Day 11 – 20 October 2025, Monday
When I woke up automatically at 5:50am today, it was with a mixture of excitement and sadness. Excited because I will be completing my Shikoku Challenge very soon, but sad because the wonderful adventure is coming to an end. I went for a morning soak at the onsen before heading for breakfast at 6:35am. The dining hall was very crowded. It seems that Super Hotel Uwajima is very popular among domestic tour groups and businessmen.
Just as I did 11 days ago, I slipped on my uniform – the official white-and-blue Shikoku Challenge cycling top and bib, cycling cap, arm sleeves, gloves, socks, shoes, sunglasses and helmet. Before checking out of my room, I recorded a short video clip to capture my thoughts before hitting the road for the last time. After an equipment check and ensuring that all my gear was in place, I started my ride at 7:45am.
For Day 11 of the Shikoku Challenge, the itinerary is to cycle 105.6km from Uwajima to Matsuyama, with an elevation gain of 800m. There will be three roadside station checkpoints along the way. It will be a long day of riding with considerable elevation. When I started cycling, the temperature was a pleasant 22 degrees C. The forecast showed that it would be a cloudy day.
The route started with a moderate climb but the big climb came about 10km into the ride. I cycled up a mountain pass through nine consecutive short tunnels, about 100m+ in length each. The following tunnel was a long one, with a length of 1,320m. The tunnels were almost back-to-back as I climbed uphill with no respite. The elevation gain was about 215m over 6km. I was winded by the time I reached the peak. From the top of the mountain pass, I had a view of Uwajima Bay below. The steep slopes were used for farming as I saw oranges hanging from the trees.
After a short downhill section, I soon reached Donburikan roadside station at 9:20am. I had covered around 20km thus far. I normally get warmed up once I start riding but the sun stayed hidden behind the clouds, making it a lot chillier than usual. It was still bearable for now but this was the coldest among the 11 days so far. Glad I got to experience all kinds of weather conditions – sunny, cloudy, rainy, chilly. Honestly, I’m happy as long as it doesn’t rain while I’m cycling. After collecting my stamp, I bought a cup of hot latte to warm myself up. The cup came with a message that was appropriate for the occasion: “Life is good. Today is a beautiful day.” Indeed it is.
The next section through Seiyo city was rather flat as I cycled past expansive rice fields surrounded by a mountain range. I had bookmarked a place here so I kept a lookout for it. It wasn’t hard to find because what I was looking for was clearly visible among the flat rice fields. And there they were, two large straw mammoths standing by themselves in the field near Iyo-Ishijo train station!
The straw mammoths were created in 2011 as a collaborative project between Musashino Art University in Tokyo and local volunteers to liven up the Renge Festival held on 29 April each year. The straw covering the mammoths is replaced annually from March to April. When I visited in autumn, the surrounding fields were golden brown as the rice had already been harvested. If you come in spring, the rice fields will be covered with lotus (renge) flowers. In summer, the green rice fields provide a beautiful contrast with the straw mammoths.
I saw only two mammoths. Apparently, there is a third one that is much smaller in size but I’m not sure where it went. The biggest one is the grandmother and her name is “Warara”; the smaller one is her child and her name is “Mai”. The (missing) grandchild’s name is “Ren”. I hope to have the chance to meet Ren next time.
As much as I was enjoying it here, I was mindful of the time so I quickly snapped some photos and continued my way. As I have learnt over the past 11 days, what goes up must go down. So after putting in the effort earlier for the biggest climb of the day, it was time to reap the rewards with the longest downhill section today.
Shortly after saying goodbye to Warara and Mai, I entered a long tunnel. After emerging from the other end, it was downhill all the way for a good 10 minutes non-stop. It was probably the longest downhill section for the entire 11 days. I didn’t even realise I had climbed so high up to warrant such a long stretch of downhill. In a way, I didn’t want to go down so much because it probably means that I will have to climb up again later. But it’s always nice to roll down the hill so I enjoyed it while it lasted.
