Minami Miura

As planned, I took a ride on the southern part of the Miura Peninsula today, with Andrew Edsall. Jerome slept in after a home party with visiting friends from France.

Weather and views were spectacular. It was a great start to the new cycling year. Not a long ride, just over 50kms, and a relaxed pace throughout. I think the pictures speak for themselves.

Random roadie we passed - many like this.

Approaching Jogashima - Izu Oshima in the distance?

Izu across the Sagami Bay

The winter's ride lunch tradition - maguro-don at Jogashima

Breezing Up!

First sakura

January 3 - Miura Tip Ride

After two days off the bicycle (today and tomorrow), I plan to ride the Miura Peninsula tip on January 3.

If you would like to join, I suggest meeting at the Yokosuka Chuo Station (Keihin Kyukou -- NOT to be confused with the Yokosuka JR station) entrance at 930AM and have bikes assembled and on the road a few minutes later. If you go by train, it is less than 50 minutes from Shinagawa by express on the Keihin Kyukou). Or you can switch from another like to Keihin Kyukou at Yokohama Station.

The "main" ride would be from Yokosuka Chuo along the coast and ending at Misakiguchi Station -- about 48 kms on the route I suggest. It is also possible to ride down (adding another 55+kms) and/or to continue on around the west side of the peninsula to Kamakura, Enoshima and beyond.

The proposed "main" route can be seen here:

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/26662392

We can get an early lunch of maguro-don or other specialty at Jogashima or in the town of Misakiguchi just across from Jogashima.

Please drop me a note (to David G. Litt via FB Messenger) if you want to join. RSVP required.

This will be a relaxed pace ride, and I am happy to help newbies, including anyone who is not accustomed to using a rinko bag and carrying their bike on the train.
(Also posting to Tokyo International Cyclists and Tokyo Cranks).

Festive 500 2017 - End of Year Rides

This year I missed the first two days of the Strava / Rapha Festive 500 for a trip to Nagano (by car) with visiting family on December 24th and 25th, but was hell bent on completing the Festive 500 challenge in the remaining six days to get in some long, slow distance and to begin training for the new year.

I think it worked. On January 1, my legs are stiff and muscles tired.

But over the course of the week I felt as if I was slowly creeping back into the cycling shape I had a year and more ago. The last half of 2017 was a bit of a bust from a cycling perspective. My last big, big rides were the Isabella Byrd series over Golden Week, and not enough training, or focus, since: A failed half-effort at SR600 Nihon Alps on the only plausible weekend to try during the fall -- doomed from before the start by an approaching typhoon. No brevets.

Leaving aside some short unrecorded in-town rides to work and nearby locations on the first two days, the last week of the year I managed:

12/26  57.7kms
12/27  67.6kms
12/28  92.3 + 6.3 kms (98.6 kms)
12/29  98.7 + 3.4 + 37.3 kms (139.4 kms)
12/30  68.4 + 2.5 + 2.4 kms (73.3 kms)
12/31  103.9 + 15.0 kms (118.9 kms)
(and another 14.4 back home from the New Year party at Jerome's sister's place that did not "count" since after midnight).

So 556 kms of "official" mileage and another probably 25 kms of "unofficial".  This is good enough for 5,330th place out of over 80,000 participants in the Festive 500. Just doing 501 kms would be only good enough for something like 17,000th place. Another 100+kms and I would be in the top 1,000 globally. That gives a good idea how many people are just focused on getting to 500!

I think doing all of these shorter rides, at moderate pace, stretched out over the week, was much better for conditioning than 2 years ago when I did nearly half the mileage on one long final day. I could also use the opportunity to explore "exit routes" by bicycle from my new home in Takanawa, and I found one good one that gets me a good part of the way south from here toward the Tamagawa, Haneda Airport, and the border with Kawasaki, while avoiding the main roads. Also, I re-learned the lower stretch of paths along the Tamagawa, from Haneda to Marukobashi, and realized that much of it can be a good training route.

Lower Tamagawa stretch

Now two days off the bike, then the 2018 campaign begins!

"I'll have a pizza and an IPA."

Enjoying my "just right" Q36.5 winter wear. 

Early December Nishi Izu

Views of Mt Fuji for many, many kilometers from Nishi Izu coastline

The last week of the year has been taken up with many short rides, more time along the Tamagawa than any point in the past year. But I did get one spectacular ride in December a bit farther afield, in Nishi Izu from Mishima down to Matsuzaki, then via Jaishi Toge (that's "snake rock pass" -- sounds like a place out of a western!), Minami Izu and Shimoda. A classic Positivo Espresso route on a perfect late autumn/early winter day, but a road I have not taken since an early 2015 brutally tough 400km Randonneurs Tokyo brevet.

An early shinkansen to Mishima and a long train ride back from Shimoda. Next time I may stay the night and ride back ... or do a different loop and return via Shuzenji.

Next time I will experiment with better route between Mishima Station and the coastline....

Nishi Izu has plenty of climbing. Nothing more than a few hundred meters tall, but it adds up!

According to Strava 2900 meters elevation gain. In fact? Less, but still probably close to 2000.

There were so many beautiful vistas it was difficult not to stop every few minutes, and now it is difficult to select among photos.

A cold morning at the start ... but warmed up gradually with the sunlight

Bike leaning, mikan at the bottom of the staircase

One of many small working harbors

More Fuji

I wish I had had room in my rucksack for some mikan and kiwi fruit!

One of the earlier towns heading down the coast ... I think Heda

The climbs do have their rewards!

Toi Onsen Footbath

At Toi Onsen

More and more

Sun is getting lower ... at Dougashima

More Dougashima

Sometimes a video tells the story better, even a few seconds.

Here either route leads to Minami Izu and Shimoda. Both involve climbing. I went straight.

