Just a beautiful day on the bicycle

I'm back. Back on the bike. Back into the countryside! 

More than three months since my collarbone break, on December 24 my Japanese orthopedist declared the break "80% healed". It took long enough -- I opted for the no surgery option, and some overuse too soon doubtless is behind the delay, in addition to my "advanced" upper 50's age. But 80% was good enough for me to transition from riding on the trainer indoors and running a few errands in town to ... riding the Rapha Festive 500! 

And, I thought, if I can do the #Festive500, I should be ready for some Randonneurs-Tokyo 200km brevets in January. I will do at least one and, I hope, two.

I am looking forward to 2021 as a year of renewal, of healing, of freedom to ride -- to go when and where I want on the bicycle in this cycling paradise of a country, and even maybe, eventually, elsewhere in the world. I can almost taste it, I am so full of anticipation. 

On the 24th, I rode the trainer in the morning, then hopped on my bike for my Christmas Eve visit to the orthopedist at Keio Univ Hospital in Shinanomachi. After getting his "80%" report, I pottered around Tokyo and stretched my return home, then rode out to dinner and back for a mix of over 75kms virtual/real cycling on the day 1 of the Festive 500. The next day I enjoyed a short 40+km Christmas morning spin with Nils, then on the 26th a slightly longer 70km ride with Jerome, then on the 27th 77kms with Jerome and Peter Y. accompanying them on the early stages of their ride to Yamanakako on the east side of Mt. Fuji -- a 200km plus round trip for them. On the 28th I did more shorter rides in town.  So with 3 days to go, I had logged 325kms toward the Festive 500.

The forecast for the 29th was beautiful -- the low temperature around 4C, high around 12-13C, with mostly clear sky. This would be the day for a big ride -- long slow winter distance, enjoying the countryside that I missed so much.

Only last week my wife had pointed out some "susuki" -- aka "Chinese silvergrass" -- the tall grasses that turn straw-colored in the autumn, with little tufts that reflect the sunlight. Near Tokyo, susuki usually grows in abandoned fields, or as a large weed beside highways. It does not seem highly valued. But I hold a vision in my head of rides in late autumn or early winter along Route 76 in the hills west of Tokyo, on a climb between Lake Sagami and Doshi Michi. If you push it hard on a training ride, these hills are where you start to get tired, and a perfect place for a quick stop to take a sip of water or a bite of trail mix, and snap a photo. When I think of susuki, I think of that stretch of road. But I had not been there in winter in at least five years.

Nils was up for a full day ride; Jerome for a longer half day. So we met at Futako Tamagawa at 7AM and headed up river, out of town. We stopped for coffee (and breakfast) early, then continued on, over "hospital hill" (also known as the climb to Renkoji), then headed out Yaen Kaido. Jerome had a report that Peter Y. was riding with some other friends, already over Yaen Pass and heading for the north side of Lake Tsukui. So we also went over Yaen Pass, then zig-zagged through Minami Hachioji and eventually to the Shiroyama area just before Lake Tsukui, where we had a second rest stop. This zig zag route through the suburban hills also was something I had not done in ages. It is a slower way out of town than some others, so I had crossed it off my list of regular routes long ago, but the road is wide and traffic volume relatively low. This was the prelude. Now the main act.

Nakazawa, Midori-ku

Lake Tsukui from the North shore hillside

The day was beautiful as we climbed past the village and winter vegetable fields of Nakazawa, Midori-ku/Sagamihara-shi, on the northeastern side of Lake Tsukui. Then we took the always lovely Mii-Sagamiko route further along the slope on the North side of the lake. We took the (closed to cars) forest road and passed Peter and his two companions heading the other direction, en route to a coffee appointment with new friends who live in a distinctive, fish-out-of-water Spanish-style house on the North Shore we jokingly refer to as the "Colombian drug lord house", or maybe the "Casa de Pablo Escobar".

Pink fallen leaves -- like an imaginary land -- the closed Tsukui forest road.

Looking west, still North side of Tsukui

Jerome and Nils

We then swooped down the hill to cross the narrow suspension bridge over the lake that brought us back to Matano and Mikage on the other side. This is a regular route -- I've taken photos of the slope we just rode along in nearly every month of the year.

Me on the bridge

We rode along there.

I was feeling good, never pushing, not yet fatigued, and enjoying the freedom of being on the bike, finally getting out to the countryside, with good relaxed company, regular riding buddies. 

The red chili pepper Asian food store on Rte 517.

We headed further west on National Rte 412, then Nils and I turned left onto local Rte 517, a side road through a village then a forest and on to first shown to Laurent by his cycling (and work) mentor Charles, then passed on to the rest of us. We took Route 517 over several steep "bumps" and eventually joined Route 76 at Fujino. A left turn and we were soon on the climb to ... my susuki fields. There they were, the grasses glowing in the weak winter sun, as they had in years past.

My susuki

We were down the other side of the slope quickly and to Doshi Dam with its jade colored waters, then another climb up (with a left turn off of Rte 76 for the short connector back to Doshi Michi, National Rte 413, the planned climb for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Road Race -- signs marking the route along the roadside looking a bit less than fresh, but they should make it through the winter and to next summer. The view back down the valley was spectacular.

Doshi Dam

Looking back toward town down lower Doshi Michi

Heading back in Doshi Michi is always fast and joyful -- plenty of twists and turns, a few dips followed by short uphills one can power through with 10-20 pedal strokes. But this day we had enough of a headwind to slow us down and make us work a bit. We decided to stop for a real lunch at Zebra Coffee and Croissant after we got back to Lake Tsukui. 

Zebra -- full of socially distanced cyclists!
(Many bring their bikes inside here.)

A massive "Zebra gratin" for lunch.

Getting back on the bike, I felt as if I had already done two rides, the morning one with Jerome, then the scenic mid-day ride, and now we started our third--the trip back into town. It was uneventful, our pace quickened now that we were on lower, flatter ground and had left most of the headwind behind. We made decent time and decided to go all the way to the mouth of the Tamagawa, or at least to the entrance to Haneda Airport, to add a few more kilometers. By now, late afternoon, the sun was low and the paths along the river full of runners and walkers. The runners all seemed to be wearing harnesses with water bottles on each side ... maybe training for a trail running or longer distance event? It's definitely Tokyo Marathon training season. 

Nearing Kawasaki along the Tamagawa

The light of the fading day was soft and lovely, as we reached the Torii outside of Haneda. Nils headed back up river toward his home, while I headed along the Bay toward mine. In the end, a ride of 165 kms, or just over 100 miles.  The Strava track is here. 

At Haneda Airport

One of the canals of Shinagawa Ward 

This year has challenged the world. Many have lost much. But there is hope. This ride was a perfect but understated way to transition toward the hope of a new year. It was such a good ride, I decided it would be my last of the year. So on the 30th I just got on my trainer and "rode" the final few kms of the Festive 500 indoors. I did not want to dilute the memory of my susuki, not yet.