Start of Spring Training - Tokisaka Pass and Nokogiri Mountain

After not much cycling in January and even less in February when at least I swam over 75 kms), Spring training started with a short Onekan ride on Thursday morning, and a somewhat longer, much harder, classic ride up the Akigawa to Tokisaka Pass, then over Nokogiri and back from Okutama-machi to Oume. 

Looking back from Nokogiri (elev ~1000m)

I met Peter J. at "the toilets" (aka Komae-Shi Nishigawara Park) at 730AM. We headed up the Tamagawa, crossing at Route 16, continuing past the Takigahara baseball fields, then up the Akigawa via Mutsumibashi Dori. After a food stop at the Family Mart on Hinohara Kaido just before Tokura, we continued to make decent time to the "T" intersection at Hinohara Village Hall (Mura Yakuba). 

Tokisaka is a lovely climb -- very low traffic (except some places where hikers were walking on the road), varied gradients, varied scenery, and a real reward at the top.  The 300m vertical gain are enough so that, even if you need to turn around and head for home, you can feel like you did some real work. 

We chatted with some hikers, cyclists, and a couple who had arrived by car. Two young women hikers took Peter and my photo, and we took their photo.  We offered the same service to an older male hiker, but he declined. 

Just after the pass, there was a bit of an obstacle course. The first part was a logging operation that stretched entirely across the road.  But the loggers did not seem to mind our marching through carrying our bikes.

Then there were more obstacles --  a big mound of gravel at the beginning of the descent, snowy/icy areas, rocks in the road of all sizes and shapes. A lot more walking was required than the last time I went down this hill. And I still hit a smaller but sharp rock and got a flat.

Eventually we were down this descent and headed back along the Kita Akigawa to the turn-off for Nokogiri. After a gentle climb for the first few kms, the route became steep and the surface very bad -- lots of gravel and other crap entirely covering the road surface. Peter continued to ride ... but I walked quite a long way. I was slower, but not THAT much slower than if I had ridden. At some points there was snow and ice.  Anyway, it was a slog. I remounted and rode a few kms, but needed to walk again high up for at least 5-10 minutes. Finally, we could see the top, then look down from it!

That visible roadway is just one short switchback from the top.

We relaxed a bit at the top -- not TOO cold. I worried that we might need to return down the south side, if the north had more snow. Peter said a motorcyclist he had spoken to informed him that the north side did NOT have snow or ice, except the first few hundred meters. That proved accurate. 

The north side - snow/ice for a few hundred meters, then relatively clear.

It was still a slow descent, sitting on the brakes way too much, trying to be sure to avoid any rocks and handle the steep, technical sections without coming off the bike (it reminded me of the Gunma descent where I DID come off the bike in September 2020 and broke my collarbone ... at least this time it was dry weather and still hours of daylight).

We ate in Okutama-machi, just across from the train station at the "Hikawa Service Station". a lunch place with soba/udon and a delicious ki-no-ko-gohan (mushroom rice).

After lunch, I never really got my engine restarted. I made decent time with Peter back to Oume, but felt the jet lag from last week's travel and waking up at extremely early hours since. I hopped the train. Including the ride from Yotsuya home, the total was around 116kms, with just under 1500m elevation gain. The average speed was very slow due to all that walking and crappy road surface. 

But it was a lovely day on the bike. If I can do a ride of this difficulty, or greater, every week for the next few months, while interspersing some longer brevets (200, 300, 400, 600, and a couple others), I hope I will be able to get ready for Cascade 1400. 

Kobu Pass (Kobu Tunnel) on one of the Hottest Days of this Summer

Peter J. and I decided to ride today, Friday August 27. We knew it would be hot, so planned a relatively early start, and a ride that at least had some options. I wanted to get to Kobu Tunnel and Uenohara area as I have done too many rides on the flats of Kanto or sticking to the Tokyo side of nearby hills recently. I left home at 6:07AM and met Peter at "the toilets" in Nishigawara Shizen Koen near Komae at 6:50. Today I rode the 2011 Canyon Ultimate CF. I plan to lend it to a friend this autumn, and wanted to do a shakedown trip now that I have got the Imezi wheels on it, a longer stem, new cassette, etc.

The Canyon reborn!

