Riding the Rindos

I happened to go onto the Tokyo Cycling Club (TCC) site this morning after a fairly long absence and was glad to see it is going strong with the usual ride postings, items for sale, and chat about all things road-cycling-related.

There was a thread for a Saturday October 11 ride in the Miyagase-ko area that left me shaking my head and wishing I had read it sooner, as I was nearby there on Sunday and followed only a well-trodden path.  The posts show a ride plan (complete with RidewithGPS route) that would cover at least 3 "dead end" forest roads (rindos) near Lake Miyagase that I have never ridden (plus 1 or 2 that I have).   There is even a video from the ride showing about 7 minutes of a gradual climb along one of these rindo, beside a river.  The ridewithGPS route shows this little "detour" is 12 kms each way.  In the video, I counted only 2 slow moving motorbikes over 7 minutes.  No cars (except one or two parked at turnouts).  Ideal, except for some places where there is some gravel or mud on the road, no doubt a result of recent typhoons and something that should be clearer in other seasons.  And a river runs through it.

Maybe a future group ride will go to Miyagase-ko, then riders can head up the rindos, as many and as far as they want, while others relax at the michi-no-eki?  A great way to ride with people of varying degrees of interest or ability.