tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730233429051035621.post2365767769605834982..comments2024-03-12T18:42:09.892+09:00Comments on POSITIVO ESPRESSO: The Missing Expedition - Updated Photosmobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740078823008165116noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730233429051035621.post-47657038516830067982011-01-10T23:04:09.095+09:002011-01-10T23:04:09.095+09:00Jerome, thanks for adding your report recently. It...Jerome, thanks for adding your report recently. It made the whole trip sound even harder than through what we had gathered earlier. Glad it all worked out somehow, even if you didn't make your ultimate goal (which is in full PE tradition, so well done!).Manfred von Holsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16569864868439666760noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730233429051035621.post-41143697031727735552011-01-06T13:52:40.394+09:002011-01-06T13:52:40.394+09:00Richard
You may find this reflective jacket in car...Richard<br />You may find this reflective jacket in car accessories shops. In addition to being very bright it has some windbreaking functions & is big enough to be worn over your backpack.<br />I definitely recommand this type of Jacket which can be found free of charge when you rent a car in FranceFroggyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06337717538769197640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730233429051035621.post-22441462600272791682011-01-06T12:52:12.531+09:002011-01-06T12:52:12.531+09:00Jerome:
Thanks for letting us know how things went...Jerome:<br />Thanks for letting us know how things went after Suwa!<br /><br />Let's ride the Kiso Valley ... after the snow melts.David Litthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09821846303393230109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730233429051035621.post-75797549205840123532011-01-06T08:31:23.804+09:002011-01-06T08:31:23.804+09:00Total ride was 600 kms (missing 70 kms from Yamash...Total ride was 600 kms (missing 70 kms from Yamashina to Ashyia) & took us more than 48 hours including a 12 hour stop in Kiso + 3 hours stop in Mc Donald.<br />I am quite disappointed with this underperformance but will keep such a nice souvenir of this crasy trip which could be done thanks to David, Yutaka & Tomoko, my wife who persuaded me not to do it on my own...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730233429051035621.post-28802209367883037682011-01-06T08:25:46.313+09:002011-01-06T08:25:46.313+09:00When I checked my watch it was 11h15 meaning that ...When I checked my watch it was 11h15 meaning that no way we would make it for New years day on Mount Rokko (120 kms ahead). We were so happy to find a convenience store in the middle of nowhere that we nearly kissed the arbeito. We meet many youngster who were heading up to Suzuka pass temple to celebrate new year day.<br />Back on our saddle we desesperately looked for a temple to celebrate year 2011 but only found a brazilian restaurant which could not even tell us where was the temple supposed to be a few hundred meters... We decided to keep on riding until we were stuck again by heavy traffic & icy road. We decided it was time to stop & rest in the next Mc Donald (it was already 1h30 am). We were quite surprised to meet an American guy stuck with his truck carrying a Keyaki huge piece of wood he had just got. He was coming from Ashiya but had to stop because it took him 3h00 to drive the last 15 kms. for once we all praised the American civilisation for having creating Mc Donald & Japan for having it open 24 hours a dqy. It was time to have a short sleep & charge all our electronic devices. I regretted not to have asked this fellow to give us a ride when he decided to hit the road again at 4am. In fact it was a great decision; all the traffic was stopped again because of snow. After riding 20 km in the traffic jam (we had to slalom around car & our average speed fell to 8km qn our we decided to hop into a train at Yamashina giving up any hope to make it to Mount Rokko.<br />We had a farewell breakfast at Mc Donald in Ashiya where I called David to tell him we were safe...<br />& promised ourselves that we would do it again before it gets too hotAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730233429051035621.post-46040640588241606522011-01-06T08:24:52.005+09:002011-01-06T08:24:52.005+09:00David
First of all thanks for pulling us all the ...David<br /><br />First of all thanks for pulling us all the way to Suwa lake. The first 180 kms allowed me to digest all the good food I ate the previous week. Just after we split it started to rain & soon rain became snow. for a moment I wish I had followed you back to Tokyo. We stopped a few km after (before Shiojiri pass) & decided it was ti;e to have food & get proper equipment against snow & water. After an hour + stop we headed towards Kisogawa valley. I suddenly recognized Shiojiri pass climb as well as the long descent towards next city. We started to climb towards Kiso with a strong headwind. Yutaka kept hidden in my back while I was pushing against the slope & the wind. When it became dark & road became icy we decided it was time to stop meaning that our plan to stop in Gifu had to