I reached Yawatahama Minatto roadside station at 10:55am. It was busy as a big ferry terminal was located just next door. You can take a ferry from here to Beppu or Usuki on Kyushu island, which is what I think a lot of locals do. After using the toilet and collecting my stamp, I hurried along as the sky was overcast with clouds that threatened to pour any moment.
After leaving the roadside station, I had to share the road with many big trucks. I also climbed uphill through many tunnels, the longest of which was 2,156m long. Even though the temperature was a moderate 22 degrees C, it was chilly because of the lack of sunshine and I had to wear my rain jacket to keep warm. By 12:10pm, I had covered about 45km and I was starting to feel hungry with the cold and exertions. However, the next restaurant was still about 11km away so I had to hang in there and rely on my energy bars to keep going.
When I reached the coast 10 minutes later, the headwind hit me and that was when the real challenge began. Even though the terrain was generally flat, the headwind was very strong and it made my progress painfully slow. Even on the downhill sections, I felt like I was barely moving, and had to pedal to go forward. The coastal views were actually great but it was a gloomy day so it wasn’t as beautiful as it could have been. Coastal views usually give me a boost but the weather today didn’t help. I still had 50km to go to Matsuyama so I couldn’t let up. I battled the headwind, cold and hunger all at once, inching ahead slowly.
At 1:05pm, I reached Nagahama, a small and quiet fishing town. I looked for the nearest restaurant that was open and stopped for a long-awaited lunch. It was a Shokudo, a typical neighbourhood Japanese restaurant serving a variety of inexpensive, home-styled dishes. It had tatami seating and regular tables. I asked if I could see a menu and the lady pointed me to the dish names displayed above the counter. Of course, I couldn’t decipher the words but I saw another customer eating fried rice so I asked for the same. The chef was a lovely grandma and her fried rice was oishii! I was completely famished and I needed this meal badly.
When the restaurant owners and customer saw that I was wearing the Shikoku Challenge jersey, it piqued their curiosity because they realised I was not a regular tourist. Through the use of Google Translate and simple English, I told them I had cycled for 11 days around the entire Shikoku island and was on my way back to Matsuyama. They were surprised because most people come to Nagahama from Matsuyama, and not the other way around! We had a warm conversation and they wished me the best for my remaining journey. What lovely people!
I felt better after refuelling and continued my quest. The route hugged the coast but thankfully, the headwind wasn’t as brutal as before. However, I was still feeling cold so I stopped at Lawson to put on my second jacket and grab some more energy bars. With my second jacket on, this was really show hand – I didn’t have any additional layers left.
I reached the final Futami roadside station at 3:07pm. I took a few moments to register the momentous occasion as I affixed the last stamp onto my Official Challenge Pass. It was mission accomplished as there were no more stamps to collect. It still irked me that I was missing a stamp from Shishikui Onsen because the roadside station was closed when I visited, marking a blemish on my otherwise perfect Challenge Pass. Even though I was in a celebratory mood, my job was not done as I still had about 23km to go to Matsuyama so I had to hurry.
After leaving Futami roadside station at 3:30pm, I basically chiong-ed all the way as I wanted to get back to Matsuyama by 5:00pm and reach the Ehime Prefectural Office before it closes at 5:15pm. I pushed myself hard and cycled as quickly as I could without stopping for any breaks. With the finishing line in sight, I focused intently to complete my mission.
As the traffic became heavier and the buildings became taller and denser, I knew I was almost there. However, I was also getting tired from all the effort. My legs and the bicycle became heavier and every uphill was a test of my willpower. I dug my heels in and psyched myself up: I can do this, ganbate! At 4:50pm, I caught the familiar sight of the park where Matsuyama Castle is located. Just a couple more traffic light crossings and I’ll be there.
As I finally cycled into the premises of the Ehime Prefectural Office at 4:55pm, I felt a sense of elation and relief. Elated because I was back where I started 11 days ago, thereby officially completing the Shikoku Challenge. It was a full circle moment. The last time I was here, I had 0km under my belt. Now, I have cycled the entire Shikoku island and completed 1,000km. It was an incredible achievement, to say the least.
