Miura Trip -- Wine Red hubs after Red Wine week

On Saturday I took an early winter trip around Miura Peninsular with Eric and Seiichi, who has a vintage bike shop in the Yutenji area.  I usually save the Miura area for late January and February when the mountains are impassable.  But this Saturday I was happy to head south and take it a bit easy after 3 nights out in a row and a trip to Hyogo and Nagoya.

On Wednesday was an annual Burgundy Christmas dinner that we have now attended the past 3 or 4 years.  Incredible food and wine as in the past.  On Thursday, just beer with dinner.  Friday, again more red wine at a farewell party for the contact at one of our business partners -- she is from Bordeaux, so yes, more good wine.

So it was only appropriate that this would be a maiden ride for a new pair of Gokiso wheels with wine red hubs.  Yes, they are fantastic, things of beauty and precision, smooth as silk and very fast.  But more about them in a later post.

Seiichi led the way.  We took Kampachi then Route 1 -- much more major roads than I would have chosen by myself.  But Kampachi traffic thinned and became tolerable after Dai-san Keihin entrance, and Route 1 was a fast way to Yokohama Station.  South of Yokohama Station, we got off of Route 16 and hugged the coast along an industrial road ... which was very fast and lower traffic than Route 16.  A great chance to get up some speed and see that, yes, the Gokisos really did make it easier to maintain a high pace.  Or was that a tailwind?

Once we got further down the peninsula the wind picked up, coming from all directions at different times.

Seiichi and Eric on the Southern Miura Peninsula

The Canyon Shark wants to go this way

Seafood for lunch, of course!  What you see in the photo, plus some Shime-Saba.

After a delicious lunch of (too much) fish, we swung back up the west side of the peninsular toward Kamakura,  The cross winds and shifting head/tail winds were vicious.  At several places sand was blowing from the beach across the road (and into my eyes).  I suffered, still digesting my lunch as I tried to keep up with Eric and Seiichi ... and eventually fell back after missing a few traffic signals, only to catch them again when they waited for me in Kamakura.  Then some cafe latte and I hopped the train back as far as Musashi Kosugi.  From there, a quick spin over to C Speed and then home.

West side of Miura Peninsula -- windy Sagami Bay

Quick stop by C Speed!

Not that much distance -- about 115 kms total -- but a nice, if windy, ride!  And great to be riding with new friends who enjoy many of the same things as I about cycling ... and start from Komazawa Dori.