Within a few minutes of leaving home, my hands were dripping wet. The handlebars and brifters  on my bike were dripping wet, my skin was glistening in sweat, my iphone glass fogged -- 93% humidity before sunrise. Riding in a sauna essentially. Things eventually dried out, as they got hotter.

We made decent time until the base of the Akigawa, where we filled water bottles. It was a lot easier for both of us to ride together with me on a road bike, rather than the Pelso recumbent (which is too fast on the flats, too slow on the climbs, and no good for drafting). Just after we emerged onto the main road toward Musashi Itsukaichi, Peter realized he had forgotten his sunglasses where we filled the bottles. I pulled into a 7/11 and got a snack while waiting for him to retrieve the glasses and (after quite awhile, apparently not searching for sunglasses but searching for the right road) to find the way back.

Peter, at the spot where he left his sunglasses.

Meanwhile, a guy wearing an "ATF" t-shirt pulled into the 7/11 parking lot on a large motorcycle (Harley or wanna-be). In Japan, alcohol and tobacco are very common and he looked like a user of both, but I had to question the "firearms" part of it, assuming he knows what ATF stands for.

It felt hot waiting in front of the 7/11, even in the shade, and even though it was only 830AM!  Today was not like waiting in the shade for last month's Olympic road races. 

We pressed on toward Itsukaichi and then up the Akigawa Keikoku (gorge). As we approached the "T" intersection, Peter was in front of me and I hollered "Alright! We go to Uenohara!" since the sign at the crossing showed the left turn would take us there. (I had previously told him that to get to Kobu Tunnel, we turn "left at Musashi Itsukaichi, left at the T-intersection in front of Hinohara Town Office, and left at the traffic signal at just over 400m elevation another 10kms further up the road". Left, left, left.  

Peter turned right. ... for Kita Akigawa. I hollered "no, Left, Left". 

After looping around and passing me, he explained that he had heard my "alright" as "right". Fair enough. I was reminded that even though he has been in Tokyo over 30 years, raced bikes as a student, and in recent years since he started to ride again gets out several times a week, he has his own set routes and not explored these hills quite the way that Manfred, Jerome, or I have done, typically staying closer to town. This would be his first trip to Kobu Tunnel -- though he noted that he has been up to Tomin no Mori/Kazahari before. 

The lower Akigawa climb was very nice. It was hot, but not as hot as the Kanto plain. Still, I needed a breather to cool down before doing the short (4 km; 200m elev) climb to and through the tunnel). 

Turn left for Uenohara (and Kobu Tunnel -- or Kobu Pass)

Peter tells me that the tunnel is at "Kobu Pass", and we really should call the climb Kobu Pass, as some Japanese cycling resources do.  But as the winter photo below shows, if there is a pass, it is way, way up on the mountain. In my view, calling this "Kobu Pass" would be is as if one were to take the Sasago Tunnel on Route 20 (Koshu Kaido) and say that you climbed Sasago Pass. We know that indeed, there is Sasago Pass, but that is another 350m elev higher and 5-6 kms away from the Sasago Tunnel on Route 20 (or the parallel tunnel on the Chuo Expressway). 

Anyway, I was starting to fade on the climb in the heat, and Peter waited for me at the top. On Thursday I had been to the weight room for strength training, and I could feel weakness in my entire upper body -- shoulders especially -- on the climb. I guess it may be due to not only the weight room, but also spending so much time on the recumbent and so little on the road biek in recent months. This upper body weakness continued for the rest of the ride. 

It was a quick descent down the South side toward Uenohara. I had no interest in trying the Golf Course Hills in this heat, but we did enjoy taking the small road across the river from Rte 33 (on the East side) for the ride into Uenohara. We stopped again at a convenience store, where Peter took a work-related 11AM call. This store is now a Daily Yamazaki ... I could swear in the past it was something else, and I remember when it had a bench in front. No longer.

By the time the call finished it was 11:20, midday heat. I don't know how hot it actually was, but it got to 37 in Kofu to the west, and 36 in Hachioji to the East. And today (the following day) the forecast is for 36 degrees in Uenohara. For American reference that is a (humid) 96.8 degrees fahrenheit.

I was not going to enjoy riding in this heat. In fact, my speed had slowed pretty dramatically. Peter went ahead to Takao Coffee, while I crept up the climb toward Otarumi. I was only going 10-12kph on a relatively shallow, very easy climb, but my heartrate was near max at 160bpm. I stopped to rest twice on the way up, and arrived at Takao Coffee 15-20 minutes after Peter.  

