It's no small task writing about cycling culture in a land that is famous for absorbing, borrowing, pilfering and genetically modifying ideas from other cultures. The Japanese are nothing if not inventive. Take for example the camera. We all know that the best cameras in the world are made in Japan. But did you know that the idea for the modern Japanese camera came from a 19th century American invention used to extract boils with electrodes? How a boil burning gadget morphed into a Nikon D3000 is a mystery lost to time. What we do know is that the result is a big improvement over the original idea, and that is at the heart of the Japanese spirit: Improve what the white devil creates. Take for instance the idea of cross-dressing cycling. We've all seen pictures of men in drag cycling in events from Portland to Portafino. According to legend, the first cross-dressing cyclist was an engineering student from Caltech who lost a bet to an art history major from Whittier College. The student cycled from Pasadena to Pomona and was never heard from again. And faster than a Williamsburgh Fixie rider buying the latest Rapha $300 toe-clip warmers, the cross-dressing phenomenon spread to every corner of the globe. So it was with warm comfort that I witnessed my Japanese pedal brothers eagerly accept the challenge to work through and improve on this most irreverent of cycling styles. The results? Well, judge for yourself.
Greasy GeishasOcci, Sal (aka Tracy) and Necco, the Charlie's Angels of Nagoya City, have done us all proud in carrying on the Japanese tradition of outstanding workmanship and quality improvement. I mean, who else but the Japanese would have dreamed up the idea of sequin and bullhorn handlebars? Bravo sons of Yamato, bravo!
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