The Spectacular SIR Summer "Gravel Grinder" 600k!

This was the most that Mt. Rainer showed itself during the entire 2 day circumnavigation. ... big tease of a mountain!

The Seattle International Randonneurs' "Summer 600" ride around Mt. Rainier was held this past weekend.  When I first mentioned the idea of joining to Vincent last month, he warned me that this one looked pretty tough.

Sure, there were 6400 meters of climbing, heading up over Paradise on the south side of Mt. Rainier, then back down, then up over Cayuse Pass and Chinook Pass on the east side of Mt. Rainier, then the much lower Ellensburg and Snoqualmie Passes on the return trip.  But 6400 meters of climbing over a 600k brevet (actually, 615k for this route) ... is really not so extraordinary when compared to our rides in Japan.  Jerome and I did a "regular" 600k event back in 2012 or 2013 with Kanagawa Audax that had over 7500 meters of elevation gain.  And my first 600k brevet ever in Japan back in 2010 had at least as much climbing as this one.

Route of the SIR Summer 600, from RidewithGPS

But Vinny was not referring to the climbing.  No, he was thinking of the road conditions.  The route we would travel includes over 150 kms of gravel/dirt surfaced roads and trails, including some very nasty "washboard" sections that will rattle your bones and shake loose your teeth fillings.  I had never ridden any kind of distance on dirt/gravel.  Maybe 10kms on one of the roads near Yabitsu Pass was the most I could recall.  And that was slow going, with cyclocross tires.

The pre-ride report by Mark Vande Kamp pretty much confirmed that this was an incredible, and incredibly difficult, route.  In fact, I really don't need to give a full description of the event since the SIR pre-ride report says it all. As Mark summed it up:

• "we saw volcanoes, glaciers, rivers, rain forests, dry pine forests, shrub-steppe, and sub-alpine environments. We saw an orange moon rise over the ridge. We rode in the silent pre-dawn darkness and saw the pink light on the hills. We had a big 600k experience.

Wow, that sounded attractive to me.

On the other hand, riding 600km on smooth roads is a lot easier than riding it on gravel. This I can now state with confidence.

As Mark also noted:

• "we felt heat-stress, cramps, sleepiness, muscle fatigue, hunger, thirst, hand pain, butt pain, neck pain, nausea, and general discomfort."

Given this report, it was no surprise that only around 15 riders showed up at the start, as Vinny described it, some of the "hard core" of the SIR membership.
In my case, the description of the pre-ride pretty much matched my experience.  I had no real heat-stress or cramps, and no nausea.  But the stiff, constant headwinds from Ellensburg to Hyak were an added challenge late in the event.

On an early unpaved but very smooth stretch Saturday morning between Renton and Black Diamond heading out of Seattle.

Of course, there is an enormous amount of energy absorbed when your wheel slips or gravel slides as you try to push forward. And there is more energy loss as you bump up and down on the surface. And the general rolling resistance is higher.  The two longest unpaved sections were maybe 20kms of awful road between Naches and Ellensburg, and then a very long stretch (60kms?) on the "Iron Horse Trail" over Snoqualmie Pass -- a barely perceptible, gradual climb followed by a slightly steeper (1 or 2%!) descent, then a section on the Snoqualmie Valley trail.  If these had all been paved roads, I am pretty sure I could have completed the ride 3-4 hours faster, or more. The section between Naches and Ellensburg would have taken probably 90 minutes less. And the 100kms on the Iron Horse Trail would have been a breeze.
I was grateful that, even if I had not actually ridden such long gravel stretches before, I have READ about them in Jan Heine's Bicycle Quarterly. And Hahn Rossman, who works with Jan and had been at the 2014 Japan fleche closing party in Kamakura, was on the staff at this event.  Audax really is a small world, and you can see the same people at various events around the globe if you just travel a bit!

Typical stretch of road on the climb to Ellensburg Pass -- average, with a few stretches much worse than this.

Typical stretch (except add washboard) on the descent from Ellensburg Pass.

The SIR organizers/staff for the ride (Ryan, Hahn, Steve ... any others who I missed?) did a great job -- Ryan Hamilton's house served as the start/goal, with a nice place to sit in the side yard/patio (and enjoy a beer) after we wrapped up.  And the overnight control at Naches offered some hot food (and a beer) upon arrival, safe bike storage, coffee and another bite before heading out, and an actual hotel room bed (or part of a bed, for one or two who ended up sharing) to get a few hours of sleep.

