Ashima Shiraishi Instagram – @midsouthgravel !!! Overjoyed to have poured my heart into those 100 miles of rolling hills atop the beautiful contours of deeply red, iron-rich port silt loam (the Oklahoma state soil). Was severely unprepared for this much mileage in the saddle but the company of my favorite human @davidblennox and the soundtrack from my favorite anime, Yowamushi Pedal, carried me through when the winds blew heavily against our chests and faces. Some of the rougher moments were assuaged by words of wisdom I recalled from the night before spoken by @arya_samsarya. ⭐️ Right when my legs felt like bursting on a never ending upward hill, i was reminded of her tip to use the momentum from the downhill to propel myself into the tiresome ascent ⛰️ sadly, my passion for climbing rocks did not translate to climbing hills, hence the need for tactics to compensate. The warm embrace at the finish was the best 💕💕💖 Couldn’t have asked for a better environment of supportive people and inspiring lands to do my first century. Thank you @unlearnpavement for the hugs and for organizing this massive gravel bike party 🪩 I’m eternally indebted to @crustbikes for letting me cruise with the team and for fixing together my favorite new whip 🚲. 📍on the tribal lands of the Otoe-Missouria, Osage, Pawnee, Seminole, Quapaw, Kickapoo, Wichita and Kiowa nations. 🪞📸: @davidblennox