After a delicious ice coffee and piece of chocolate cake, we headed west. ... except for me, Takao Station was as far as I was going. I hopped the train home and cooled down in a soaking tub. 

110kms and 1000m elev gain was plenty for this weather. At least I got to see the "green" of the Akigawa and upper Uenohara, to breath fresh(er) air, and some exercise.

Fall River in Fall / 秋の秋川

The Akigawa Gorge - 秋川渓谷

Weekend work-related events will severely limit my riding opportunities over the next month, so I was not about to miss the opportunity for a ride on Sunday. Jerome had just returned to town, and Peter also wanted to ride, so the three of us headed out. I met Peter at Meguro, and Jerome caught up with us at Futako Tamagawa.

We made excellent time up the Tamagawa and out Mutsumibashi Dori toward Itsukaichi, then stopped for water and a snack at the Seven Eleven on that road just before the Ken-O-Do under/overpasses. This Seven Eleven used to be in a small shopping mall with other shops, and the doors opened to the East in the direction one rides from approaching from the Tamagawa. Now it is alone with a very large parking lot and the doors open North toward the road. It is newer, and bigger, but still a Seven Eleven!

The Rideable part of Minami Fussa Park

The main attraction at the Seven Eleven was a yellowish lime green Lotus roadster with two women in it who were heading up the Akigawa for lunch somewhere beyond our turn-off. Non-cyclists, they were Japanese but spoke English as if each had lived a long time in the USA. Peter, a car person, told me that an old Lotus roadster is not so expensive, but it did look as if it would be very fun to drive on a winding road through the mountains.

Fun to drive!?!

Descending on lower Bonbori Rindo

At Tokura we entered the Bonbori Rindo and started the climb toward Iriyama Touge. We passed by a "road closed for urgent repairs" notice and went around some pylons to continue. There was earthmoving equipment on the left side, a power shovel to remove debris from Typhoon 19. Was that the repair? Alas, no. We only made it about halfway up the climb before we came upon some more serious blockage -- a pile of logs tossed down the hill along the stream in the torrential downpour of that storm.

Not easily surmounted

We gave up and returned toward Tokura, and within a kilometer or two of the U turn, each of Peter and I had flat tires, leaves and other debris on the road hiding some sharp rocks, I think. We passed several Japanese cyclists doing solo rides up. When we told a man on a road bike about the blockage, he turned around. A woman on a mountain bike continued to get in a bit more climbing and see for herself. We no longer had enough time to do the Kobu Tunnel alternative. But we headed up the Akigawa Gorge (秋川渓谷）to the Hinohara Village Office, then did another U-turn for home, stopping at a couple of the gorge's classic photo spots.

Across from the Hinohara Village Office

The typhoon damage still makes it a bit difficult in places along the Tamagawa. The park south of Mutsumibashi (睦橋), Fussa Minami Koen （福生南公園）was blocked off. Again, we could get around the barrier and ride half way through the park, then walk a bit, then ride the remainder. Others were doing the same. The weather was just about perfect for riding.

I walk my bike in Fussa Minami Park

All clear once we passed this footbridge/debris-catcher

Hinobashi near Tachikawa (日野橋), closed for major post-typhoon repairs.

My total distance was around 140km. Almost exactly the same as last weekend's Fuji ride.  That was a tougher ride by far, with more climbing. Is 140km that the "new normal" for me? I really need to do another 20km or even 30km to enjoy many of the Positivo Espresso traditional rides starting from Takanawa -- to get to Tomin no Mori or through Kobu Tunnel or out over Matsuhime Pass. Other classic rides are even further away. Still, my legs felt strong most of Sunday. I feel as if I am getting into good cycling shape again.

And it was great to ride with friends instead of solo.

Out and back

Glorious "Jason Paul" Ride -- Important Nomenclature Update!

Cyclist heads up the Akigawa going for Tomin no Mori.

Last week I got an email from a student about an assignment. "Prof. David", it began. An unsolicited apology email came about 2 minutes later using my last name instead of first. After learning that Japanese almost never use first names with "san", nothing sounds less natural to me than "[first name]-san" as in "David-san". (well, I've been in Japan long enough so it sounds more natural now that it once did, but still ... only dogs, foreigners, and little girls get called "[first name]-san" in most settings.

