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The Inter High is a yearly race where the cycling clubs of many high schools from around Japan compete to prove themselves the best. You can read more general information about the Inter High event on the Inter High page.
The 40th Summer Inter-High was celebrated in Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture during Japan Summer. Not much detail is given about the event, as it is only seen in a few flashbacks.
Known Participants[]
Ace • Ace Assistant • Sprinter • Climber • All-Rounder • Unknown
| Participants | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Kanagawa) Hakone Academy | ||||
| #𝟙 | ||||
| #𝟚 | #𝟛 | #𝟜 | #𝟝 | #𝟞 |
| Unknown High School | ||||
| #𝟙𝟙 | ||||
| #𝟙𝟚 | #𝟙𝟛 | #𝟙𝟜 | #𝟙𝟝 | #𝟙𝟞 |
| (Nara) Nara Sanri Academy | ||||
| #𝟚𝟙 | ||||
| #𝟚𝟚 | #𝟚𝟛 | #𝟚𝟜 | #𝟚𝟝 | #𝟚𝟞 |
| (Ishikawa) Kanazawa Misaki Tech High School | ||||
| #𝟛𝟙 | ||||
| #𝟛𝟚 | #𝟛𝟛 | #𝟛𝟜 | #𝟛𝟝 | #𝟛𝟞 |
| Unknown High School | ||||
| #𝟜𝟙 | ||||
| #𝟜𝟚 | #𝟜𝟛 | #𝟜𝟜 | #𝟜𝟝 | #𝟜𝟞 |
| (Fukuoka) Jounan High School | ||||
| #𝟝𝟙 | ||||
| #𝟝𝟚 | #𝟝𝟛 | #𝟝𝟜 | #𝟝𝟝 | #𝟝𝟞 |
| (Hiroshima) Hiroshima Kureminami Tech High School | ||||
| #𝟞𝟙 | ||||
| #𝟞𝟚 | #𝟞? | #𝟞? | #𝟞? | #𝟞? |
| (Chiba) Sohoku High School | ||||
| #𝟟𝟙 | ||||
| #𝟟𝟚 | #𝟟𝟛 | #𝟟𝟜 | #𝟟𝟝 | #𝟟𝟞 |
| Unknown High School | ||||
| #𝟠𝟙 | ||||
| #𝟠𝟚 | #𝟠𝟛 | #𝟠𝟜 | #𝟠𝟝 | #𝟠𝟞 |
| Unknown High School | ||||
| #𝟡𝟙 | ||||
| #𝟡𝟚 | #𝟡𝟛 | #𝟡𝟜 | #𝟡𝟝 | #𝟡𝟞 |
| (Nagano) Nagano Chuuou Tech High School | ||||
| #𝟙𝟘𝟙 | ||||
| #𝟙𝟘𝟚 | #𝟙𝟘𝟛 | #𝟙𝟘𝟜 | #𝟙𝟘𝟝 | #𝟙𝟘𝟞 |
| Unknown High School | ||||
| #𝟙𝟙𝟙 | ||||
| #𝟙𝟙𝟚 | #𝟙𝟙𝟛 | #𝟙𝟙𝟜 | #𝟙𝟙𝟝 | #𝟙𝟙𝟞 |
| Unknown High School | ||||
| #𝟙𝟚𝟙 | ||||
| #𝟙𝟚𝟚 | #𝟙𝟚𝟛 | #𝟙𝟚𝟜 | #𝟙𝟚𝟝 | #𝟙𝟚𝟞 |
| (Aichi) Kounan High School | ||||
| #𝟙𝟛𝟙 | ||||
| #𝟙𝟛𝟚 | #𝟙𝟛𝟛 | #𝟙𝟛𝟜 | #𝟙𝟛𝟝 | #𝟙𝟛𝟞 |
| Unknown High School | ||||
| #𝟙𝟜𝟙 | ||||
| #𝟙𝟜𝟚 | #𝟙𝟜𝟛 | #𝟙𝟜𝟜 | #𝟙𝟜𝟝 | #𝟙𝟜𝟞 |
| Unknown High School | ||||
| #𝟙𝟝𝟙 | ||||
| #𝟙𝟝𝟚 | #𝟙𝟝𝟛 | #𝟙𝟝𝟜 | #𝟙𝟝𝟝 | #𝟙𝟝𝟞 |
| Unknown High School | ||||
| #𝟙𝟞𝟙 | ||||
| #𝟙𝟞𝟚 | #𝟙𝟞𝟛 | #𝟙𝟞𝟜 | #𝟙𝟞𝟝 | #𝟙𝟞𝟞 |
| Unknown High School | ||||
| #𝟙𝟟𝟙 | ||||
| #𝟙𝟟𝟚 | #𝟙𝟟𝟛 | #𝟙𝟟𝟜 | #𝟙𝟟𝟝 | #𝟙𝟟𝟞 |
| Unknown High School | ||||
| #𝟙𝟠𝟙 | ||||
| #𝟙𝟠𝟚 | #𝟙𝟠𝟛 | #𝟙𝟠𝟜 | #𝟙𝟠𝟝 | #𝟙𝟠𝟞 |
| (Kyoto) Kyoto Fushimi High School | ||||
| #𝟙𝟡𝟙 | ||||
| #𝟙𝟡? | #𝟙𝟡𝟛 | #𝟙𝟡? | #𝟙𝟡? | #𝟙𝟡𝟞 |
| Special Team School | ||||
| #𝟚𝟘𝟙 | ||||
| #𝟚𝟘𝟚 | #𝟚𝟘𝟛 | #𝟚𝟘𝟜 | #𝟚𝟘𝟝 | #𝟚𝟘𝟞 |
First Stage[]