The organizers also kindly warned us that the time deadlines on the return leg would be difficult, and that we really should leave Naches around 4AM to make sure to get to the Ellensburg control by the 8:28AM cut off.  That's right, four-and-a-half hours for a segment that is only 56 kms and includes only 600~650 meters of elevation gain, and finishes with a nice downhill? It sounds crazy, and I took it with a grain of salt, not leaving the Naches control until maybe 4:20.  I arrived at Ellensburg with 8 minutes to spare.  One flat tire and I would not have made it.

Heading out of Seattle, Nigel and Cheryl on the tandem down from BC

Vinny early on, riding his 650Bx42 tire titanium brevet machine.  I did not see him between maybe km 140 and the finish.  He left Naches at 3AM and was many hours ahead at the finish, as expected.

Riding gravel requires different equipment selection.  I was very glad to have the Oregon Randonneur bike with 700x30 Grand Bois tires still in good condition and inflated to 70~75psi (I let out a bit of air at Naches so was probably at 60~65psi on the return).  I made it through the entire event with no, that's right zero, flat tires or tubes.  The only rider who completed the event on a road bike with 700x23mm tires, Mitch, had 3 flats and finished after me, despite being a much faster rider.  I might have been even happier if I had had a bike equipped with 650B x 42mm tires.  Vincent and others on 650Bx42 could ride the gravel with more confidence, more speed and less slippage. 

The Oregon randonneur with a 3-bottle set up and no fenders again.

I made good time as far as the 128km Eatonville control, remembering some of the route from Cascade 1200.  I struggled between Eatonville and Longmire, fatigue setting in and lack of sleep in the prior few days of transit/early wake-up catching up with me. 

A U.S. convenience store - typically attached to a gasoline station.
This one, in Black Diamond, did have hot breakfast biscuit sandwiches (non-McD egg mcmuffins).

Typical of the roads between Black Diamond and Eatonville

Looking back toward Ohop Lake between Electron/Clay City and Eatonville

The last 15kms to Longmire followed a national forest road.  This was dirt -- or more accurately mud -- at least at the beginning.  There was a local fellow standing beside his parked car at the entrance as I rode by.  He asked "are you heading to Longmire"?  "Yep".  "Well, you must be going the right way because I've seen 4 others come by. Good luck."  The "good luck" was delivered with a kind of skeptical "you must be crazy to head up this road" sense to it.  

Pre-modern gasoline stand at Longmire, in Rainier National Park, where we rejoined the main road to Paradise.

Anyway, my fatigue did not lift at Longmire, where I ended up taking only a short rest and filling my water bottles and chatting a bit with John and Shiggy, two of the other riders.  800+ meters of climbing left from Longmire to Paradise.  In my condition I figured the only way would be to divide it up into shorter segments, with short rests.  I did so, 200 meters elevation gain at a time, and made it to Paradise after 5PM, but still more than 2 hours ahead of the deadline.

On the climb to Paradise

Paradise!  But still a bit more climbing left to the visitor center/control

The section of the ride between Paradise and Cayuse Pass was spectacular.  I have never been (or at least do not remember) traveling this SE side of Mt. Rainier.  The old growth forest was beautiful, the roads were not crowded.  I want to go back. 

Looking South across a meadow at Paradise

Old growth forest on the SE side of Rainier, just past
"Grove of the Patriarchs. I almost expected to see an Ewok, or a Sasquatch, or at least a black bear.

The road toward Cayuse Pass, Washington Rte 123

Looking back at Rainier -- barely visible

Descending to the East on the SE side of Rainier

And I felt recovered enough to climb to Cayuse and Chinook without any major problems.  I was far back in the pack at this point, but at Paradise, Ryan had told me there were still 4 riders behind me.  And even though Shiggy had gone ahead, I could see John's tail-light at various points on the climb to Cayuse, and caught up with him before Chinook.  We started the descent together, and eventually I went ahead, feeling full of energy and enjoying the tailwind.  We were together again at the control in Cliffdell, where we entered the bar and enjoyed some country music while getting some (non-alcoholic) refreshment.  John needed food, so I pressed on and was at Naches at 12:50AM, fed, showered and in bed by 1:30AM for a 4AM wakeup.

