Ready for the Okitsu Classic 600k -- On the Road to PBP

Tomorrow I will try my last event needed to qualify for PBP -- a 600km Kanagawa Audax brevet out of Okitsu, on the Shizuoka coast.  I completed this ride two years ago, in 2013, under less than ideal physical condition (very sore ribs and back from a fall off my bike a few days before the event), so I may be a bit overconfident this time, especially as the weather forecast looks good.

The course heads west along the coast, then inland, up the Tenryu River and over some very nice passes to Iida, Nagano.  From there the route goes north, via Shiojiri then all the way to a point north of Azumino.  The return is via Chino, Hokuto, Hakushu (past the famous Suntory distillery and source of their "Minami Alps" bottled water), Nirasaki, Minami Alps city ... Minobu and down the Fujikawa.  The last ~200 kms of this ride is now very familiar territory for me -- I must have ridden it more than ten times in total.

I will ride the Renovo Firewood Lavender edition, which I have transformed from a beautiful show bike into a long ride machine -- SP Dynamo hubbed front disk wheel, wire running to light along the rear seat stay, under saddle bag, crowded cockpit and (maybe ... depends on the final weather forecast) an ugly rear clip-on fender.  I also added a second layer of (very ugly matte grey) bar tape for additional hand padding -- I have ordered some beautiful Dipell leather bartape, but for the time being this will do.

R Tokyo 400 to Minami Izu and Back - The hardest 400km?

At Jaishi Pass, Minami Izu, Traditional Positivo Espresso rest stop "on the asphalt" (no crash/slip, just "rest")

On Saturday (into Sunday morning), I joined the Randonneurs Tokyo (R-Tokyo) 400km brevet to Nishi and Minami Izu, and back.  Of course, a section of this brevet in Izu plays a role in Positivo Espresso's foundation myth--the first time I ever rode with both MOB and Juliane was a trip from Atami, up over Atami Pass, then over another pass, then down to Nishi Izu ... continuing on the coast all the way to Shimoda.

That was a very hard, wonderful and memorable day.  Getting off the train at Atami and starting up the 13-14% grade was like a real slap in the face.  But it ended on a beautiful beach in Shimoda, and a meal on the veranda at the Sunnyside ("gaijin") cafe before a train home.  So why not do essentially the same ride ... but take the shorter, even steeper MOA route up to Atami Pass and climb another kilometer up the ridge to Jukkoku Pass Rest House, and at the front-end add on the 90 kms from Tokyo out to Atami instead of the Shinkansen to make it 200kms one way.  Then ride the entire route back in the other direction in rain and dark to make it a 400, skipping the beach and meal.  You can see how I just had to try this one.

I really enjoyed the route selection that R-Tokyo and its leader, Tsumura-san, made on last September's Ise 1000km event.  So I was looking forward to another challenging ride and to finding at least a few new roads, even if mostly covering familiar areas. I was not disappointed.

Elevation profile - start out the hills with Atami Pass via the MOA Museum of Art
 ... then more and more hills, big and small.
Around 5100m climbing total, according to Route Labo.
4800 by RidewithGPS. 4600 by Kawabe-san/Strava recording.

The route from Kawabe-san's Strava feed -- my Garmin froze/died in the wet after 315 kms.

Only 29 persons signed up for this event -- very low numbers for a 400km brevet near Tokyo in April.  Even fewer showed up at the start -- barely into double digits.

Perhaps it had something to do with the weather forecast?  Or perhaps some people had signed up first, only later to study the course and hear rumors about how this would be an event only for the craziest, most obsessed and determined randonneurs?  In any event, I was one of three foreigners in this small group -- the largest non-Japanese percentage of riders at any Japan Audax event I have ever joined -- perhaps the largest percentage of all time?  The other two foreigners were Steve R., who is spending a sabbatical year at Waseda University and brought along his beautiful Waterford randonneur bike, and Ross C., a Brit living in Thailand who came to Japan to get in the better part of a week of bicycle riding in our beautiful Spring weather.

Steve and I ended up riding the last 75% of the brevet together.  This made a huge difference for me, kept me sane and focused, encouraged me when my energy flagged.  This is one reason I like the longer evetnts.  It is not easy to make a new friend on a 200 km ride in daylight.  But it comes pretty naturally to bond with someone on a 400 km ride in the rain, and most of us appreciate the company when trying to stay awake and alert on a climb in the dark up ot a mountain pass.

