Originally Posted by Portlandjim

Around the time that this bike model came out, 1985 or so, I visited Japan about once every 2 months. During this period, one of the biggest amateur bike races in Japan was called the Kanabe Cup. Riders from all over Japan had to qualify locally to ride this event, which took place at a ski resort town in the mountains. My good friend, Mr. Kawai, the president of Sun Tour who put on this event , got me an entry slot after I pestered him mightily. I seem to remember that there were something like 2000 riders in total, my class had 100 or so. I was one of 2 in the whole event who was not Japanese. One bummer, my age group cutoff put me at the old end, and these guys were very serious about not letting me do well! I ended up 11th, just missing getting a medal by one place! This small ski resort town did not cater to foreign visitors, so the food and hotel setup was strictly traditional Japanese. When I got there, Mr. Kawai asked me if I wanted to go out for dinner the night before the race, oh, and Eddy Merckx would be joining us. So, I got to have a wonderful traditional dinner with Eddy, his manager and mr. Kawai. We all spoke English, and Eddy was very warm and friendly. The next day, I'm in my riding outfit waiting for my race and Eddy comes over to chat. He is in a suit and tie, it's about as hot and humid as one can imagine. He wonders if he can borrow my bike to take a lap, a Blue SE like the OP, it's his size and fits him nicely. Then he asks what size shoe do you use? 46, same as him! But, I had SIDI shoes, he can't be seen in them, so covers the logo with tape!. The circuit is about 12 miles, which he does with his pant leg rolled up a bit, and gives me my bike back. I left the bike in Japan, no idea where that went. But I kept those shoes for years, until they burned up in a fire that took our house. So, Eddy rode an Allez SE! Jim Merz