Pink morning clouds before 6AM on Sunday 

We saw a lot of beautiful sky, clouds, and stars on this brevet

The second day was all about time management.  8 minutes to spare at Ellensburg (km 397.3), then a miserable headwind from Ellensburg to Cle Elum (made much easier by Hugh, as we traded pulls until I ran out of gas at some point and he did most of the pulling).  Then the long gravel slog over the Iron Horse Trail (see pre-ride report for details on conditions -- I would only add that the deep gravel around various gates along the trail made it all much harder.  I got to the North Bend control (km 533.8) with 10 minutes to spare, following Jeff the last few kms.

Yakima River between Ellensburg and Cle Elum. Miserable headwinds here.

A few miles outside of Ellensburg

I only snapped one photo at the west exit to the tunnel at Snoqualmie Pass.  Not a moment to waste.
The tunnel was over 4 kms long, and unlit, with an uneven floor and some dripping water from the ceiling.
I passed a few cyclists and at least 30 walkers inside.

From North Bend, it looked like there was plenty of time to get to the Woodinville control, and I joined (and then passed) 3 riders - John, Hugh and Jeff - on the trail after North Bend, so it would be easy, right?  Then I noticed that it was almost 30 kilometers from the Woodinville control to the finish, but Woodinville closed at 916PM, while the finish deadline was 10PM.  Only 44 minutes for 27.6 kms? No way!  Yes way.  The course was 616.2 kms in length, but the time deadline was 40 hours -- standard for any 600km brevet.  So the last 16.2 kms did not get any time allocation.  Fortunately, I was able to get to Woodinville around 825PM, after dark now, but with plenty of time for the last 27.6kms. 

My Garmin died, and my mind was confused.  As I continued beyond the Woodinville control I looked at my cue sheet for navigation and pulled out my phone and tried to load the ridewithgps route. I would need it with no cyclecomputer or measure of distances. It looked as if I was supposed to join yet another trail in Woodinville.  I was fumbling around in the dark, grabbing some food from my bag and trying to figure it out when John, Jeff and Hugh came by, across the street.  

I hopped on the train and rode with them all the way to the finish.  This last 25 kms was reminiscent of the end of the Cascade 1200, when we rode in a nice group at a relaxed pace from the last control, near the "lanterne rouge" position.  

3+ kms later that we joined the trail I had been looking for -- the Burke Gilman Trail.  This trail is PAVED, and WIDE, and includes underpasses for busy intersections, and it took us all the way to the Univ. of Washington Campus and beyond, over 20 kilometers of easy, relatively flat riding, much of it along the NW shore of Lake Washington.  I was thinking "if I ever live in Seattle, this is an area where I could live and easily get into town - at least to the university - by bicycle."  At one point, Hugh reminded John, our pace-maker, that we could not be TOO relaxed, since we had slowed to around 15kph, and had only one hour to go the remaining almost 15 kms.  We sped up.  Jeff zoomed off ahead.

And so, as we rolled up to Ryan's house at 9:46PM Sunday, with 14 minutes to spare, then sat down and enjoyed the post-ride beer and some nice food, Randonesia had already begun to set in.

Then it was back to my hotel and off to sleep.  A deep, deep, satisfying 9 hour sleep, followed by a short day of activity then another deep, deep long sleep of 10+ hours on Monday night.  And more long sleep on Tuesday night.

Thank you, SIR, for a great 600k experience. 

Randonneuring in Oregon, on the Oregon Randonneur Bike

On Saturday I joined the Oregon Randonneurs' ("ORR") 400km Lebanon/Dee Wright Observatory Brevet, in near perfect weather.

This was the first time I have ridden a brevet in Oregon (Portland, Oregon being my hometown and where my parents still live). It also was my first brevet on the custom, purpose-built "Oregon Randonneur Bike" that Bob Kamzelski of Bantam Bicycle Works built for me last year and I initiated at Cycle Oregon 2015.

Vincent, who came to Hokkaido for the 1200km in July, made the trip from Seattle for this one, and I joined him and another SIR member, Audunn, for dinner on Friday evening near the start.

