Strava Club Japan launches "Routes of Japan" Collection website

Along the Shimanami Kaido ... the most famous Route of Japan.

I know it is mostly intended as marketing to promote the Strava "community", in collaboration with Cycle Sports magazine (not my favorite ... as they always seem to be promoting what their advertisers are advertising), but this looks like a useful collection of cycling routes around Japan, and one that should grow a lot more useful as more routes are added over time.

In the post on the Strava App that announced this to me, there were links to an interesting route on Kii Peninsula, another one suggesting Route 152 between Hamamatsu and Ueda (Akiba Kaido ... with some odd detours to adjacent valleys), and a third through the mountains of Shikoku East<->West. I can attest that Akiba Kaido is indeed a great route, without the detours, and the others look worth trying!  I hope they continue to develop it (and add English language support for visitors from abroad). 

Routes of Japan is the site.

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 ...