Fall River in Fall / 秋の秋川

The Akigawa Gorge - 秋川渓谷

Weekend work-related events will severely limit my riding opportunities over the next month, so I was not about to miss the opportunity for a ride on Sunday. Jerome had just returned to town, and Peter also wanted to ride, so the three of us headed out. I met Peter at Meguro, and Jerome caught up with us at Futako Tamagawa.

We made excellent time up the Tamagawa and out Mutsumibashi Dori toward Itsukaichi, then stopped for water and a snack at the Seven Eleven on that road just before the Ken-O-Do under/overpasses. This Seven Eleven used to be in a small shopping mall with other shops, and the doors opened to the East in the direction one rides from approaching from the Tamagawa. Now it is alone with a very large parking lot and the doors open North toward the road. It is newer, and bigger, but still a Seven Eleven!

The Rideable part of Minami Fussa Park

The main attraction at the Seven Eleven was a yellowish lime green Lotus roadster with two women in it who were heading up the Akigawa for lunch somewhere beyond our turn-off. Non-cyclists, they were Japanese but spoke English as if each had lived a long time in the USA. Peter, a car person, told me that an old Lotus roadster is not so expensive, but it did look as if it would be very fun to drive on a winding road through the mountains.

Fun to drive!?!

Descending on lower Bonbori Rindo

At Tokura we entered the Bonbori Rindo and started the climb toward Iriyama Touge. We passed by a "road closed for urgent repairs" notice and went around some pylons to continue. There was earthmoving equipment on the left side, a power shovel to remove debris from Typhoon 19. Was that the repair? Alas, no. We only made it about halfway up the climb before we came upon some more serious blockage -- a pile of logs tossed down the hill along the stream in the torrential downpour of that storm.

Not easily surmounted

We gave up and returned toward Tokura, and within a kilometer or two of the U turn, each of Peter and I had flat tires, leaves and other debris on the road hiding some sharp rocks, I think. We passed several Japanese cyclists doing solo rides up. When we told a man on a road bike about the blockage, he turned around. A woman on a mountain bike continued to get in a bit more climbing and see for herself. We no longer had enough time to do the Kobu Tunnel alternative. But we headed up the Akigawa Gorge (秋川渓谷）to the Hinohara Village Office, then did another U-turn for home, stopping at a couple of the gorge's classic photo spots.

Across from the Hinohara Village Office

The typhoon damage still makes it a bit difficult in places along the Tamagawa. The park south of Mutsumibashi (睦橋), Fussa Minami Koen （福生南公園）was blocked off. Again, we could get around the barrier and ride half way through the park, then walk a bit, then ride the remainder. Others were doing the same. The weather was just about perfect for riding.

I walk my bike in Fussa Minami Park

All clear once we passed this footbridge/debris-catcher

Hinobashi near Tachikawa (日野橋), closed for major post-typhoon repairs.

My total distance was around 140km. Almost exactly the same as last weekend's Fuji ride.  That was a tougher ride by far, with more climbing. Is 140km that the "new normal" for me? I really need to do another 20km or even 30km to enjoy many of the Positivo Espresso traditional rides starting from Takanawa -- to get to Tomin no Mori or through Kobu Tunnel or out over Matsuhime Pass. Other classic rides are even further away. Still, my legs felt strong most of Sunday. I feel as if I am getting into good cycling shape again.

And it was great to ride with friends instead of solo.

Out and back

Iriyama Pass

Today was the nicest weather since my return from the USA over 3 weeks ago.  Still a bit warm and sticky (for October especially), but nice.

Jerome and I rode a 115-120 km loop over Iriyama Pass / Bonbori Rindo.  All-in-all a nice ride. The pictures tell the story.

The route.  117.5 kms total.  Iriyama Pass / Bonbori Rindo is close to town.
so a good option for a half-day ride.

Blue sky! Familiar territory, but looks quite nice today.

Jerome's cockpit. The phone got a few more cracks in the glass today.
The view in the mirror ... best from other angles.

At the 7/11 at Tokura, Itsukaichi. The sky crowded out the traffic in my mind.

Jerome reaches Iriyama Pass.

A really nice place to change a flat tire on a beautiful day.
Just over Iriyama Pass heading south toward Jimba Kaido.

The sign reads "hou-an-rin" -- Protected forest for water resources.

We take this road back to Jimba Kaido and toward town.
Lots of water in every stream after the rains of September.

Bonbori Rindo on Saturday

Jerome and I had a nice, half day ride on Saturday out to Itsukaichi, over Iriyama Pass on the Bonbori Rindo, then back into town.

On the Rindo, most of the way the traffic looked like this.

Before the climb really starts

On the actual climb, still beside a beautiful small stream here ...

 However, in a few places the traffic to/from a quarry at the bottom of the actual rindo looked more like this.

We were at the top quickly ... Jerome fully recovered from his 600kms last weekend, and only a flat tire holding me back from a good time.

Then we had a spectacular view of Tokyo stretched out on the Kanto Plain below at places along the top.

All in all, a good ride!