Of course, brevets are unsupported long-distance events, usually very spartan. Some Audax clubs go out of the way to provide some refreshments, or a manned "control point", a snack or a cup of soup at the finish.  Of course, the longest and largest events provide more -- meals, showers and sleeping facilities along the way. I was told the Oregon rides are at the spartan end of the spectrum.  The pricing (free entry) certainly matched.

Indeed, this ride had only 8 participants on 7 bicycles (one tandem), including 3 from the Washington-based Seattle International Randonneurs club, one from the east-of-the-mountains Desert River Randonneurs and myself visiting from Japam.  (There was another Oregon ride the same weekend -- a 600km -- and both were styled as "makeup rides" for anyone who had missed another earlier in the year).  The ORR representative who staffed the ride emailed us in advance to warn that he would be joining the ride, so riders would need to show up  at 5AM sharp or be left without a card (but also, no worries, if we lost or rode without a card -- it would all be figured out in the end).  It was a welcome relaxed approach to the brevet rules, in contrast with Japanese "a rule is a rule" bureaucracy.

The ride had two challenges for me: first, nearly 3800 meters of climbing, and second, extremely limited opportunities to get food and water en route.  No 24 hour 7-11 or Lawson convenience stores. No vending machines by roadside in the middle of nowhere like in Japan.

Elevation profile for the initial 260 (out of 400) kilometers - 3 long climbs, 2 of them with over 1000 meters elevation gain.

We started at 5AM sharp from Lebanon, Oregon, a town on the eastern edge of the Willamette Valley SE of Albany (which is South of Salem and North of Eugene).  It was still pitch dark, unlike a 5AM start in Japan.  After a warm up stretch on dark country roads, we eventually started a long climb up a paved National Forest road that peaked out at km 96 or so at around 1250 meters elevation.  I was a bit worried that with US Route 20 to the south closed down temporarily, there might be extra traffic on this road.  I needed have worried. There was almost no traffic.

Dawn at the reservoir East of Sweet Home, Oregon

Ward and Audunn climb ahead

Who is that big shadow?

View from the top toward the East

Along the climb, which paralleled a reservoir then creek, there were many families camped -- trucks and SUVs, tents, tables and cooking gear all visible, with the occasional boat or dog.  I rode with Ward and Audunn of SIR until about the 70 km mark, as the road turned up and I fell back.  As usual, Vinny started slow and then just got faster and faster.

Inside the restaurant at Marion Forks. The river runs just beyond the patio in back.

The first control was at the restaurant at Marion Forks.  It was only when I got there (11AM) that I recognized the name or place -- I had driven by it many times on the North Santiam highway en route from Detroit Reservoir to the Sisters/Black Butte/Bend area.  I was looking forward to an early lunch, so was a bit disappointed to see Ward and Audun settling up as I entered.  They had had some pie and stocked up and were heading out.  I sat down and ordered meat loaf.  They were out, so I switched to a hamburger.  As I was waiting for my burger, Ron and Kathy pulled up on their tandem, with Bill. They got their brevet cards signed and headed back to the bike.  What, no food?  Kathy explained that the following weekend they were doing a series of 3 rides out of Baker City, each of which required that you carry all the needed food (and water). This was a training run for them and they were fully stocked on the tandem.

I was still waiting for my burger a few minutes later when Vinny pulled in around 1125AM and showed me how it is done. Instead of ordering from the menu, he asked the waitress "what do you have that is fast"?  After rejecting a few choices, she finally suggested a sandwich.  He ordered one to eat at the counter, and one to go.

I amended my order to add a turkey sandwich to go.  His sandwiches arrived before my burger!  He got the check and settled up while eating, ... so I followed suit.

In any event, we headed out at the same time and were together on the first few climbs, until he pulled away. I saw Vinny again at the last water stop before the climb to McKenzie Pass/Dee Wright Observatory (the Ollalie at Mckenzie Bridge campground), and as he descended from the pass while I still climbed.  He finished in around 21 hours, way ahead of my 23 hrs 45 mins.

The stretch after Marion Forks was for me somehow by far the hardest.  We climbed up almost as high as the pass we had come over, then had a long descent punctuated by some intermediate climbs.  But the entire stretch of 50kms was the shoulder of a busy road, and with direct sunlight and warm temperatures.  The heat was nothing like Japan, but it was still mid-day heat and sun, with speeding traffic nearby, and already nearly 2000 meters elevation gain and 150kms under the belt.  I was very happy to finally, just after 3PM, reach the entrance to the climb up to Dee Wright Observatory and realized that the winding road had little traffic and plenty of shade.

