This term I am teaching a class again Wednesday afternoons as a visiting professor at Keio's Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC). On average every other week I manage to get enough time to commute by bicycle instead of car. Car takes around 1 hour from my house. Bicycle takes around 1hr 30mins from my house, plus additional time for parking/locking, shower and change. When I do the commute by bicycle, it is around 75 kms round trip, 37.5 kms each way. It is great to get in a mid-week commute that is long enough to contribute some to my fitness.
I've gotten used to riding on Route 246 for just under half the distance. The Route 246 section is very fast, but not scenic and requires focus to stay safe among trucks and zooming cars. The other half has some nice stretches, down a river along the Yamato-Fujisawa bike path, for example, and through neighborhoods.
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| Bike parking at SFC - I lock my road bike to one of the trees on the left side |
Yesterday, there was a lot of color, and I could not help but remember the hydrangea bushes along the driveway of the home were we lived when I was in elementary/middle school. A very pleasant ride, and a tail wind home.
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| The nicest stretch |
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| Lots and lots of hydrangeas around Tokyo these days. Ajisai! |
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| This is where the flowers come from ... |
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| Almost home -- on the Tokyo side of the Tamagawa, at Futako |
1 comment:
Updates: I usually show an average speed (on Strava) of around 25 kph for this commute - some stops, some hills, a backpack with PC, change of cloths, books, etc., and 75 kms of suburban sprawl. I tried to push it a bit last week ... and managed to get an average of 26.1 kph on Strava (26.4 on Garmin display). Yesterday, Monday, I really went for it, and managed to get the average up to 28.2 on Strava (Garmin showed 28.4). The fastest yet.
Last year I was skipping many of the overpasses on 246, but I have decided that they are not only MUCH faster, but also SAFER than going down below, with turning/crossing traffic. And I have optimized the route in a few other small sections. I think yesterday I managed to get the elapsed time door-to-door (wel door-to-bike parking lot) under 1hr 25 minutes.
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