Passenger for Jerome

Jerome and I rode out to Keio SFC on Saturday morning where I had work.  He continued on over Yabitsu Pass.  An 80 km round trip for me, and much more for Jerome. Today he dropped off his front wheel for some maintenance, complete with a passenger on his bike.

Saturday was a gorgeous day for a ride.  This is within the Keio SFC campus.

As I start the return trip ...

Hoppy, Jerome's dog.

Hoppy likes to stay close to Jerome.

Keio SFC Commute

This Fall I continue to teach a class at Keio University's Shonan Fujisawa Campus on Wednesday afternoons.  More often than not, I do the commute by bicycle, around 75-80 kms roundtrip from my home, and around 95-100 kms total if I also make a morning commute into town.

Morning trip into Tokyo on Wednesday ... included Rugelach and coffee at The City Bakery near Hiroo

Foliage at SFC

Winter nears at SFC

This mid-week ride really helps out when I cannot get in a weekend ride ... as this past weekend when I was traveling and only returned to Narita Sunday afternoon.  And now that I have done this regularly for a couple of years, it no longer tires me out noticeably!

Ready to start the ride home -- darkness comes early in December, but with my randonneuring lights this is not a problem.

Mid-week Keio SFC commute

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. 

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.

The nicest stretch

Lots and lots of hydrangeas around Tokyo these days.  Ajisai!

This is where the flowers come from ... 

Almost home -- on the Tokyo side of the Tamagawa, at Futako

Festive 500 ... Makes it 13941 kms for 2014

It is again time for the Rapha "Festive 500" challenge.  Unlike the other Rapha challenges, which just entitle you to an "opportunity" to buy commemorative cycling gear, this one actually has a prize -- a small sew-on patch!

500 kms to ride from December 24 to December 31.

I am off to a good start, as today I rode to my office, then to Keio Shonan Fujisawa Campus to teach a class, then home from SFC -- 98 kms total.  Tomorrow no riding plans, but I hope to get in another 100 kms or so on the 26th.  And on the 28th I plan to ride out with Jerome as he heads for Nagoya ... I should be able to get in well over 100 kms before hopping a train home.  So that would leave under 200 kms left over the 27th, and 29th, 30th, 31st.

I was on the Canyon Shark today with the Gokiso wine red hubs/wide carbon clinchers.  So I set a bunch of "personal records" on the Fujisawa commute.  The bike is fast, and the wheels are really fast, I think my fastest yet for this kind of rolling ride.

I was especially pleased with this one segment.  Ranked 15 out of 369 riders over a 5.6 km TT, one second ahead of professional rider James Machin, aka "Far East".

Yes, I had a bit of tailwind on the trip home ... but that does not explain the other fast times on the way out of town with a bit of headwind!

UPDATE (Dec 31):  With another 201 kms ridden on December 28 ... to Shizuoka over Atami Pass, the Festive 500 was within easy reach, except I caught a cold and was off the bike (except for errands) the next two days.  On the morning of the 31st, I rolled up the Tamagawa to Hino-shi and back, with a few minor loops added in, to stretch my legs and clear 500 kms without, I hope, delaying my recovery from the cold.

Total riding for 2014 -- 13,941 kms.  This is consistent with the past several years.

The basic 4 or 5 days per week bicycle commute of almost 24 kms round trip to Azabu has given me a base of 96-120 kms per week, which adds up over the full year.  The year started slow, with my 2 early season brevets cancelled due to snow and its aftermath, and January through March each below 1000 kms.  April and September were big months, over 1600kms/1000 miles each.  April featured MOB's visit, the Fleche and Nishi Tokyo 300 Brevet.  September featured the R-Tokyo Ise 1000 Brevet.   But really each month from July to December I rode more than 1150 kms.

For 2015, I will get in plenty of mileage, so need to focus a bit more on actually training a bit for specific events.  That said, my main goals are endurance focused:  (1) PBP in August and (2) an SR600 in June.  I would like to add something more speed focused -- if I can get set for Giro delle Dolomiti with MOB and friends, then I will add that at end of July.  Otherwise, maybe some domestic Japanese races with JCRC ...

74 Km Commute

Today was a beautiful day, and it also happened to be the day of the week when I go out to Keio SFC to teach a corporate law class in the public policy management faculty.

So I enjoyed a really, really nice 74 km round trip commute.  My legs are not quite fully recovered from this weekend's brevet, so I took it easy and no records were set, but it was a great day for a ride, even a ride including 15 kms each way on Route 246.  as well as other sections along a river, through neighborhoods, etc.

A few detours as I looked for the shopping center en route with QB House.

One of the nice parts of the ride home!

With 3 commutes to SFC this month, the Fleche (380+kms), the Nishi Tokyo brevet (350+kms), my regular commutes into town, and a few shorter rides, I am now at 1395 kms for the month.  And we have yet to enter Golden Week.