When I checked weather online Thursday night and Friday morning, the forecast suggested rain in Tokyo overnight Friday and through into Saturday morning, then cloudy but dry.  Later on Friday, the Tokyo forecast had shifted to suggest rain might last into the afternoon.  But Atami and the rest of Izu seemed forecast to be dry from mid-day Saturday, as before.  So I figured if I could just get through a few hours of showers, I might be rewarded with spectacular, dry and cool riding weather.

Alas, I was too optimistic.  In fact, the rain continued on and off until very late at night.  I was thoroughly soaked after the first few hours, and stayed that way until Sunday morning.  Fortunately, the temperature never dipped much below 10 degrees C, my SIR wool jersey provided just enough insulation for my torso even when soaked, and my hands and feet were reasonably protected.

Just past Odawara, the coastal road to Atami ... beckons in the distance?

I rode alone as far as Atami Pass, not wanting to be in a line of riders while trying to time the traffic lights on Nakahara Kaido heading out of town.  Once I got some daylight between me and a group, I went for it and pushed ahead at a brisk pace.  Of course, that all changed once I got to the hills.  I dismounted and walked one short 20+ degree section below the MOA Museum of Art.  Later, Kawabe-san passed me spinning up the hill as I stomped.  Then as I was slumped over my bars resting, Washizuka-san climbed by.  I almost did not see or hear him, until a slight creak of the cranks caused me to look up.  In any event, I made it to Atami Pass, then another 30-40 meters higher to the check point at the Rest House at Jukkoku Pass.

The parking lot at Jukkoku Pass Rest House.  No glorious views of Mt. Fuji today.

Cockpit of Steve R.'s made-in-Wisconsin Waterford randonneur bike.  The classic Giles Berthoud front bag

Sure, I just climbed 650 meters at a ridiculous grade in the rain, but what's not to smile about?

I especially liked the route choice between Atami Pass and Toi Pass.  The descent to southern Mishima was delightful as always.  But Tsumura-san chose the best route ... whereas when I made this descent with Jerome in late December we had veered left midway down the hill and ended up in a bowl at Kannami, needing to climb to get out.  This time we took a more gradual descent.
Next, I always found the route south from Mishima toward Shuzenji to be a slog through sprawl and along crowded roads.  But the R-Tokyo route generally hugged the eastern edge of the flatlands, along the bottom of the hills and traveled nice, secondary roads that gave a view of the communities. At one point we crossed a rail track and seemed about to turn left onto a major highway.  But upon close examination, our route turned left down a narrow road along the rail track, separated from the highway by a line of buildings.  No traffic.  Almost no traffic lights.  And some opportunities to get a sense for where and how people live.

(According to the following Tuesday's English version of the Yomiuri, some of the roads in the area photographed below are to be renamed for Shigeo Nagashima, of Yomuri Giants fame).

Lots of fresh green growth on the hills of Izu. Sakura line the river in the distance.

We cross the Kano River at Shuzenji.  More fresh green on the hillsides.

Starting the climb on Route 136 from Shuzenji to Toi Pass.  Near Funabara Onsen.

Out of Shuzenji, we climbed Southwest toward Toi Pass. No, we did not cross Amagi Pass, as in "Amagi Goe", that most famous of enka one can hear sung by Ishikawa Saori every New Year's Eve on NHK TV's Ko-Haku Utaga-sen.  I heard the song live last month, by Tanimura Shinji, not Ishikawa Saori, having recently driven over Amagi Pass several times, so could not help think of it as I was nearby this time.  The song's mention of わさび沢 or "wasabi ravines" certainly fits with Izu.  And the song's evocation of the cold and damp, and the 小夜時雨 (sayashigure) or "evening rain shower", also fit the scene around me.  Yes, we got plenty of rain showers!  Izu is known for its pure water, hence the perfect location for growing wasabi, and full of わさび沢.  And the water also makes it a great place for a brewery ... I was telling Steve about the joys of Baird Beer in Shuzenji ... and the topic came up again, just before, on cue, the "Baird Beer Brewery" sign appeared out of the darkness across the River Kano on our return trip.

