My new Canyon frameset left Koblenz, Germany on Friday the 16th. It made it to Narita (via Shenzhen and United Parcel Service) on Thursday the 22nd, just before this 3-day weekend. I hope it will actually get delivered early this coming week.
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Last weekend, on Sunday the 18th, Didier and I rode in muggy weather up Wada Pass via the Rindo approach. On the climb, my first trip to Wada since before summer, I somehow got into my head that Wada Pass had an elevation of 600 meters, 210 meters higher than Otarumi ... but eventually as the road kept headed up, was forced to acknowledge that the top is 700 meters. Of course, the Rindo approach we took goes another 40 meters or so higher to 740 meters elevation, before you approach the Pass descending along the spine of the ridge.
We returned via the "main" road down from the Pass - Jimba Kaido - and saw many Japanese riders suffering in the heat, struggling to turn over their cranks, or resting by the roadside having abandoned part way up the climb -- five years ago that would have been me! And at one point, a car I had been stuck behind met 3 cars coming up the road on a narrow stretch -- instant gridlock that allowed me to pass and continue the climb without any traffic. ... No photos though. Thanks Didier for a nice ride.
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| Saturday September 24. The Cervelo enjoys a well-deserved rest in dappled shade and a cool breeze, outside a courtyard restaurant on the hillside above the South shore of Sagami-ko. |
Yesterday, Saturday the 24th, I rode with Fumiki, Tim, Thomas and Travis of TCC on their
O-Toge time trial. It was nice to enjoy a true Cat 1 climb and beautiful weather in the countryside on the 2007
Cervelo R3 SL. I suspect I can count on one hand the remaining
rides on this frame, which has served me so well these past 4 years.
A question for Positivistas everywhere: if by obscure tradition some Japanese cycling clubs insist upon burying a punctured tire tube at the end of its useful life, what does one do with an older, slightly scratched up carbon frame? Maybe touch up the scratches with paint and hang it on a wall? Maybe sell it on Yahoo auctions ("rare XL (61cm virtual) size not sold at Japanese retailers, only crashed a few times, rarely raced, AS IS condition")?
Maybe apply the
Transalp elevation profile decals again? Add some other custom markings with my name such as:
"Paris-Brest-Fresnay sur Sarthe, 2011 Metric Millenium",
"Schwalbe TOUR Transalp Finisher, 2009 and 2011",
"Tokyo Itoigawa Fast Run, 2008 and 2011"
"Etape Acte 2, 2011, 1390th place",
or even the undeserved
"JCRC Class C Racer"?
Does it need some personalized high points to accompany the manufacturer's small "Paris Roubaix 2006, Fabian Cancellara" decal and the Positivo decal on the seat stays, or would that just clutter up an attractive design?