The Kyoto Fushimi arrives at Hiroshima, aiming for the victory this year. While the teams are preparing themselves for the race, Koutarou Ishigaki goes at Hakone Academy's tent and meets Juichi Fukutomi, the only second year representing his team in this Inter High. Juichi asks what Koutarou wants and he replies that as they were close to each other at the briefing from the previous day, he should introduce himself properly. After introducing himself, Koutarou tells him for them to do their best during the three days of the race, which Juichi agrees. Koutarou tells him that it must be tough to be the only second year on the team, which the Hakone member denies and replies that their rule is that the strong rides and this is how they work. Juichi also says that Hakone is a team of six aces and that it is a race to see which of them becomes the number one. As Koutarou is surprised with his words, Juichi tells him that they are planning to place in first, second and third at the first day's goal line.
Later, as the Kyoto Fushimi advances towards the starting line, the others cyclists recognize Hirokazu Yasu, the ace and captain of the club and states they should not underestimate them. At the starting line, Koutarou does a deep breathing while being glad that he could wear the Kyoto Fushimi jersey in this year at the Inter High. He states that he is ready and that he is not nervous as everyone from the team is with him this time, after everything they faced and overcame to reach the place they were at the moment. Hirokazu then tells Koutarou to stick with them once the race starts and that he is aiming for the first place.
As the race starts, Koutarou advances with his team thinking about defeating Hakone's mindset of having the advantage while being excited and calm to think that his team would be able to do it. Koutarou keeps thinking about how they will be able to defeat the kings who won many Inter Highs and their objective according to Juichi, stating that hearing a member of the Hakone saying it is in a completely different level. Koutarou then suggests to Hirokazu that they start their offense on Hakone and that they have to be assertive and push themselves in the entire race. The Kyofushi third year tells him that is his line as the captain and orders the team to give up the sprinter and climber checkpoints, saving the sprinters for the end of the race.
Goal Line[]
As they advance towards the first day's goal line, Hirokazu sends Kakuta, Tomoya Ihara and Nobuyuki Mizuta with the objective of dismantle the pack. As the three of them leaves the pack, the other cyclists got their attention on them and some started to panic while others went after them. As the teams are destabilized and some people are being left behind due to the fast pace of the pack, Koutarou checks the Hakone cyclists and notices how they are still calm despite the ruckus intentionally caused by the Kyoto Fushimi. Hirokazu then tells Koutarou to hold on and that they can not go yet, which the second year agrees and say that he will keep steady.