On the climb toward Toi Pass -- Even mountain sakura bloom early in Izu

Washizuka-san (I think) and Steve on the R. 136 climb toward Toi Pass 

Spectacular view down toward the Nishi Izu Coast and a great descent ahead!
We will be on that skybridge in 5 minutes or so.

Looking north on the coast between Toi and Ugusu, .. north of Lovers' Point ( 恋人岬).  Very green. Perfect for lovers.

The clouds still threaten.  The earth looks incredibly fertile.

At Dogashima.  Clear waters and beautiful scenery.

And, of course, Izu is a land of onsen within a larger island of onsen.  Steve R. and I took a break at the turn-around in Minami Izu to rest at the foot onsen (ashi no yu) I remembered from a recent visit -- just 100 meters or so beyond our turn-around point.  We settled in just after the 5PM closing time, but it was an outdoor facility without any gate or lock, and we could soak our feet and warm our bodies until the caretaker stopped by to drain the tub around 530PM -- and he let us stay as the water slowly drained, another 10 minutes at least.  We debated the idea of heading over to the "real" Shimogamo day onsen for a full soak and food ... but neither of us had the confidence we would be willing or able to remount our bikes after such a stop.

Again, after a stretch with particularly cold and hard rain in the evening on the return leg, as I actually started to think about a DNF, we again found refuge at the coastal town of Toi Onsen, at the public foot bath.  I rested on my back on a bench at the edge of the steaming shallow pool, soaking my hands instead of feet.  The roof barely covered the shallow tub and benches, and I could not justify the effort to remove my shoe covers, shoes and double-layered socks.  But 10-15 minutes laying down, with my hands in the hot water and the warmth spreading throughout the rest of my body, was plenty to reinvigorate me for the climb over Toi Pass.

At Shimogamo Onsen - Yunohana Ashi no Yu

This I believe.  A good soak in hot water for cold tired feet.

Of course, the food on this journey consisted mostly of typical convenience store fare and a few energy bars from home.  We did make it back to Matsuzaki on the western coast of Izu in time for a quick dinner.  The signs coming into town told us that this is designated one of Japan's most beautiful towns, and it had indeed looked nice as we headed through going South in the afternoon.  But it just looked dark and wet on Saturday evening.  The first open restaurant we saw was a kaiten-sushi bar. Actually, it turned out to be a great choice.  They were serving only locally landed fish -- and there were 12 or more types.  Aji, Kanpachi, Iwashi, Nama-saba (or shime-saba), Kuromutsu, and on and on, many I did not recognize.  They insisted our wet clothing and gear would not be a problem and welcomed us.  The sampling we had was delicious, and the ara-jiro fish soup and tea were hot and helped warm up again.  I think the first time I have ever had sushi during a brevet, and definitely the first time for Steve.

Unfortunately, I did not get any photos of the sushi to share with you -- looking at Facebook I realize how important it is to share pictures of food with ones friends -- I did get photos of two other meals, so here they are:

Second breakfast Saturday at the Daily Yamazaki checkpoint in Hiratsuka

Sunday breakfast on Nakahara Kaido -- more caffeine and fuel to get through the last 20 kms.
As the only 2 American in the event, McDonald's seemed appropriate.

At the last checkpoint, in Hiratsuka, we were 5 riders in all.  I think only 7 riders finished, and the 5 of us all within 15-20 minutes of each other, none much under 26 hours nor over 26:30.  Three of us together rode the last kilometer or two as the "last" finishers -- the "lanterne rouge" position being a great honor in such long and difficult events.  At the finish check-in, I asked the clerk at the 7-11 to try to make sure all 3 receipts had the same time stamp -- to the minute -- so that we could share the honor. She got our items lined up on the counter, then entered them and issued the 3 separate receipts in under a second each, only asking for payment after all receipts had been issued.  Just another example among many (see this and that) of incredible service ... from a 7-11 part-timer.

29 sign-ups, only 11 or 12 starters, and only 7 finishers.

This was my slowest 400 km brevet yet.  But also one of the most memorable.

Attack Nikko! Attack Beef Line (feebly, not beefly)! Saitama BRM321 400km. And 2015 Race for the HAM'R

As planned, Jerome and I rode the 400 km Saitama Audax "Attack Nikko and Beef" event this Saturday (into Sunday early morning).