be cancelled. We definitely decided to stop when I slid on an icy brigde. Fortunately I was going fast enough not to fall down heavily on my shoulder & suffered no pain / bike was also OK. I can imagine the driver surprise when he saw me disappearing right in front of him. Senior Brevet rider Yutaka then explained that I should be careful especially on bridges<br />We jumped in the first ryokan in Kiso village, had a light dinner with a few beers & went to bed. We were ready for a long night knowing that we could not hit the road before 8am to avoid icy roads<br />Next day we left the ryokan at around 8h30 but were soon stopped by a flat tire. I decided that I should not use a new tube but to repair the current one. We also decided to alter our plan to skip icy roads & headed straight towards Nakatsugawa on Route 19. I would not recommand this congested russian moutain road. <br />Route 155 towards Kuwana & route 1 were as congested as route 19 but headwind changed into tailwind.<br />This time we tried bikkuri donkey around Yokkaichi for dinner but were very pissed off when we heard there was no "drink bar" & we could not use their plugs to charge our phones & other electronic devises (Bikkuri Donkey will never be eligible to become a Positivo espresso official stop). Just as we were resting I received a phone call from my wife who was stuck in traffic jam a few kms from our resting place. Again the temptation to ask her to give us a lift was great because Yutaka had just informed me about Suzuka pass hardship (350 m climb) & potentially icy road.<br />No matter we hit the road again & got at the bottom of Susuka pass in no time. As we started to climb we soon faced melting snow & car stopped along the snow< A BMW coupe overtook us at an incredible speed just before sliding, zigzaging & finally stopping in the middle of the road a few inches from me... The shocked driver told us it is Ok but called it quit. The climb was not so steep but resilient cold headwind & snowy road on top of tiredness made it quite difficult (although the view was fantastic), the way down was another story. around 10 cm of snow & freewind cold (- 5 degrees).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730233429051035621.post-30000017593031871902011-01-04T22:01:14.213+09:002011-01-04T22:01:14.213+09:00Thanks for the reflective tips.Thanks for the reflective tips.Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01219562983183739640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730233429051035621.post-62070967215723141972011-01-04T12:32:47.511+09:002011-01-04T12:32:47.511+09:00Richard:
For a reflective vest, I suggest you in...Richard: <br />For a reflective vest, I suggest you include one in your next Wiggle.co.uk order (brand: Altura, Respro or Madison -- search under Lights & Reflectives category) or try Chain Reaction Cycles<br /><br /> ... but if you want a very small and light weight, minimal but quite visible reflective vest Saitama Audax sells one at the start of their events, for 1600 yen. See here: <br /><br />http://audax-saitama.org/reflect/reflect-4.htmlDavid Litthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09821846303393230109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730233429051035621.post-4664268268789714172011-01-02T06:31:51.690+09:002011-01-02T06:31:51.690+09:00I'd like to congratulate Jerome on his sartori...I'd like to congratulate Jerome on his sartorial elegance, particularly those reflective vests (or one vest that folds up on itself?). Did you pick them up in Japan? I am looking for a vest that does the job, but folds up real small.Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01219562983183739640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730233429051035621.post-36675610490758965522011-01-01T12:42:54.923+09:002011-01-01T12:42:54.923+09:00As the guy who has done pretty crazy stuff in 2010...As the guy who has done pretty crazy stuff in 2010 too, including trips that I had to promise I would never blog about, I could not agree any more...<br /><br />Happy New Year to you all!<br /><br />LudwigManfred von Holsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16569864868439666760noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730233429051035621.post-70889223646702446012011-01-01T12:33:29.918+09:002011-01-01T12:33:29.918+09:00Thank you for the update David...I was getting wor...Thank you for the update David...I was getting worried! You worded that perfectly...an easy balmy ride may not be remembered for a lifetime but an ultracrazy tour de force like the one planned and executed by Jerome and his buddy sure will! Well done Jerome !!!the ups and downs of a belgian amateur cyclist in tokyohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10959055533465197463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730233429051035621.post-1635828408778298812010-12-31T21:26:01.075+09:002010-12-31T21:26:01.075+09:00Any updates? This sounds pretty crazy - hope they ...Any updates? This sounds pretty crazy - hope they made it well through today. There were some snowy and icy patches going up on the north side of Yabitsu today, but nothing like on your photos.Manfred von Holsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16569864868439666760noreply@blogger.com