Now the main event!

I was tired and hot on the climb, despite the shade and moderate (for summer) temperatures.  At least I knew it would just get cooler as I climbed.  And I had filled 3 bottles at the Olallie campground, so would have plenty of water.  Right?  Well, I started climbing around 500 meters elevation and would be going to 1600.  By 750, I had already used 1 1/2 bottles as I slowed from exhaustion.  I pulled off at a campsite/trailhead, borrowed an empty picnic table in a "day use" area and lay down for a good, 10 minute nap.

A beautiful view lying flat on my back.

Before I left I approached a family campsite wtih 3 huge coolers.  I asked the mother if they had any spare drinking water.  She pulled out a 500ml PET bottle of water (the kind they sell at Costco?) and handed it to me.  Saved by the kindness of strangers. With this reserve and the cooling weather, I regained my confidence.

Around 1100 meters elevation, Ward and Audunn passed me heading back on the descent.  A bit further it was Ron and Kathy on the tandem, riding with Bill.  And not far apart Vinny, just as I started the long (10kms?) flattish stretch at the top toward the pass.

Finally a (mostly) flat section around 1400 meters elevation.  ~10kms and 200-250m up to the pass.

It was 6PM by the time I got to the observatory at the pass, and I sat down for some food, rationing my last bottle of water sip by sip. I was a bit worried about the headwind, VERY stiff at the top of the hill, that I would ride into on the return (fortunately, it was not a problem beyond the very first stretch).

Getting closer to the pass now. Lava flows abound.

The cue sheet required us to answer a question about the sign on the door to the restrooms at the observatory monument. There was an unmarked building that LOOKED like a restroom, but without any markings, and with a sign on the wall, not either of the doors.  The night before Audunn had said something about needing to ride a few hundred meters beyond the pass ... so I took a spin down the East side to see if there was another parking lot and more obvious control point and restroom. There was not, so I climbed back up, investigated and confirmed that, sure enough, the unmarked building was the restroom and the sign on the wall must have been the one intended.

North Sister and Middle Sister, from near McKenzie Pass

A nearly identical view.

In any event, I was still at the summit when Paul arrived, the last of the 8 riders. I was delighted to have some company and we rode relatively close together as far as the next control, 40 kms down the hill at the McKenzie Bridge General Store.

Is that South Sister just over the ridge on the descent back to McKenzie Bridge?

The store had very limited choices for food that could be eaten on the spot. Lots of junk, and some groceries and frozen food that required preparation. At least there was yogurt, an ice cream bar (my body craves milk products at this point in a long ride) and hot coffee.  On a second trip into the store I ventured into the "courtyard" out back, which I realized was where the restaurant is located.  Next trip, I will head straight for the restaurant, and ask for something fast.

But for now, there was not a moment to waste.  Paul told me to go on ahead as he wanted to keep to a deliberate, steady pace -- a tortoise to my hare -- and I rode alone the last 145 kms of the ride (except seeing Paul once more, coming into Coburg as I was leaving).  It was a fast 60 kms stretch on the highway along the McKenzie River to a turn off to Camp Creek Road.

On Camp Creek Road there was no traffic, after midnight now, and I could incredible stars, the milky way visible together with thousands of others. Perfect temperature; my body not complaining.  What a joy.  This is the kind of stretch that brought me to randonneuring back in 2010, and it is always welcome.

I made excellent time to the next control at Coburg, as my Garmin track shows.  Well, actually, my aging, always buggy Garmin Edge 800 crashed just before Coburg. It seems to have deleted my recording for this entire stretch in doing so. Anyway, I just needed to "bring it home" the last 60kms, which began with a straight, flat stretch of around 20kms.  I was thinking I could finish by 4AM or so, but then the road headed into foothills.  A few short climbs set me back, and I ended up rolling in at 4:43AM.  At the all-night gas station where we got our proof-of-finish receipts, the guy manning the gas pumps seemed to have full knowledge of what I was doing and who I was with.  He asked about the other rider, and I assured him "Paul should be along before long."