The Ti Travel bike with Doppelganger cover.
Not designed as a "rinko" but for storing a bike inside a house/apartment without getting grease on other items.
But great to take the bike on an uncrowded train without removing the wheels.  Do not try in rush hour.

Yes, 400 kilometers is a long ride.   Depending on the terrain and the conditions, it is a distance that lies, for most of us, near the outer edge of the "just gut it out" and "whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger" range and ahead of the range where "you really need to think this through and plan a bit if you want to finish in a decent time and avoid injury."  So the perfect distance for me to ride together with Jerome.

Indeed, 400kms is longer than Steve Abraham (UK) or Kurt Searvogel (US) rides in a day, as they both this year try to break the 1939 Tommy Godwin Highest Annual Mileage Record (the "HAM'R"). Of course, they ride between 300 and 400 kms EACH DAY, EVERY DAY, and will need to keep it up the entire year if either hopes to take the HAM'R.  You can track them here at the Ultra Marathon Cycling Association's HAMR page or the related Strava Club.  

At first, I was hoping Steve Abraham would win, as he was riding in the cold and wet of the English winter, while Kurt Searvogel was clocking 20-30 kms more each day riding in Florida.  Yes, flat and warm Florida.  Do those miles even count?  And then again there was Kurt's photo on his Strava page -- sleeveless jersey reeks of triathlon and time trial.  Perhaps he is using aero bars?  No, even worse, he is using (at least some of the time) a recumbent.  Does that even count?  Did Tommy Godwin get to use aero bars or rest his back riding a recumbent back in 1939?

But then I noticed that Searvogel has shifted his rides to Louisiana, Alabama, his home Arkansas and elsewhere.  These are the most dangerous roads in the U.S. for a cyclist -- most cyclist traffic deaths per mile.  And he will be giving anyone who pays attention a show, as he shifts around a good part of rural America.  And I read a bit more about him, and saw that yes, Kurt is a real endurance cyclist, doing RAAM and other events before a minor dalliance with triathlon.  Recumbent -- perfectly legal for ultra marathon events and extremely clever for this kind of effort -- rest your back and use different muscles on your recumbent days, switch back to the road bike for days with more climbing. And I noticed the age of the two riders -- Kurt (52) and Steve (41).  Advantage Kurt.  Steve can always try again in 11 years, when he is 52, to get a "fair" match.  Then one day Kurt lost his ride data because of a technical glitch.  Ouch.  Been there, and feel his pain.

Also, Kurt started his ride 9 days after Steve, so Kurt will always know exactly how far he needs to ride to beat Steve for the record.  Clever.  Yankee clever.  Kurt obviously thought this one through and intends to win, absent health issues. And after seeing crazy Slovenians, Austrians and other Europeans take RAAM too many years in a row, and the Brits win a truck full of track cycling medals at recent Olympics, it is great to see an American competing at this level in an ultra endurance cycling event.  So I am declaring in favor of Kurt.

Of course Steve's fans are upset.  Lots of trash talk on the web.  It is never fun to get steamrolled by a super-power.  Not fun, not amusing, no sense of humor (except maybe an attempt at an over-bearing one).  I get it.  But Kurt is not some rich hedge fund manager who buys the best equipment, coaching and medical assistance and wins the race with money prevailing over grit.  No.  He is an everyman.  If he can do it, you or I could do it.  He has an offer to let people ride with him for a day.  If you can hang with him, the ride is free.  If you cannot keep up, you pay $200 for the privilege, and he gets a nicer motel room and gets to order the steak for dinner.
[UPDATE:  Within a week after writing this, Steve Abraham suffered a crash after a moped collided with his bicycle.  He suffered a broken ankle that will require surgery and pins/plates for full recovery.  Sadly, Steve's 2015 effort has ended, and what could have become a great duel ends prematurely.  And Kurt's trek gets a bit lonelier.]