A memorial in the Akigawa Keikoku (gorge) -- the flag reminds cyclists to obey traffic rules
And "manner up"!

A day later I needed to write a short recommendation letter for a student who wants to go on exchange from my university law school in Japan to one of our U.S. partner schools. Written in roman characters, the student's first and last names each is a common Chinese family name. And in Chinese and Japanese (and Korean) of course the common order is "family name" then "first name", no comma. I struggled a bit -- should I refer to the student as "Mr. XX", or XX-san, or just "YY" (the first name)? In the Subject line I used "XX, YY" with the comma the clue that family name came first, then in the body of the letter I first used "Mr. YY XX", then later on just used the first name XX -- more familiar and friendly -- to emphasize that I actually know the student.

On the western approach to Wada Pass.

This is a problem more widely for anyone whose first and last names are easily, perhaps intentionally, interchangeable -- family names like David, Duncan, Mason, Paul or many others (or, in recent decades countless girls' first names like Kennedy, Madigan, Monroe, Riley, Taylor ...). And don't forget the character from the book Catch 22, Major Major, who not surprisingly achieved the military rank of ... Major. And given the different ordering in Asia, the problem is far worse.

Ron Paul, the perennial libertarian party Presidential candidate, could just as well be Paul Ron. It is only due to his son, Rand Paul, becoming a Senator and then becoming even more famous by getting beaten up in a fight with his doctor neighbor over lawn mowing and other simmering neighbor feud issues, ending up with six broken ribs in the hospital, that we can remember "Paul" is the family name.

Only a hint of Mt Fuji's shoulder below the clouds looking bac on the climb to Wada Pass.

This brings to mind one of our favorite Positivo Expresso rides, the "Paul Jason", named after a mysterious visitor who joined us on one of our first attempts over this course on a sweltering day back in 2006 (or 2007). He is immortalized and given the honor of having the route named for him. The ride goes out Jinba Kaido, over Wada Pass, through the nasty short climbs of the Golf Course Hills of Uenohara (our name), then up Route 33 to the Kobu Tunnel, down the other side to the Akigawa and back toward town via Itsukaichi.

If you missed this weekend, you will need to wait until next year to see the sakura
 ... along the Tamagawa.

But we rarely ride the "Paul Jason". We enjoy far more the "Reverse Paul Jason". The East side of Wada is a miserable narrow and steep climb, plenty of 15-16%. It is terrible if you meet any traffic and must dismount. The west side is far better, if longer. Likewise, the Kobu Tunnel climb is short and manageable from the Akigawa to the North, but seems really long from the south.

So it was with these thoughts in mind that Jerome and I decided to do the ride yesterday. Why the "reverse Paul Jason", I asked? Why not just the "Jason Paul" ride? Jason could be the first and Paul the family name -- just like Ron and Rand! We took a vote and decided to implement the change immediately. Done.

Tachikawa, along the Tamagawa, still blossoms

Tachikawa. along the Tamagawa

Well, the actual ride took a bit longer before it was "done".  160km distance with 1750m of elevation gain for me.

We met at 810AM along Meguro Dori near Jerome's place, headed upriver and out to Itsukaichi. Jerome complained that his old Look bike was slow, and he was struggling. Something must have gone wrong with it after it bounced on the icy pavement repeatedly as he fell again and again while walking down upper Doshi Michi from Yamabushi Pass a few weeks ago. We raised the seat and made a few other minor changes, and it seemed better.

Random flowering hillside on the Akigawa

Where are the cars? Akigawa Keikoku

There are the cars -- stuck behind Jerome as he "owns his lane".

At the turnoff for the climb to Kobu Tunnel

More mokuren (magnolia) and nadarezakura (weeping sakura)

I felt quite strong riding out to Itsukaichi and up the hill from there. But I was weak by the time we got over the Kobu Tunnel. My stomach was bothering me (Maybe I should not have drank the full 500ml coffee/sugar drink at that Itsukaichi Family Mart?), and as the sugar wore off I was near bonking through the Golf Course Hills. Jerome gave me his "asa banana" spare supplies, and I ate my only energy bar ... enough power to get up the west side of Wada. Jerome again struggled on that climb, and at Wada I got a cup noodle dish and chatted with the only other cyclist up there while I waited.

On the descent of the Uenohara side of Kobu Tunnel

On the lower part of the Wada climb - sakura, tea plants, palms, and more!

