It is the player's ultimate objective to make it all the way around Japan. If the player ends up completely damaging the bicycle, running out of energy, or falling behind a certain ranking, then he or she will automatically lose the race. Players can choose a representative from either Team USA, Team Japan, Team France, or Team Italy. As long as the player has at least one spare bicycle in the inventory, games will never end on a completely damaged bicycle. Passwords are used to save the game.

The race is 4,000 kilometers long (2485.5 miles). Players must traverse the countryside that separates major Japanese cities along the coastline during the course of these 4,000 kilometres. Interesting scenery includes forests and cattle farms.

Players are always given the exact altitude of each section; they are also shown how far in a stage the player has to advance in order to reach the finish line.