GW Ride 2 -- Jet Lag recovery for Jerome -- over Iriyama Pass and Wada Pass

Jerome got back from a family trip last night, so we planned a jet lag recovery (half day) ride today, with an 830AM start.  It was already warm, and the forecast was for a high of 27 or 28 degrees -- more like late June or early July than Golden Week!

We decided to avoid GW traffic by riding the rindos (closed forest roads) from Itsukaichi over Iriyama Pass (Bonbori Rindo), and then up Wada (Daigo Rindo).

A good course -- 124 kms and almost 1200 meters of climbing, in hot weather, with very little to no traffic over the mid portion of the ride.  Now THAT will help Jerome over jet lag.*

Daigo Rindo peaks at 750m elev, about 50 meters above Wada Pass

I get out of the saddle as we enter the Muur de Tokura, entrance to Bonbori Rindo from Itsukaichi side

One of several barriers ... behind which we found a perfectly good, COMPLETED bridge and repaving job.
Why is the road shut?

View from the ridge South of Iriyama Pass -- beautiful new green growth

Exhausted I arrive at Iriyama. No breeze climbing on the back side of the mountain.

Jerome was first up to Iriyama, but on the rindo climb to Wada I felt strong, and pulled away during the second half.   It looked as if the heat was getting to him when he arrived at the pass, or maybe he was just taking it easy, still partly on vacation?

Jerome arrives at Wada, we approached via the Daigo Rindo -- paved except 200m of gravel/dirt at the end.

We stopped for a pasta lunch at a new Family Mart at the entrance to Jimba Kaido, which had a nice flower garden (and bench) in the back.

Caffeine -- the legal performance enhancing substance!

We made good time back into town, despite a bit of a headwind.

*Jerome reports that he made it home and quickly fell asleep.  He awoke around 9PM ... so perhaps our ride was not the perfect jet lag cure.

Welcome back, Nishibe-san

The weather forecast for Sunday was grim -- rain, then more rain.  So I planned to get in a ride on Saturday.  Jerome was not available, but I was delighted to hear that Nishibe-san, who returned home to Kobe last year, is back in Tokyo for the month, and would be available for a short ride.

We planned to meet at Sekido-bashi at 830AM.  I was late, as the rear tire on my Canyon had gone flat since last weekend.  The Vittoria Open Pave tires had made it over 2500 kms without a single flat -- including all of LEL, the week in Spain, and the second SR600 try and more.  But this was the 4th flat in the last 3 rides, none with an obvious trigger, and with a careful check for wire, nail etc. embedded.  So time to bid farewell to the Open Paves.  I sent an SMS telling Nishibe-san I would be 10 minutes late, then changed to another pair of tires (Vredenstein Fortezza Tricomp 700x25, bought on sale awhile back).

We rode out toward the base of Wada, stopping at the usual 7-11 on Jimba Kaido.  Nishibe-san seems happy back in Kobe.  His son is in high school and doing "ju-ken" for university and, more importantly, in the high school cycling club, riding competitively.  He will try for the "kokutai" (national athletics meet) next year.  We reminisced about the Positivo Espresso/Beeren Pyrenees trip in summer 2012.  The members delighted to see this summer's Tour de France passing some of the same climbs.  He said Beeren wants to hold a similar trip to the Alps in 2017, making it a once-in-five-years tradition.  (I am not so patient!)

Nishibe-san in pristine white Beeren kit; with his beautiful Colnago which has had a recent Dura Ace drivetrain upgrade

Nishibe-san did not have time or inclination to head into the mountains, so we said farewell at the Jimba Kaido entrance to the Wada approach, with Nishibe-san heading toward Itsukaichi.

The roads were a bit damp from sprinkling rain earlier, and got more so as I reached the base of Wada.  I did not want to climb Wada -- either the frontal assault or the Daigo rindo -- on wet roads.  I opted for Bonbori rindo and Iriyama Pass, the now entirely paved road through the hills that takes one from the base of Wada to Itsukaichi.  Compared to Wada, this road is a bit less steep, tops out a bit lower (at 625 meters elevation), and is more open (and, I hoped, would be dry) on the upper stretches.  Nevertheless, the road surface was covered in many places with debris -- a dramatic contrast with last weekend's Kazahari rindo, and the result of Wednesday's passage of Typhoon 26 with its heavy rains.  For the entire stretch, I passed 2 other cyclists and 2 hikers.

I took the descent very slowly, then enjoyed a tailwind a good part of the way home, for a 110km ride with one good climb, some shopping at Y's, and a return home before 2PM.

Upper section of Bonbori Rindo -- after Typhoon 26

Northern section of Bonbori rindo -- after Typhoon 26

The Canyon, amid the clutter of signage at Iriyama Pass.

Typhoon 27 is heading slowly north as it strengthens in the ocean north of the Philippines.  It is expected to arrive in our area late in the week, perhaps on Thursday, maybe on Friday, and maybe it will drift off toward one side and miss eastern Japan entirely.  In any event, it is great now to be in a typhoon pattern where at least the big storms do not hit on the weekend, unlike last month!