Where was I.  Yes, the 400 km Brevet.  My colleague T. Aiko and his son live near the start and so stopped by to wish us off.  As some of the riders started out, I narrated for Aiko-san "there goes Kondo-san ... he often wins the Tokyo-Itoigawa Fast-Run and gets the fastest brevet times in Japan."  I asked Kondo-san if he was going to win Tokyo-Itoigawa this year.  He said, "what are you talking about, no way this "ji-ji" (grandpa) can do it!"  Anyway, he can still finish a 600km Brevet in 24-30 hours, to my 36.  

And there goes Tominaga-san. I told Aiko-san:  "He commutes every day passing by my house on his 50 km daily round trip from Koganei to Marunouchi and back).  He must ride 20,000 km or more each year.  I know those are two riders with whom I cannot keep up!"

Jerome and I pose at the start.  

One of the woman Audax riders we regularly see-who arrived on the same train today- has some fun with our photo.

Pre-start briefing

Jerome and I mounted up and headed out.  A few minutes later, we came to a red light and waited ... catching some riders in front of us. ... Kondo-san, Tominaga-san and one other Saitama veteran with a chiseled face and a fast bike were there, and O-Hori-san.  We managed to stay with them the first 16 kms, the red lights giving us a chance to catch up and catch our breath.  Then I lost them on one light, and Jerome waited for me at the next.  Eventually, we formed a group of three with O-Hori-san and rode together until Jerome and I took a break at around the 78km mark.

The last Brevet for Jerome's Positivo Espresso special "shingo mushi kyoka" bib shorts.  Time for new club kit!
Fortunately, I had some safety pins that patched the growing hole, as I really did not want to ride behind this view for 400 kms.

I will not give a blow-by-blow on this semi-epic ride.  Just a few points to mention:

1.  The route out through North Saitama and central Tochigi, around the west side of Kanuma/Utsunomiya, is a masterpiece.  This could be a very ugly stretch, but somehow Saitama Audax has found back roads that make it tolerable, even pleasant.  The one monotonous stretch -- 20 kms or more straight on an agricultural road -- seemed much shorter than when I did it back in 2010. Kudos to Saitama Audax.  I do remember seeing a number of Mihara Junko posters on this stretch, a popular LDP upper house member who wants to revive use of one of the few political phrases banned from discourse by the US occupation in post-war Japan -- either does not know her history, or more likely does not care about offending the neighboring countries.

Typical South Tochigi scenery, from 7-11 parking lot

2.  Tochigi Route 14 south of Nikko - the Kobugahara Kaido - is a very nice road, highly recommended for cycling.  The course follows a river (the Oashigawa 大芦川) up a very gradual valley.  The road has almost no traffic, and the river water is clear and deep blue.  I wanted to stop for a picnic.  But no time to lose.  Eventually, the road leaves the river and climbs through woods over a ridge to the north, and descends to the area around Okorogawa (小来川) and Enkoji (円光寺).  This is where I remember hearing the dull ringing of temple bells on a misty morning in 2010, and thinking it must be a sacred place.

On Tochigi Route 14 -- Kobugahara Kaido 

More Route 14. Light through clouds.

And more Route 14

3. I had checked the weather forecast very carefully before this ride, mostly in fear of cold rain.  Cold is fine.  Rain is fine.  The combination can be very tough to beat during one of these events.  Once the body and your gear get both cold AND wet, you will not warm up easily.  So I was happy to see the night before the ride that we would very likely have no rain.  And even the temperatures looked perfect -- in the 10-15 degree C range in daytime, and dipping into the 0-5 degree range a night.  But the coldest night temperatures (~0 C) were in Nikko and Nasushiobara, which we would pass in late afternoon or early evening.  Then we would go through Otawara, on into Ibaraki and through hilly but more coastal areas.  Kasuma and Tsuchiura low temps looked a bit warmer, and if we rode according to plan we would be into the flat area around Tsukuba, warmer yet, then Noda and Kasukabe, in the coldest period around 4-6AM.  Wrong.

At Nikko Western Village--a "public private third sector" project that quickly closed its doors.  Unfortunately, from this angle the Presidents' faces are not visible on the replica of Mt. Rushmore (made of asbestos!) in the distance. 

Starting the gradual climb to Nasu Shiobara checkpoint ... nearing dusk.
No hint of red/pink color in the sky ... made me wish for the pale pink skies of Yatsugatake at dusk.

