About 1,300 people participated in the Tour de Tohoku 2024 on Sunday, cycling through coastal areas in northeastern Japan, including the city of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, that were hit by the March 2011 massive earthquake and tsunami.
The event is designed to support reconstruction efforts in the affected areas, and participants do not compete for time or rankings but aim to complete the race.
At the starting point, Ishinomaki Senshu University, participants observed a moment of silence for the victims of the disaster before setting off on their bikes.
Participants cycled in three courses of 65, 100, and 180 kilometers amid occasional rain while enjoying the scenery of the coast and mountains. At rest stops, some participants tasted local delicacies.
At the disaster site of Okawa Elementary School, where a total of 84 children and teachers were killed in the tsunami, some cyclists got off their bikes and quietly prayed with their hands together.
“The weather was unfortunate, but the scenery was great,” said Haruhisa Kawaragi, 65, a first-time participant from Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, who took on the 180-km course. “The ups and downs were fun. I want to participate again next year.”
A man in his 40s from Yokohama who has participated in the event several times since 2015 said, “There was nothing at first, but now the ocean view is completely different, with aquaculture.”
The Tour de Tohoku had been sponsored since 2013 by regional newspaper publisher Kahoku Shimpo Publishing and then Yahoo Japan until this year, when it was organized by Kahoku Shimpo and an organization set up to strengthen cooperation with local governments that co-sponsor the event.