I am in awe of how this stupid manga about bicycle racing can get my heart racing and even choke me up. They've been running the same multi-day race for many volumes now, but I quickly get caught up in it, even knowing that it is probably not going to end in this volume. And if you know this series at all, you know it is not a spoiler to say that, indeed, the race does not end in this volume.

But it is getting near the end, and members of the remaining teams begin sacrificing themselves, expending all their energy to pull along their sprinters and aces for the final push. Racers are forced to drop back and retire as they reach their physical limits. There is much heartbreak and at least one big surprise as the casualties mount. ( )