Hill Climber (Shogakukan Bunko)

[Machine Translation] A man who, without regard for his wife or daughter, bets everything on a hill-climbing race he stumbled upon at the age of 40. A young man who has abandoned marathon running, lost his goals, and dropped out of college. The two are surrounded by hillbilly idiots. They continue to climb to the top of the hill. Why do they climb hills? That is a question that every road rider must face at least once. Why do we have to defy the laws of gravity and endure the agony of breathlessness? What is waiting for us at the end of a long hill? This is the first full-scale hill-climbing novel in Japan, written by a writer obsessed with the fun of climbing mountains on a bicycle, and based on his own experiences. This is a story of the rebirth of the soul and body of those who are fascinated by hills.

妻も娘も顧みず、四十歳で出会ったヒルクライムに全てを賭ける男。マラソンを捨て目標を失い、大学も中退した青年。そして二人を取り巻く坂馬鹿たち。彼らは坂の頂点を目指しひたすら登り続ける。「なぜ坂に登るのか?」それはロード乗りが必ず一度は直面する問いだ。なぜ重力の法則に逆らい、息も止まるほどの苦しさに耐えなければならないのか。長い坂を登りつめた果てに、待つものは何なのか。自転車で山に登る面白さに取り憑かれた作家が、自らの体験を元に描き尽くした日本初の本格ヒルクライム小説。坂に魅せられた者たちの、魂と肉体の再生の物語。