It was all downhill from there, but with some gusty winds, sometimes headwinds, the trip was still hard. Anyway, a successful ride and good training for Jerome's attempt next week at the VCR Aoba "Super 400" brevet with its 6000m+ of climbing.

Jerome crests Wada

These nudes are holding up well -- here on Jimba Kaido since the first time I went up it in 2004.

The blue sheet and ropes are not lasting as well as the sculpture. She looks about to free her bonds. ...

Strava link is here.

North Fork Akigawa in late January?

Bright sun, dark shadows. Akigawa Keikoku in Winter.

Sunday was a blustery sunny winter day in the Kanto (Tokyo) region. I was up fairly late on Saturday because of an event, so did not want to wake at 6AM to get out of the house by 6:40AM and to the Tokyo Cranks rendezvous at Futako Tamagawa. Instead I left home around 7:40AM and went direct to the Cranks' end-of-ride coffee location at the Seijo Gakuen Mae Starbucks. After coffee, conversation and a chocolate scone, Nils and I headed up the river.

It may be January ... but already Valentine's Day at Starbucks

"Have a good time"?!
I guess they wore out "have a nice day"?

We rode into a headwind, crossed the Tamagawa at Route 16, and headed out the Akigawa and the Mutsumibashi Kaido to Itsukaichi. This is mostly a flat ride, elevation gain only very gradual heading upriver and inland, so that after nearly 60 kms from my home, we were at just over 200 meters elevation at Musashi Itsukaichi. Nonetheless, the headwind made it hard work pretty much the entire way. We stopped at a 7-11 in front of the train station there and Nils headed back to town. I continued up the Akigawa and entered the Akigawa Gorge (秋川渓谷). I was thinking of going up the climb to Tokisaka Pass, and marveled that it was actually warm enough for me to be heading into the mountains in late January. By now it was after 11AM, and the sun was over the edge of the valley, so there was no danger of ice. I do not think I have ever ridden the Akigawa in late January.

This was once "Motojuku" or "Honjuku" ... now Tachibana bashi.
And Tomin no Mori is now "Forest of Tokyo Citizen"??

The Akigawa is almost dry, just a little flow of water.
Usually I photograph this view with lush greenery and plentiful water in the river ...

In the end, instead of doing the short steep climb to Tokisaka Pass, I just went up the Kita Akigawa (North Fork) to the end. It is maybe 12 kms from the Hinohara Village Office and the Tachibanabashi "T" intersection (the intersection formerly known as 本宿 - motojuku or honjuku) to the end of the main road up the North Fork, where it splits into three smaller roads. But this takes one from 275m elevation up to around 600m, as high as Tokisaka.

The bike pointed right, toward the Kobayashi House and its tiny "monorail"

From this sign, it appears there are some giant white toilets in this region.
Route 205 looks like Kazahari Rindo ... no cars past the mushroom center.

Only 3.9 kms to the Hinohara mushroom center ... and 350 -- 400 meters up? Not today.

Looking back down the North Fork route.

I did a further 1.5kms and 100m elevation up a narrow road (Route 67 on the map) to the parking area for visitors who hike to the Kobayashi House, a 重要文化財 (important cultural artifact) that is up on the mountainside here, from the 18th century. The trails all looked closed off, and the tiny "monorail" was obviously not running in winter.

At the parking lot for the Kobayashi House

I wanted to take the 3 minute hike to Amago Falls ... but the trail was blocked off for repairs.

I turned around and headed for home. My second snack stop was in Itsukaichi, at the Family Mart on Hinohara Kaido between the police station and the Tokura "last" 7-11. As I was leaving, in came Hara-san, an Audax regular. He said he was only 40kms into his ride, having come from Suginami-ku. At that point I was nearly 100kms in and my mind was focused on getting home, so we just exchanged a few words and I headed on. I quickly regretted not having asked him about his 2019 plans, PBP? Other events? But it was too late and I was not going back. 

Crosswind along the Tamagawa

There had been a headwind all the way up the river, and head/cross winds out to Itsukaichi. Fortunately, on the way home the wind was at my back (or side), and I made good time.

In the end, I was back home by 430PM, having done 154kms, with the 45-minute morning coffee stop and 3 other convenience store stops.  I never pushed into the red zone, but I did push and felt pretty strong the entire ride. Not bad. Not bad at all. Strava feed is here.