At the mark of 15km remaining, Hakone decides to make their move and they send Juichi to take the lead and pull all the other five members of the team, surprising the other cyclists who were watching. Hirokazu then orders Koutarou to go after the Hakone cyclists and both move after their opponents. Koutarou eventually manages to catch up with the Hakone cyclists and is praised by Hirokazu for his skills. The second year from Kyoto Fushimi then talks with Juichi about the goal being in sight, which he agrees and says he caught up just in time. Koutarou says that the Hakone's second year did not give them enough credit and says that both him and Hirokazu are aiming for the top positions. Juichi asks if that was the reason why he brought his ace along and Koutarou replied that he will have his back through the tension of the last seconds. Juichi then tells him that his seniors also counted with him to assist them to the goal line, so he would stop him with his strength.
At 1km remaining, Kyoto Fushimi and Hakone are neck in neck. Juichi praises Koutarou for keeping the pace, but but tells him that it is only starting. Koutarou agrees with him and states that he does not have even energy enough to answer him, but for him it did not matter and all he was thinking about is bringing his ace to the goal line faster than Hakone. In one of the turns, Kyoto Fushimi takes the lead and advances towards the goal, crossing the 600m mark in front of Hakone. At the 500m remaining, one of the Hakone third years tell Juichi to attack at the last turn and that they will keep in line behind him. As Juichi follows the orders from his senior and attacks at the turn, Hirokazu notices their attempt to attack and warns Koutarou about it. At the turn, they are back to be neck in neck and keep moving until they reach the final straight line that leads to its day finish line. Both Juichi and Koutarou then send their members towards the goal and give them a push on their backs, watching them quickly moving after it. The first day ends with the victory of Hakone, but Kyoto Fushimi manages to frustrate their opponent's objective by placing third and not letting them take all the three places in the first day's podium.
Known Results[]
After the end of the first stage, the Kyoto Fushimi cyclists try to recover after doing their best in order to win. Koutarou was so tired from the race that after sitting he could not stand up. Tomoya and Kakuta were also a lot tired from the race and after laying on the ground they could not lay up for a while. The first year Nobuyuki had to retire from the race after pushing himself past his limits. After resting for a while, Kakuta manages to stand up and go after Koutarou to tell him about how he is grateful for him to race with everything he got and manage to carry Hirokazu to the goal. Koutarou then tells the third year that despite not winning he was grateful with the results, as it was a result they managed to accomplish thanks to everyone's efforts. He also told Kakuta about Hirokazu's apologies for not being able to break Hakone's stronghold but that he thought they really managed to, as Hakone's goal was to place in all the three spots from the podium but only managed to get two of them. The second year states that Juichi was disappointed when he saw the results and that in a way they managed to break Hakone's stronghold thanks to their teamwork.
At the podium, the two Hakone members who placed first and second and Hirokazu who placed third are spreading their arms, celebrating their achievements with the bouquets they won as a prize and exciting the crowd who watches them. Akihisa Tsuji, Tomoya and Koutarou are within the crowd celebrating their club's jersey being in the podium and Akihisa ends up taking some pictures to record that moment.
Second Stage[]
Goal Line[]
On the second day the cyclists were facing a particularly hot day. At some point in the second day, the second year ace from Sohoku Shingo Kinjou got ahead of the other competitors and created a huge gap to them, attempting to become the first to cross the goal line. With 52km left, Eikichi Machimiya was riding close to Juichi and he was going to drink water to refill himself, but noticed that at some point both of his water bottles broke open, spilling their contents. He thought back to the harsh training he did in preparation for the competition and the extra responsibility placed on him as the ace and a local. Desperate to live up to others' expectations, he approaches Juichi asking if he can have one of his water bottles. Though Juichi had two full water bottles, he naturally refused to give one up. He cites the fact that he still has to face a Sohoku competitor in front as his reason for needing both bottles.
