Iriyama Pass

Today was the nicest weather since my return from the USA over 3 weeks ago.  Still a bit warm and sticky (for October especially), but nice.

Jerome and I rode a 115-120 km loop over Iriyama Pass / Bonbori Rindo.  All-in-all a nice ride. The pictures tell the story.

The route.  117.5 kms total.  Iriyama Pass / Bonbori Rindo is close to town.
so a good option for a half-day ride.

Blue sky! Familiar territory, but looks quite nice today.

Jerome's cockpit. The phone got a few more cracks in the glass today.
The view in the mirror ... best from other angles.

At the 7/11 at Tokura, Itsukaichi. The sky crowded out the traffic in my mind.

Jerome reaches Iriyama Pass.

A really nice place to change a flat tire on a beautiful day.
Just over Iriyama Pass heading south toward Jimba Kaido.

The sign reads "hou-an-rin" -- Protected forest for water resources.

We take this road back to Jimba Kaido and toward town.
Lots of water in every stream after the rains of September.

GW Ride 2 -- Jet Lag recovery for Jerome -- over Iriyama Pass and Wada Pass

Jerome got back from a family trip last night, so we planned a jet lag recovery (half day) ride today, with an 830AM start.  It was already warm, and the forecast was for a high of 27 or 28 degrees -- more like late June or early July than Golden Week!

We decided to avoid GW traffic by riding the rindos (closed forest roads) from Itsukaichi over Iriyama Pass (Bonbori Rindo), and then up Wada (Daigo Rindo).

A good course -- 124 kms and almost 1200 meters of climbing, in hot weather, with very little to no traffic over the mid portion of the ride.  Now THAT will help Jerome over jet lag.*

Daigo Rindo peaks at 750m elev, about 50 meters above Wada Pass

I get out of the saddle as we enter the Muur de Tokura, entrance to Bonbori Rindo from Itsukaichi side

One of several barriers ... behind which we found a perfectly good, COMPLETED bridge and repaving job.
Why is the road shut?

View from the ridge South of Iriyama Pass -- beautiful new green growth

Exhausted I arrive at Iriyama. No breeze climbing on the back side of the mountain.

Jerome was first up to Iriyama, but on the rindo climb to Wada I felt strong, and pulled away during the second half.   It looked as if the heat was getting to him when he arrived at the pass, or maybe he was just taking it easy, still partly on vacation?

Jerome arrives at Wada, we approached via the Daigo Rindo -- paved except 200m of gravel/dirt at the end.

We stopped for a pasta lunch at a new Family Mart at the entrance to Jimba Kaido, which had a nice flower garden (and bench) in the back.

Caffeine -- the legal performance enhancing substance!

We made good time back into town, despite a bit of a headwind.

*Jerome reports that he made it home and quickly fell asleep.  He awoke around 9PM ... so perhaps our ride was not the perfect jet lag cure.

More Golden Week(end)!

After a Saturday rest day, Jerome and I went on another Golden Week ride on Sunday.  Given anticipated heavy traffic and the spectacular weather, it was time, again, to ride the rindos (forest roads), climbing hills on asphalt behind closed gates.

First ride on the Canyon in a couple weeks.  ... It is nice to be on a carbon framed racer with deep rim wheels once in awhile!

View to NE from Iriyama Pass -- between Wada and Itsukaichi

We made good time out to Itsukaichi, and chatted at the 7-11 there with 2 riders we had passed on the last leg (primarily by being a bit more aggressive at traffic signals, not because of any real difference in speed).  Once we mentioned that we ride Brevets, they immediately volunteered that they were preparing for Tokyo-Itoigawa, one proudly mentioned that he ride with Nalshima whose Kondo-san is Japan's fastest brevet rider and toppled Andy W. last year as Tokyo-Itoigawa champion.  They each had done Toito at least 15 times.

The Koinobori on west side of Wada -- listless in the breeze on Children's Day.

We stop to admire the koinobori.

Ready to continue the descent.

We rode Bonbori Rindo over Iriyama Pass, then Daigo Rindo up Wada Pass, down the back of Wada on Jimba Kaido, then up and over Hime Valley - Bijo Valley on its closed rindo, then back over Otarumi Pass on Route 20.  The rindos were wonderful -- only one car and one motorcycle during the entire time on Bonbori Rindo and Daigo Rindo.   We did not push the pace much until the last part of the ride -- but still got in excellent exercise with our four climbs.  Bijo Valley's road was strewn with rocks on the Southern descent, and each of Jerome and I experienced one flat tube.

On the last rindo, signs to Hime-tani, Fujino Station (via Jimba hotsprings), etc.

Golden Week traffic ... on the closed roads

We stopped for lunch of ramen and gyoza at the top of Otarumi Pass ... on what must be their busiest day of the year.  It was a long wait, but well worth it.

Another spectacular ride -- 4 passes and nearly 2000 meters of climbing, mostly on closed roads, and back home by 4PM, despite delays due to the flat tires and lunch.

Rite of Spring

The upper Daigo River -- near the forest road climb to Wada Pass

Tuesday was a national holiday in Japan, to celebrate the Vernal Equinox.  So Dominic (aka Dave), Graham and I headed for a ride in the nearby countryside.  The rest of Tokyo decided to try to visit the cemetery in the family car.  I saw many lines of traffic, standing, over the course of the day.

Dominic made it to our stop near Itsukaichi, before turning around to get home by around Noon.  Graham and I continued on and did the climb from Itsukaichi over Iriyama Pass and down to the Daigo River ... a mere stream trickling down from the hill north of Wada Pass.

Graham's and my bicycles at Iriyama Pass.  Left to Togura (near Itsukaichi).  Right to Daigo.

As Manfred was kind enough to point out in January, Graham and I took the "Bonbori Rindo" over Iriyama Pass.  At the Daigo (South) end of the forest road, Graham turned left and headed back to Tokyo, while I turned right for the climb up Daigo Rindo to Wada Pass.  Two young Japanese cyclists resting at Wada were shocked to see me emerge from the forest on the gravel path.  We chatted, and I assured them that the road was beautifully paved until the last 200 meters or so.

Hard to imagine a better way to celebrate the arrival of Spring.  Now if only we could get some Springlike temperatures!

Looking to the Northwest from Iriyama Pass.  Spring is coming!