And then it was done.  No celebration.  The early riders already packed up and gone, somewhere. Vinny and Audunn back to eat and sleep again at their hotel.  I loaded up the car, got some drive-through food and coffee at the local McDonald's, napped for 30 minutes, and drove back to Portland, where I showered, bathed, and went into a deep, delightful recovery sleep.

From Friday -- Hokkaido 1200

Tomorrow I go to Hokkaido with Jerome (and many other friends) for the early Friday morning start of the Hokkaido 1200, Asia's most storied 1200 kilometer Audax event.  This is a "revenge" effort after the 2014 version was cancelled mid-event due to road closures from a typhoon.  This time (hope I do not jinx it) the weather forecast looks much better.  Stay tuned.  The blog is about to come back to life.  And I hope not as a zombie!

Hokkaido 1200 -> Hokkaido 483; H2O Version

Jerome and I arrived in Sapporo on Wednesday afternoon, and were greeted by dark storm clouds and rain-- the influence of massive Typhoon No. 8 felt thousands of kilometers ahead of the storm itself.  The typhoon was forecast to land in Kyushu and move along the islands of Shikoku and Honshu to the East, approach somewhere near Tokyo, then head off into the Pacific Ocean, far to our south.

By late afternoon we had made it to the start/goal location, at "Satoland" in NE Sapporo.  We met many old friends -- the more devoted Japan Audax riders who tend to show up for the longer, crazier events, and the event organizers who included both AJ Hokkaido and Japan Audax leaders.  Lots of familiar faces from the 2012 Tohoku 1700 brevet week.  Kiwa-san of AJ Hokkaido, who rode Rocky Mountain 1200 far faster than I, greeted me.  Inagaki-san shared his meticulous ride plan -- always a source of useful information, sometimes critical to success.  Take Kawano, of Audax Saitama, who volunteered for the first 600km ride Jerome did, back in 2011.  Maya Ide, who organized the Fleche this year, and was on duty to help the foreigners.

  

There were also a number of non-Japanese riders.  Mostly a big group from Taiwan (including Yiping, who stayed in the same hotel as me at PBP), but also some Germans, Australians, and others.  A few whom I met and spoke and/or rode with included:

--Lothar, a German who lives in the U.S. and, according to Maya Ide, was the person responsible for bringing Audax events to Korea when he lived there at one point; 

--Vincent, a Nigerian who is a doctor in, and longtime resident of, the Seattle, Washington area.  He is a very active member of the Seattle International Randonneurs.  Vincent had just completed a 2100 km event in Sweden, and rides multiple 1200km events every year in the U.S., Australia, Europe and elsewhere.  He did the "pre-ride" for the 2012 Cascade 1200.

--Alexander (Alex) Neumann, a German who was at Schwalbe Tour Transalp in 2009, when Jerome and I rode, at the Rocky Mountain 1200 in 2012, and London-Edinborough-London in 2013.  Alex organizes rock music festivals and fundraises for charities when he is not riding his bike. 

--Peter Heal, an Australian who rides a recumbent and, according to Vincent, holds some kind of record for the fastest time crossing the Australian continent via bicycle.

The traditional pre-ride briefing, on a grander scale

In any event, we were off and on the road at 8:40PM.  The roads were wet with plenty of big puddles of standing water and rain off and on, harder then lighter.  After a few kms of turns we eventually joined Route 275 headed to the NE, and enjoyed a tail wind for the next 50 kms.  Riding in a group, often with Jerome, Vincent, Asano-san from Audax Saitama and a number of the Taiwanese riders, we made great time.  Jerome pulled most of the time, though I spelled him once in awhile.  We were at the first control point (100.6kms) before midnight.

The rain picked up, and the wind shifted so it was mostly cross- and head- rather than tail-wind.  No more riding in a big group, but Jerome, Vincent and I stayed together.  It turned into a long slog, especially when we needed to fight the wind.  I fell back and only caught Jerome and Vincent when they waited.  In any event, we got to the second control at Lake Kanayama, in the wee hours before dawn.  Light food was served and we could take a "power nap" in a darkened room, then up again in 25 minutes to continue.