I also felt relieved because I managed to complete my mission without getting injured or experiencing any technical difficulties. To be honest, I never doubted that I could complete the Shikoku Challenge. My main worry was falling down and getting injured. I was incredibly blessed to complete the ride without a hitch – no injuries, technical problems or unexpected issues. I think the relief actually outweighed the elation.
I stopped the recording on my Strava. It showed that I cycled 98.11km today, with an elevation gain of 776m. Tabulating the distance and elevation gains clocked on my Strava for the 11 days, the total distance I cycled was 993.19km and the total elevation gain was 7,234m. These were more than the official figures stated on the Shikoku Challenge website, which were 974.2km and 6,879m respectively. The total distance was rounded up to 1,000km because it’s more marketable. However, I cycled about 20km more than the official distance because I took some detours and veered from the official route at some points. In any case, I clocked almost 1,000km so I’m proud of myself.
I made the most of the remaining daylight to snap photos with the 0km marker on the ground to capture the moment. However, I couldn’t linger for long as I had to return my bicycle to the Giant store before my rental ends at 6:00pm, which is when the store closes for the day. I quickly cycled back to Candeo Hotels to check in. I discovered that my luggage was already placed inside my room, which was a lovely touch by the hotel staff.
I stripped the bike of my saddle bags and gear before putting back all of the original accessories provided by Giant, restoring the gravel bike back to its original state. As I cycled towards the Giant store, the bike felt “naked” and light. I was so used to the weight and carrying all my gear with me that it felt odd to cycle on such a light bike. I felt like I could fly on this bike.
I reached the Giant store at 5:40pm and handed over my trusty Gravier bike back to the same staff member who attended to me 12 days ago. I really liked the bicycle and was sad to part with it. I felt so safe and secure riding it the whole time. Thanks for being such a dependable workhorse and for carrying me throughout the entire Shikoku Challenge!
With the bicycle returned, it felt final. I no longer had a bicycle in Shikoku. For the entire day, I had been on tenterhooks because there was a lot going on. I had to battle the cold, elevation and headwind to collect my remaining three stamps from the checkpoints. I then had to rush back to Matsuyama before 5:00pm to officially complete the Shikoku Challenge before rushing again to return the bicycle at the Giant store. Now that everything was settled, I could finally relax.
I was so tired and hungry that I simply walked into a random ramen restaurant for dinner. I ordered a sea bream ramen with special toppings for 1,200 yen (S$10.44). It wasn’t the best ramen but it did the job. I then went to FamilyMart to buy some snacks before going back to the hotel.
After unpacking my stuff, I brought my dirty laundry and dumped them in the coin-operated washing machine and dryer at the hotel. No more handwashing and wring-drying tonight! I then headed to the onsen for a much-needed soak. As I was walking back to the hotel earlier, I could feel my legs aching quite badly. But after soaking in the onsen, my legs felt normal again. The magic of hot springs!
As I lay in bed that night, I thought about how fitting it was that the most challenging day was the final day, when I was really pushed to my limits. I guess that’s why it’s called the Shikoku Challenge. It had to be somewhat physically challenging, and not just a stroll in the park.
And as I looked back on the entire Shikoku Challenge, I realised that the past 11 days had been truly incredible. I saw so much of rural Japan that I otherwise would not have had the chance to see if I went on a conventional bus or car tour. I cycled past some of the most beautiful coastlines in the world and visited many ancient temples. I met many wonderful people and fellow adventurers, and tasted some of the most delicious and authentic Japanese food. Best of all, I was blessed with great weather for most part and was able to complete the adventure injury-free.
Having done it, I can say that the Shikoku Challenge is something all cycling enthusiasts should attempt at least once. In fact, I wouldn’t mind doing it all over again, with my friends next time.
Undoubtedly, this ranks among my Top 3 trips. I think what made it extra special was the fact that I did it solo, and it was my first time bikepacking. I learned so much along the way – how to manage my time and energy, how to pack my gear and navigate safely, and so much more. I highly recommend everyone to bikepack solo once in their life, and there’s no better way to do it than the Shikoku Challenge. Trust me, you won’t regret it.