I remember seeing these flags 2 1/2 years ago in Shioya and Yaita, Tochigi.  Basically "don't turn our city into a nuclear waste dump!"  "Firmly opposed!"  Jerome confirmed that the flag is firmly planted and will not easily be removed.  The flags are still there. And now there are lots of wooden nicely painted, semi-permanent signs as well to the same effect.

We emerged from a quick, cheap dinner at a Nasu Shiobara "Gusto" restaurant around 7PM. One other rider had eaten there as well and left the restaurant 15 minutes ahead.  I was surprised to see him outside still.  He was now covered head to toe, thick shoe covers, face mask, jacket etc. and was talking about how cold it was, and would be.  I shrugged it off -- this is Nasu, once we get down in the valley we will be fine.  No, it stayed cold.  Really cold.  And got colder.  I put on all the gear I had brought, and was still cold.  Then my stomach started to act up.  And I got really really tired. Never do one of these rides without getting LOTS of sleep, EXTRA sleep the 2-3 previous nights. Do not try to skimp on sleep.

Enjoying my dinner at Gusto!

We did get a second wind after dinner and passed many riders who had lapped us as we dined.  But then it was a long hard, dark, cold slog over the hills of north Ibaraki to Hitachi Omiya.

4. My stomach was churning, I was sleepy, cold, and no power.  I think I should have avoided the Orangina at Nikko, and/or the orange juice at Gusto.  Jerome patiently waited for me ... many times. At the rest stops he said my face seemed to have lost all its color.  If this had not been a brevet, I would have just found someplace warm, anyplace warm, and pulled off to sleep ... even hopped a train home.  But this was a brevet, and a PBP qualifier, and we had lots of time before we would risk a DNF ... so instead I went on.

The hills on the last half are not high, but they add up.

I must have set a record slow pace along the "Beef Line", an agricultural road of constant ups and downs through the COLD hills of western Ibaraki. Why is it the "beef line"?  Well, at the northern entrance an odor of animal manure suggests that there really are cattle nearby.  Many riders passed me on the Beef Line.  Jerome could have easily done this course in 20 hours without me.  He is (again? as usual?) much stronger than I am.  Perhaps I could have done it in 20-21 if I had not suffered from this particular combination of stomach, sleep and cold issues?

At the Tsuchiura check point, after the coldest section had ended and we were back at the flatlands, I finally broke down and bought a 300 yen pair of gloves at the convenience store, to squeeze as a liner inside my real gloves.  All of a sudden my hands were warm.  Why didn't I do this 5 hours and 2 PC's earlier?  My brain must not have been functioning at 100%.  Indeed.

Anyway, my stomach and body recovered some by first light, and the last 75 kms at least were covered at a reasonable pace, to get to the finish in just under 24 hours.  A group of four, including Kondo-san and Tominaga-san, finished in under 17 hours.  Based on his Strava page, Tominaga-san also rode to and from his home, making the entire effort almost 500 kms.  Of course, since he finished in the middle of the night, he did not have an option to ride the train--one of the downsides of riding these courses too fast!

On the Hibiya Line -- we took it from Shin Koshigaya to the terminus at Nakameguro.
No worries about sleeping through our stop.

Home, a hot bath, then sleep.  Sleep all Sunday afternoon.  An hour or two up and about.  Then sleep Sunday evening and Sunday night through to Monday morning.  Actually, sleep on the Hibiya Line even before getting home.  Over 12 hours total, deep sleep.  And I feel great.  Yes, my muscles ache a bit.  But my body is relaxed and mind is clear.  The muscle aches are temporary, and just evidence the breaking down of muscle tissue that leads to regrowth.  In a week or two I will end up stronger.  On the road to PBP.

[UPDATE:  The results are out from Saitama Audax.  Approximately 90 riders, only 5 of whom failed to finish.  56 faster than me (not counting Jerome ... who could have done this many hours faster had he not waited).  29 slower than me.  The fact that only 5 out of 90 riders DNF'ed confirms this is not at all a hard 400 km ride, and it was only my errors in preparation and food/drink that pushed us toward the back of the pack.]

