Shinya Endo from Hirosaki University made his first appearance from Aomori Prefecture at the Grand Fondo World Championship held in Poland on September 1st.

The UCI (International Union of Cycling) official recognition is the world's best amateur cycling competition. There were participants from 43 countries, and more than 50 people from Japan participated. Mr. Endo won the 22nd place prize at the Niseko Classic held in Hokkaido and Niseko in July, and had won the right to participate.

Mr. Endo, currently a 4th year student at the School of Medicine. Born in Fukushima, graduated from Kitasato University School of Veterinary Medicine and worked as a member of society for three years. In 2016, he entered Hirosaki University in order to become a doctor.

I started biking at Kitasato University. Until then, it was a baseball club, but it was the opportunity to start getting a bicycle from a friend. "At that time, I only did cycling and touring. I entered Hirosaki University and tried to start cycling again, but there was only the competition section," he recalls.

I joined the bicycle competition department, but I started to practice in earnest from around 2017. A team called "Azur Shirakami" was created within the department, and it came to aim for business team competitions and amateur competitions. Mr. Endo reveals that “cycling is a competition only for students. I want to achieve everything I can do”.

I went to Poland between final exams. I took a medical examination until August 28th and moved to 29th. He participated in the competition on September 1st and returned to Japan on the 3rd. The next day, I took a test called CBT. "I was studying on an airplane," he said with a smile.

In the tournament, he completed 150 kilometers and the result was 127th out of 230. “The moment I avoided contact with the fallen player, I slowed down the speed, and the result was that I could not reduce the difference as it is. I think that I could have got a double-digit result if I did not slow down, but that is also good. I want to connect it to the tournament.”

Mr. Endo's practice is said to be carried out in the early morning run, which returns about 50 km from his home in Hirosaki city to Tsugaru Shirakami Lake Park in 1 hour and 30 minutes. “If you start at around 6:30 and come back at 8 o'clock, you can attend the class. This course has few traffic lights and good road conditions. It is an attractive course not only for practice but also as a World Natural Heritage Site. I think we can hold races that run in the Shirakami Mountains and famous competitions.”

Regarding his future goals, "I want to continue participating in world competitions while aiming for higher rankings in tournaments such as "Tour de Okinawa" and "Niseko Classic" while at school," says Endo. “Aomori, which already has one-third of my life, is rich in nature and is a good environment for enjoying bicycles. I hope it will help Aomori communicate through bicycles.”