Vincent

Jerome, post power-nap

Lake Kanayama -- a brief respite

It was already light out, of course, just after 5AM, and I saw a group of about 10 tiny, tiny deer scurrying through a field as we passed between them and the Lake a few minutes after the control point.  The rain stopped for long enough that the pavement started to dry ... and then it started to rain again, hard.

I struggled mightily on the climb to Karikachi Pass, Elev 644 meters, no power.  Bonking?  Or just fatigued from an overnight ride of around 200 kms at this point?  I ate one bar after another, and the banana I had brought along from Lake Kanayama.  In any event, Jerome and Vincent waited for me at the top -- joined by a number of other riders.  I just rolled on and started the descent, worried that I had consumed nearly all my food on the climb and unsure where we would find the next services.

Karikachi Pass, Elev 644m.  Highest point of the ride.  High point?

Descent into rain and clouds ahead

We finally found a "Seikomart" in Kuttari, about 22 kms from the top of the pass.  Even pasta and other convenience store food did not restore me, and Vincent and Jerome again quickly went ahead on the short climb out of the town.  After about 10 minutes, Goto-san of Kinki Audax went by with her 2 riding partners.  She was waving a wallet, asking if it belonged to me.  No. Must be Jerome's.  (In fact, it was Vincent's).  This sprint up the hill by Team Goto was above and beyond the call of duty, and took a lot out of them.  Indeed, I passed them later on.  

We had several long stretches of straight roads.  We would go to the North many kilometers, into a headwind and with a seemingly endless 1, 2 or 3% uphill.  It was a challenge even to keep at 20 kph.  Then we would turn East for another long stretch, wind from the side/rear, and a long 1 or 2% downhill, much better!  Then north again, and the same slog as before.  Why isn't this area flat?  Why does it slope down to the South and East?  This entire area was agricultural -- fields with a wide range of crops, and dairy farms of Tokachi.

Jerome, who recently worked on a cheese "joint production" venture for a France-based cheese company in Hokkaido, said the Tokachi area is Japan's leading dairy region, but each farm has an average of only 15 cows.  Hardly critical mass or economically viable.

The worst of the rain came as I passed Lake Ashoro and descended a hill into the town of the same name.  I rode through the town another 4 kms to the control (another 7-11 convenience store), where Jerome and Vincent were waiting.  They were surprised to see me only 10 minutes or so after they arrived -- a sign of my on-the-bike recovery somewhere after Kuttari.  Jerome insisted it was time for a proper lunch, rather than more convenience store crap.  So we rode all the way back through town to find a restaurant that served steak, among other things, and could handle 3 soaking wet cyclists.  They found some chairs we would not destroy with our dampness, and bought is bath towels as well to help dry out.  The food was good and the detour of only an hour and 8 kms extra riding was a reasonable trade-off for the warmth.

We headed out again and passed the control point a second time.  We arrived together at Rikubetsu, where Jerome and Vincent stopped for some liquids at a convenience store. I continued and started the next very gradual climb, to Misono Pass.  After more 1-2-3% climbing on Route 242, the route turned onto Hokkaido Route 113.  I welcomed the real climb of 6-8% gradient, since it suggested I could get to the top in only a few kilometers, as proved to be the case.  Then it was a very nice, easy descent from the pass down into Kunneppu, and a turn to the East and down the valley to Kitami.  Great, the Kitami control was our target for our first real sleep.  We had beds waiting, food, our drop bags with dry clothes and extra chamois cream -- everything we needed. 

As it turned out, the control point was located at least 5 kilometers to the SSE of Kitami, and required us to pass through most of the city, then ride up a small valley to the base of a ski area.  My pace slowed noticeably on this valley.  But it was around 5:30PM when I arrived, only slightly off my long-term ride plan.  Jerome and Vincent arrived around 15 minutes later.  They make a great riding pair, whereas on these long rides I like to trade off between riding with others and alone and without worry or pressure about pace.  In fact, I think Vincent might have persuaded Jerome to get some fenders on his next bike, so he can ride these events with SIR without being treated as a leper ... 

From Sapporo to the Kitami Control Point

Maya Ide was one of the staff working the control reception, and she warned us that the Japanese weather service had issued warnings for the area we were about to ride through -- strong winds, heavy rains, and lightning.  The typhoon had accelerated and its remnants would pass much closer to the eastern tip of Hokkaido (Cape Nosappu) than earlier predicted.  We could continue, but at our own risk, and should be on watch for dangerous conditions.  Of course, we would have a vicious headwind for much of the next 200 kms to the Cape and turn-around.