Miura 200km Brevet with fast bike and Gokiso wheels

I joined a Nishi Tokyo brevet today.  I want to get my 200, 300, 400 and 600km series done as soon as practical this year, since it is a prerequisite for PBP in August, and this was the first Tokyo area 200km in 2015 that I could register for that fit my schedule.  So I joined it even though the course, around the Miura Peninsula, would mean lots of traffic signals and plenty of traffic getting to Yokosuka and getting back from the coast and through town.

Mt. Fuji across the Sagami Bay from Miura, South of Hayama.

The start/goal is at the Konno Seisakusho/Cherubim shop in Machida.  For an early morning start (6AM today), train is not possible, and there is no free car park.  So in addition to the Brevet itself, I get to ride 50-55 kms round trip just getting to and from the event.  A 200 km brevet becomes 255-260km.  300km becomes 355km.  The Strava or ridewithGPS data is at the hyperlinks, and a map is below.

Today was a spectacular winter day. During the day it was warm, sunny and not very windy.  Wind surfers and sail boats were out.  Surfers as well ... in January!  Much nicer than December this year. But it was very cold in the morning at Machida (somewhere around -4 or -5 degrees C).

I made it to registration at Konno Seisakusho around 5:45AM, then on to the park a few blocks away for "bike inspection" and the start.  Of course, the 5:30AM "briefing" was long finished, and riders already were heading out onto the course, even as I went through registration. I saw my Kaminoge neighbor Kaz Tachikawa -- back on the bike after a 2013 injury that kept him out of London-Edinburgh-London and subsequent events -- and Joe Wein.

The rush to get to the start and then back onto the road had one benefit -- I was warmed up.  And I was on my fast bike -- the Canyon Shark with my Gokiso 38mm rimmed carbon clincher wheels, with the smoothest rolling hubs ... in the world, perhaps?  As a result, I ended up the 2nd finisher out of approximately 70 riders, even with a lunch stop and basically rolling home the last 75 kms of what one of the staffers correctly called a "beginners' course".

Less than one km from the start, on a downhill stretch, I zoomed past a group of 10-20 riders.  Then more.  Within 10 minutes I had moved from being one of the last starters (out of around 70), to being in the middle of the group.  After riding past more and more, I got stuck on the back of another 10 rider group, but there was too much traffic to pass.  So I bided my time until we turned North onto Tokyo Route 18.  Then, as the route bobbed up and down toward Onekansendoro then more hills, I passed everyone else within sight.  Hi Joe, and bye.  Bye Kaz.  As it turned out, by the time we got out along the Tamagawa and were headed down river, I had passed everyone except two riders at the front who I met at the first checkpoint.

Other than the nice weather, what was good about this event?

--The route through Yokohama was nicer than others I have taken, looping east of Yokohama Station and through Minato Mirai, then along the Yamashita Koen waterfront -- broad streets and very little traffic early on a weekend morning, with plenty of nice views.

Minato Mirai on a sunny Saturday morning

--South of central Yokohama, the route took the same Sangyo Doro as I rode with Eric and Seiichi last month ... but rejoined Route 16 much too soon, with its heavy traffic.  But once past Yokosuka, in southern Miura, we hugged the coast almost the entire way, which was beautiful.  And we rode through Misakiguchi and then on local roads, rejoining the main road (Route 27) only 6-7 kms later.

Along the coast!

Fast Gokiso wheels!

--"Magurodon" seafood lunch at Misakiguchi.

Organizers at the checkpoint in MIsakiguchi -- just across from 3 seafood restaurants.

--And after the milling crowds of Kamakura and Enoshima, and the broad coast road west to Chigasaki and beyond, the route North (from Samukawa through Ebina and then up to Sagamihara, took some very local, back roads.  The road surfaces were not great, but it was the lowest traffic, most interesting route I have taken through this area of sprawl.

The only negative was the trip down the Tamagawa, on the Kawasaki side road, together with plenty of trucks and impatient factory workers commuting in their big vans.

On the way back into town, I met Hara-san and [On]-san of Nihombashi Audax, doing a "test ride" for one of their upcoming events.  I rode with them all the way to the Tamagawa, chatting at each of the (many) traffic lights.  My next scheduled Brevet ... their 300km ride on February 21.  Looking forward to it.  楽しみにしています。

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Joe Wein's trip report is here.  His photos from the event are here -- more extensive than mine and some very nice ones.  Actual photos of other riders.