Eikichi continues to try and convince Juichi to give up one of his water bottles, mentioning that he is the ace of his team and a local, so he has a lot of expectations to meet. Juichi reiterates that there is still someone ahead he must beat in order to take the goal, so he can not afford to lose one of his bottles. He suggests that Eikichi ask one of his Hakone Academy teammates following behind them for a bottle instead. Eikichi protests, saying that he would have to go back in order to do that, but he needs to continue and make the goal. He asks Juichi to wait, but the Hakone cyclist says he has something he must do and accelerates, leaving the Kureminami ace behind in tears.
Eventually Juichi managed to catch up with Shingo and pass him, going to the goal line by himself. Shingo then passed by his team's tent and received supplies from the first years, who told him that he was five minutes ahead of the pack of competitors. The heat was intense during the competition, and Shingo remarks that many already forfeited due to exhaustion. After using the supplies and recovering himself, the Sohoku ace goes after Juichi and manages to catch up with the Hakone cyclist. Juichi commends Shingo for his performance, mentioning that he performed brilliantly on the climb from the previous day as well. He goes on to point out that they have already reached the last third of the second stage and that there are only 35km left. Despite his earlier compliment, Juichi says that he is disappointed with this Inter High because he could not find a worthy opponent. The Hakone second year then accelerates, leaving Shingo behind. However, the Sohoku cyclist quickly catches up, saying that he carries the wills of his teammates. This conflicts with Juichi's ideas about only needing one strong team member to win.
When Shingo continues to tail Juichi closely and even declares that he is definitely not going to give up, Juichi decides to pull ahead again. He says that even with persistence, there are some opponents that you can never beat. After Juichi has passed Shingo, he thinks that the Sohoku cyclist has met his end because the road ahead is an uphill slope afflicted with harsh mountain winds. Though Juichi seemed sure that he would tire and give up, Shingo managed to catch up with 20km left of the course. Shingo tells Juichi that he is competing for the sake of his team, but the Hakone cyclist dismisses this as a foolish ideal. He argues that it is one's own strength, and that alone, that leads to victory. Shingo acknowledges his exhaustion, thinking that he probably lost 4 to 5kg since the start of the race. He thinks back to how Yusuke Makishima, Jin Tadokoro and their seniors did their best for the team on the slopes and flat roads, respectively. He feels responsibility as the ace of the team and refuses to let their efforts go to waste, so he determinedly pursues Juichi.
The Hakone cyclist starts to get confused about Shingo's persistence and is thinking why Shingo, who appears to be average, is still chasing him down and even trying to pass him. Juichi ends up making another gear shift mistake, though he remains in denial about the pressure he feels from the Sohoku ace. Just as Juichi reflects on his flawless record of never losing a one-on-one race, Shingo suddenly passes him. At this point, there were only about 2km left in the race. Now seriously disturbed by the prospect of falling behind, Juichi desperately reaches out and grabs the back of Shingo's jersey unconsciously. The resulting crash sends Shingo flying into a nearby guardrail, severely injuring him in the process. Juichi, horrified at what he has done, calls out to Shingo from his own fallen position. Despite bleeding profusely from various wounds, Shingo gets back up and continues the race. However, his injuries greatly hindered his performance, so he fell far behind and was passed by other cyclists, even by his teammates who did not notice him as they were in the pack.
In the end of the race, the other Hakone cyclists managed to place in first, second and third places and win the second stage of the Inter High. As the other participants crossed the line after them, Shingo eventually managed to reach the goal in 69th place.
Known Results[]
Jin and Yusuke looks at Shingo, confused with what happen with him. Shingo starts to fall off his bike, but Jin grabs him before and tells him that they did not see him because they were inside the pack. Jin asks if he did fell and why he is wounded, but Shingo instead tells him to bring Kimitaka Koga to fix his bicycle, which was damaged in the fall. The pair are more worried about Shingo condition than his bicycle's condition, but he only apologizes for failing to fulfill his duty as the ace. Jin is greatly upset by this, and loudly laments their loss due to an accident, but Juichi appears and owns up to his actions. He explains what happened and apologizes, saying that his weakness is to blame. Furious, Jin punches Juichi in the face, which makes him fall to the ground and scares the people around him.
