that it is said that an incorrect saddle position can decrease a cyclist's efficiency by as much as 60%. With renewed determination, Sakamichi sets out to catch up to Shunsuke.

It turns out that Shunsuke is expecting Sakamichi to catch up to him again, as he has taken notice of Sakamichi's abnormally high cadence. Shunsuke makes a reference to Lance Armstrong's impressive 130 rpm as an example of high-cadence cycling. Though Shunsuke looks down on Sakamichi as someone with no experience in cycling, he wants to use this race to test how far he can get with only his raw talent. When Sakamichi catches up, Shunsuke points out that the normal cadence for a utility bike like Sakamichi's is around 60-70 rpm, which is then reduced to 30-40 rpm on a slope. However, Sakamichi is climbing with a 70 rpm cadence, so Shunsuke expects him to be too worn out to keep up. Despite this, he says that Sakamichi managed to exceed his expectations. Unexpectedly, Sakamichi is still smiling and talking about how fun cycling is. When the van catches up to the two racers, Aya is shocked about Sakamichi catching up. However, Miki tells her and the other girls that Shunsuke was probably waiting for Sakamichi to catch up. She follows that statement with the observation that now, Shunsuke is racing to win. Shunsuke and Miki both notice another thing holding Sakamichi back; he has a limiter on his bicycle, a smaller front gear that makes riding more difficult. Despite that limitation, Sakamichi has been making his 90km round-trips to Akihabara for years, and is managing to stick to Shunsuke pretty well. Shunsuke is forced to use his dancing technique to pull ahead of Sakamichi. Sakamichi is seized by a fervent desire to catch up to Shunsuke, so he speeds up as well.

Shunsuke admits that he underestimated Sakamichi and that, even though Sakamichi is a complete amateur, he definitely has natural skills when it comes to cycling. He plans to pull ahead more, but his tire catches a gap between the gutter covers near the top and loses speed. Sakamichi is able to catch up in that moment, giving Shunsuke a run for his money and prompting him to ask Sakamichi why he is trying so hard. Sakamichi responds that he just wants to rebuild the anime club and then delivers a line with great impact: "because I don't have any friends!" Unknown to them, a trio of third-years just happen to be where they can observe them, taking interest in both riders.

Imaizumi's words of wisdom

Shunsuke advises Sakamichi.

In the end, Shunsuke beats Sakamichi, so he does not join the anime club as Sakamichi hoped. However, he does seem to have a new-found respect for Sakamichi, and contemplates Sakamichi's loneliness that night as he trains at home. The next day when Sakamichi tries to return the cyclocomputer, he states it's a cheap model anyway so Sakamichi can keep it. He suggests that Sakamichi make use of his natural ability and join the school's bicycle racing club, which he will be doing himself next week. While thankful for the compliment, Sakamichi is reluctant as it is a sports club; Shunsuke continues that he won't force him. The sport can be expensive and one can get injured, but Sakamichi should make the decision for himself, as no one can make him ride if he has no reason to, and to walk his own path. As he leaves he mentions that as many from his middle school are attending Sohoku, he tried talking to some who he felt might be interested in the anime club, and wishes Sakamichi good luck with it. Afterwards, Sakamichi's opinion of Shunsuke changes for the better, and he considers him a "nice person."

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