Bookends

Always the Tamagawa

The 2018 cycling year began with a Shizuoka 200km brevet that Jerome and I did out of Numazu, to Fujieda and back (with a detour up Nihondaira ... the isolated hill north of the "Strawberry Line" along the Shizuoka coast.

Mt Fuji, sponsored by Tokyu Railways, Tokyo Corporation, Tokyu Real Estate, and Rakuten

So it was only fitting that the year finished with a ride with Jerome on the last day of the year, though a much shorter spin out Onekansen Doro, along the "tank road", and back in Yaen Kaedo. Our rendezvous was along Meguro dori at Yakumo 3-chome crossing.

For once, I arrived before Jerome, and was amused to notice that the Denny's now (sometime in the past few years) has had an upscale makeover, with a "Yakumo Prestige" name attached to it. What does this mean ... other than fancy lettering and perhaps a few hundred yen extra tacked onto various menu items? Well, I guess it must be a Denny's upscale brand for fancy Tokyo neighborhoods? Having been to Denny's in Santa Cruz at 5AM last summer before 3CR, and being the only non-homeless person in the place, and also having experienced some pretty awful food AND service at a Denny's in Paso Robles, California when it was one of the only choices in town at 11PM during 3CR ... I guess anything they can do to rebrand can only help.

And the first real ride of the New Year was another spin on January 2 with Jerome over Hospital Hill ("Byoinzaka"). ... then as we turned to start the climb of nearby I-Ro-Ha Zaka, I broke a shifter cable on the Sky Blue Parlee (3 years and 9 months since I installed these cables ... and they DO break eventually with Shimano or SRAM brifters). So the first ride of the year was only just over 60kms. That cut at least 40-50 kms off the planned trip, but still felt like enough as we returned, me riding in 36-11 gearing on the path along the Tamagawa, in fading daylight.

Of course, Jerome, who is traveling most of the time for work these days, is on a crash program to get back in shape for PBP, also rode 175 kms on January 1 (over Kazahari Pass no less). He plans to ride again today (Jan 3).

I will try to focus on other things today -- bike maintenance, for one -- since I am slated for a 200km brevet on January 4, the first 100km+ ride of the year.

Happy New Year to all!