September 21, 2010 by Az

Tour De Hokkaido – Hokkaido’s biggest cycling event.

In the past couple of weeks Niseko has gone a little cycle crazy. There’s been people on bikes everywhere! The climax to the week was certainly this weekend with the Tour De Hokkaido using Hiafu as it’s start and finish point.

The pro teams rolled into town with shiny bikes stacked on top of even shinier Subaru’s. Hirafu was a hive of activity as the event started and finished in the main st of Hirafu. The clincher was certainly the race for the finish line up the main st. After over 4 hours out on the road racing, these guys had to dig deep to sprint for the finish line up what is a notoriously steep road! It’s a tough walk – let alone sprint on a bike.

The MTB course was in full swing and there seemed to be a biking activity wherever you looked. Groove Cycles was all out of rentals as people grabbed bikes wherever they could to get involved!It was a great weekend with perfect weather and plenty of activity, biking and bbq’s!!