Cold Spring Training

Hope this can be edited into a more memorable blog entry later, but for now a simple trip report, to add to the others from this active training weekend.  Everyone is gettin' in shape!

Sunday was cold, more like January/February than April. Jerome, Michael K. and I had a great classic ride--leaving my house at 7AM, meeting Michael at Tamagawahara-bashi at 7:30 (well, 7:31), arriving at Aurore in Oume just after 8:30 for our first rest stop, then the long climb up Rte 411 to Yanagisawa Pass, a quick hot food stop (for me, add 20 minutes for Michael and Jerome as they waited in the warm restaurant) at the Pass. We were glad to be at the high point of the ride (1475 meters) between Noon and 1PM, slightly less bone chilling than would otherwise be the case.

In 20 minutes we were down to the Fruit Line just above Enzan, for some brief sunshine and a hint of warmth. We took that road (a series of rollers between 450 and 525 meters elevation) around the edge of the valley, toward the South, then climbed back up Rte 20 (Koshu Kaido) to the turn off for old Sasago Pass. One more climb up to 1095 meters, through the haunted pass tunnel, in the clouds and clammy cold as the ghosts reached out to us. Was the old lady wandering the deserted path, asking each of us if we knew of a "yadoya" (old Japanese inn) up the path, really a ghost? We each answered "no" or "I don't know." What happens if you say "yes" to this apparition?

Then a very fast trip down the hill to the main road and on to Otsuki, just in time to catch the 4:13 Azusa express to Hachioji (one stop, 30 minutes) and connections beyond for home.

All in all, a classic Positivo Espresso ride, just over 160 kms and 2500 meters of climbing.

Fortunately, we had Tom's ride report from the previous day, (a similar ride, plus one even bigger pass and no train home, so maybe another 90 kms of riding and 1000-1500 meters of climbing!), and so were not surprised by the minor tree obstacles on Sasago Pass.