We decided to get a decent sleep, wake at 1030PM and leave the control at 11PM.  I was assigned a tatami room with Lothar and Alex.  They said that they would wake at 830PM, and in fact Alex said later that Lothar's alarm had gone off before 8PM.  I slept through it all and got up as planned at 10:30PM.  4.5 hours of sleep = 3 REM cycles.  After another quick bite to eat and some preparation, and I was ready to go.  At 11PM Vincent and Jerome looked in no hurry.  Same at 11:05PM.  So a few minutes later, around 11:10 I announced to them that I would head out first.  I think by now they expected this.  They would catch me eventually, no doubt.  According to Jerome, they did not leave until 11:30PM, and only Vincent caught me, a few minutes before the top of Bihoro Pass.

In any event, it was a fast ride from the Kitami control to Bihoro town, then a stop for coffee at a 7-11, and the wee hour climb to Bihoro Pass, around 500 meters elevation.  The climb was not steep, and the road was good, despite rivulets of water.  At one point I saw a large white-bottomed deer that raced away from me along the road.  This seemed a different species from the miniature animals of the prior morning.

From Kitami Control to Bihoro Pass ... and back again

I was alone most of this stretch, but could often see a red tail light of the cyclist ahead, providing a goal for me to reach and pass.  It seemed as if I passed at least 10 riders between the control and Bihoro town, and another 10 between the town and the pass.  I think many of them were the same people, as my coffee stop gave up any time advantage I might have gained.

It was around 1:45AM by the time I got to Bihoro Pass, amid sheets of rain.  I was surprised to see a big group of riders at the pass-side parking lot and facilities.  One of the organizers waved me off the road, and we were given the bad news.  The police had closed roads around Nemuro/Cape Nosappu due to the storm, and so we could not continue.  The Hokkaido 1200 was officially cancelled.  The mood was surprisingly festive, riders enjoying each others company and having fun battling the elements.  Somehow it was OK not to finish since the organizers had made this decision -- or rather had it made for them by the police and public safety authorities.

Huddling in the vending machine lobby at Bihoro Pass

Party at the Pass!  Close that door.  No, it is automatic -- do not touch it, just get out of the way!

Heated mens room!

Sorry, but you cannot go down the SE side of the hill.  But still smiling in the wet, dark and cold.

We chatted with the other riders at the pass for awhile, then headed back toward Kitami for more sleep. Others who waited longer said there was a spectacular view after dawn.

The rain had stopped to the NW by the time we approached the control, and we even saw blue sky at time!  Of course, when I next saw a weather forecast on TV, the total expected rainfall for Thursday to Saturday morning for Hokkaido was supposed to be over 300 millimeters.  That is 30 centimeters, or ONE FOOT of rain.

Some riders decided to head back to town by bicycle, via Asahikawa to shave off a bit of distance (and add some climbing) on the return.  Higuchi-san, Aichi-based member of our Fleche team, said he was heading for Cape Nosappu.  The storm was long gone by Friday afternoon, and he wanted to at least see the "eastern end of the world" as the ride promotions had promised.  

But we decided to head back by van to Sapporo, no interest in a long meandering ride after nearly 500 kms of the event and then the letdown.  I rented a van and we drove back to Sapporo with Alex, Vincent and Jerome and our bikes.  We drove over beautiful Sekihoku (Rock-North) Pass. We picked up Vincent's gear that the Sapporo Nada Inn, then stopped at the Sapporo Beer Garden for 100 minutes all-you-can-eat/drink "Genghis Khan" grilled lamb, vegetables and beer, then it was back to Satoland for bike dis-assembly, packing and sleep.  On Saturday morning we awoke early, headed to New Chitose International Airport, dropped off the van and hopped our flights back to Tokyo.

Two Positivo Catteni riders join us for a photo as we near the end of our Genghis Khan feast.

It was a huge let down to have the ride cancelled ... but still a great adventure, with new friends made along the way!  I cannot wait for the next event! And of course, we will look forward to seeing Vincent, Alex, Lothar, Peter, Yiping and the Taiwanese team and all our Japanese friends next year at PBP.