When Juichi says he will withdraw from the next day's race, Jin confronts him angrily, leaving them both in tears. Jin berates Juichi, pointing out that Sohoku only has one ace, unlike the illustrious Hakone Academy. Shingo asks Jin to stop and that they can not change what has happened, so they should just move on and prepare for the next day's race. Juichi asks Shingo if he really plans on racing with his injuries, and the Sohoku cyclist responds that he will not give up because that is the same as losing. Shingo also declares that, even if it takes him a year, he will definitely lead Sohoku to victory. As the three Sohoku second years walk off, Juichi acknowledges that Shingo is a true ace and much stronger than him. He believes that the reason he reached out and grabbed his jersey earlier is because his instinct knew he would lose.
At the podium, the crowd celebrates Hakone's overall victory in the second day, managing to place in the top three positions and achieving the goal they did not manage to in the first day. In the crow, Eikichi Machimiya tearfully watched the winner's ceremony, blaming his loss on the water bottle he lacked at the time. Frustrated, Eikichi started to develop a resentment towards Juichi and Hakone Academy.
In the evening of the second day, Kimitaka is at Sohoku's tent trying to fix Shingo's bicycle as he was asked to do, but he is having some trouble with it. Jin tells Kimitaka to stop trying to fix the bicicyle, but Kimitaka insists on doing it as it was requested by Shingo. Yusuke tells Kimitaka that, with Shingo injured, there is no chance of victory the next day. Kimitaka desperately wants to fix Shingo's bike, but Jin angrily says he does not have to and that Shingo will retire on the second day prior to the accident.
Junta Teshima enters the tent with a report about Shingo's condition. He says that the hospital confirmed that the Sohoku cyclist has broken ribs and that he can not participate in the following day. Kimitaka speaks up to say that he will take on the ace's role in Shingo's absence, but Jin interrupts him by saying that they should rest. Afterwards, Kimitaka speaks to Junta and Hajime Aoyagi. Kimitaka tells them about his intention to act as the ace because Shingo has supported him all this time. He thinks that, since he is just a first year, other teams will not keep an eye on him. He plans to stage a comeback and seize victory for the team.
Junta discourages Kimitaka from trying to enact his plan. He says that Kimitaka should focus on supporting the upperclassmen instead. The first year gets disappointed because he thought Junta would understand, but he retorts that Kimitaka has already injured his leg at the Training Camp and asks what he can do with such an injury. Junta also reminds Kimitaka of Shingo's words to not push himself too hard, but instead use this Inter High to gain experience for next year. The two continue their argument and Kimitaka tells both Junta and Hajime not to worry because his injury has already healed.
Third Stage[]
At the third day, Kimitaka speeds ahead of the pack as he planned, leaving his team behind and making them worry with his actions. Yusuke asks Jin if he should stop him, but the Sohoku sprinter tells him that he already had a job to fulfill at the mountain section. Despite feeling the pain on his knee due to his injury, Kimitaka pushes himself and keep going to meet the expectations of his teammates who believe im his potential. However, Kimitaka ends up not noticing the small cliff in the upcoming turn and goes straight to it, falling off the road and injuring his shoulder in the process. Some spectators see the accident and rush to check to see if he is okay and call for help.
In one of the supply areas, Junta and Hajime hear about the accident and that Kimitaka will be retired from the race. Junta tells Hajime that due to the accident Jin will check Kimitaka's condition and may be late to get the supplies. Regretful, Junta grabs Kimitaka's supply bag and lifts it, thinking it would have been better to have stopped him by force when he learned of his plan.
Goal Line[]
As the cyclists started to tire themselves in order to send their final member towards the goal, one after another they were retiring from the race. Some of them ended up having casualities on their way to the goal, such as flat tires, missing the route and even falling off their bicycles. In the end, one of the Hakone cyclists managed to cross the goal line first and be the overall winner of the Inter High. In second place a student of the Nara Sanri Academy Bicycle Racing Club managed to reach the goal and in third place Eikichi Machimiya, the ace of the hometown team Hiroshima Kureminami.
Known Results[]
At the podium, Eikichi celebrates towards the crowd his overall placement as the hometown representant.