Jaishi is a bit lonely without the collapsed Positivo Espresso members, as in the traditional photo

Another foot spa, another bike leaning. This one at Minami Izu.
This is where Steve R. and I warmed up after official closing but before they drained the water back in early 2015.
And it is at the base of a hill where there was a site for one of my company's solar PV projects.

I will not wait 2 1/2 years before my next visit!

Late Afternoon Tsukui - Strange Guests at the Colombian Drug Lord's House

Jerome and I had a great midweek ride Wednesday , and I had other commitments yesterday and this morning (searching for and buying a new car takes time), so I headed out at a relaxed pace, after 130PM, and found myself pointing toward familiar routes -- Komazawa Dori past Komazawa Olympic Park, Onekansen then the Tank Road and finally around the North shore of Lake Tsukui, where I arrived just around dusk.

Komazawa Park

Komazawa Dori at Komazawa Park. Ginkgo trees.

On the short climb around the North side of Lake Tsukui

After some photos of the beautiful view from the road's high point, I headed toward the forest road. But after stopping several times to admire the view, it was nearly dark when I got to the last house -- the Spanish style place Positivo Espresso members have always referred to as the Colombian Drug Lord house (or sometimes "Casa del Pablo Escobar").
I noticed a dark figure scaling the side of the house, along a cable duct, with remarkable dexterity and power. A rival gang? An anti-narco special force?  A second, then a third figure climbed a nearby tree and JUMPED onto the edge of the roof. On a closer look, it was a roving band of monkeys!

The monkeys were not quiet, jumping and stomping around. I can only imagine what it would have felt like inside, if anyone had been home!

In any event, the sun fell, the moon rose, and I headed back for Tokyo. In all a bit over 110 kms, and leaves me with a wee bit of energy to get ready for the week ahead.

Rene Herse 3-person tandem on display

At the Bicycle Culture Center near Meguro Station.

10th Consecutive Day of Rain = Time for a Rain Gear Review!

Outside Segafredo coffee in Shimokitazawa, in my rain gear!

Today marks (by one friend's count) the 10th consecutive day of at least some rain in Tokyo. We have had drenching rain, cold rain, warm rain, sprinkles, misty small droplets, and more.  Rain last weekend put the kabosh on Jerome's erstwhile attempt at SR600 Nihon Alps.

I have tried to put the best spin on things and have continued to ride my bicycle all over town on my commute and for other meetings and errands. (On short rides, in all but the heaviest rain, with decent rain gear and the right footwear, it is manageable. Every once in awhile, I arrive soaking wet, even after removing my rain gear.)

Overnight tonight we are expecting a typhoon. It has been raining in Tokyo most of the past 36+ hours -- the past 12 hours' relatively heavy but not cold rain, and it should rain straight through until the typhoon passes early Monday. Despite this "extremely large, strong" typhoon being a relatively fast moving storm, accelerating as it moves toward the Japanese archipelago, the Tokyo area is forecast to get up to 200mm (8 inches) of rain, while areas along the coast to the west of Tokyo should get even more rain.

Today's weekly Sunday morning Tokyo Cranks ride was cancelled due to rain, replaced with a morning coffee get together at the Segafredo shop a few hundred meters north of Shimo Kitazawa station.

Of course, I rode to and from ShimoKita for the coffee. I did not see a single other cyclist out on the trip over, and only one or two on the return trip. But it was not a bad ride. The roads are LESS slippery after several days of rain than after the first rain in days or weeks. The oily discharge from autos and trucks has mostly washed away after a day or two. And the wind was not strong.

Some thoughts on the rain gear I have used recently:

1. Showers Pass cycling rain jacket.

This is very good rain protection. Nicely roomy, longer sleeves than my other cycling rain shells, plenty of adjustment on the wrist velcro closing tabs. The only issues are that in Tokyo much of the time this jacket is too hot, with sweat on the inside becoming a major issue.  No reason to wear a rain shell if you are dripping wet anyway on the inside! The past week has been cool enough so this is not a problem. Another issue is that the version I have has no hood, and a relatively large opening around the neck. Again, not a problem on a commute, but not ideal for a ride of many hours in the rain.

2. Rain Legs

These rain "chaps" are a life saver. Light weight, easy to roll up and carry around the waist, easy to take on and off. For maybe 15% of the bulk of rain pants, you block 85% of the water that would hit your legs.  And with rain pants, sweat on the inside is always an issue, but not with these unless in extreme heat.

3. X3 clip on rain fender.

This is my favorite brand of clip on fender. It is easy to adjust. I like the MTB version that is a bit wider, since it continues to work even if it gets a wee bit off center. No, a clip on fender is not ideal, it will not keep the rain off your bike frame or grit off of your drivetrain, but it does keep your backside dry.

4. Cycling cap inside helmet.

The past week I have worn a cap with visor -- baseball cap or cycling cap -- inside my helmet. I find this is much more effective for maximizing eyesight than glasses would be in the rain. Glasses fog up.

5. Sealskinz (USA) gloves

These are good, but seem to have lost water resistance over the five plus years (10?) I have used them.

6. Sealskinz (USA) socks.

If I recall correctly, the "sealskinz" brand has different ownership/control in the US and the UK/Europe. These waterproof socks will retain a lot of water once it seeps in the top. They keep my feet dry the first 15-20 minutes of a soaking ride.

7. Shimano MTB style shoes. The shoes I am wearing in the photo actually do pretty well at keeping my feet dry (unlike some others) ... for the first 30 minutes of a soaking ride.

None of these will keep you fully dry if you ride in a rainstorm. But they will make a huge difference on a shorter trip, and welp make the rain tolerable, even fun. And they can make a huge difference in allowing you to ride in rain in the city and actually show up to meetings looking presesentable.