Swimming Hole

I awoke later than expected at 5:55AM and quickly checked my email for any responses to my "call to ride".  Jerome had left a note that he is off to France this weekend.  Ludwig had left a  note inviting me to join him and Tom at Koremasa Bridge at 6:15.  They would be on cyclocross bikes, giving me a fighting chance to keep up ... until the first hill or offroad section, but I was way too late to make the rendezvous.  Instead, I took my time and left home a little after 7AM.  The air was heavy as a ton of bricks as I stepped outside, and it did not get any better along the Tamagawa.

But I made decent time to Itsukaichi, stopped at the traditional "last convenience store" 7-11 for food and water, then rode to Motojuku (Honjuku?), the "T" intersection where a left turn heads up the S. Fork of the Akigawa toward Tomin no Mori and Kobu Tunnel, and a right turn takes one up the N. Fork toward the infamously steep Kazahari "rindo" climb, or the road over Nokogiri-yama and down to Oume/Okutama.

Just 50 meters after the left turn, there is a perfect swimming hole in the S. Fork of the Akigawa.  There are 40-50 stone, then metal steps all the way down to the water, and it is possible to take your bike down the first few steps and leave it resting against bushes/grass, out of sight from the road -- this to avoid the experience Jerome had in Hyogo Pref. outside of Kobe 2 weeks back, when his Look 585 was stolen while he bathed in a river.

The water was incredible, and it was easy to walk up a shallow stretch of the stream to a 1-meter deep pool where I could soak for a few minutes -- a better coolant I cannot imagine.

I remounted and made it up to and through the Kobu Tunnel and back down to Uenohara, then hopped the train home.  Too hot for much more.

Call to ride - Saturday 6AM - Kaminoge

There are many people out of town, few posts this month ... I'm tempted to check out the TCC site, except I'm clearly not ready to ride with the big (thin) guys yet. ... I rode home from work today on the fixie and felt almost strong ... I think it was a tailwind. 

Some people at my office saw me with my cycling gear as I readied to leave.  I got a few cheers from staff who were happy to see me looking happy.  One of my partners practically screamed "what do you think you are doing" ... incredulous that I have not learned my lesson and stopped riding after 2 crashes in 6 months.

Saturday the weather will be dry and we will get some major relief from the heat -- predicted high in Tokyo of only 34 degrees C (instead of the usual 35).  I need to work on Sunday, so I will be heading out early on Saturday.   6AM departure if I can stand it, back by mid-afternoon.  Tomorrow I'll take a rinko bag for the train so I can hope to get a little further out of town than on my rehab rides so far.  

Leave a comment or try my mobile or email if you want to join or meet en route.

Michael H. v 2.0

My "rehab ride" series continued today heading out with Michael H. on a nice half-day ride.
We went via Takao, over Otarumi, then back along the forest road on the North side of Tsukui-ko (past the "drug lord compound" -- complete with palm trees and beat-up Land Rover), then back via the "tank road" and One Kan-sen.

This was not the Michael H. who started riding with the Ebisu crew not so long ago, but the new, slimmer, stronger version (v 2.0) that showed up sometime last year and is still very much with us -- the one that waits for me at the top of Otarumi, reading a copy of "Dune" that he pulls out of his back jersey pocket.

Indeed, this Michael H. seems to be in "desert training" mode.  He enjoys the early morning start and the hot weather, knowing that in a few weeks he will be in Dubai and riding at a very high pace with the Dubai Roadsters -- with an early morning start and in even hotter (if less humid) weather.

In any event, we made decent time, and my back muscles (and legs) were a bit stronger than last week.  Michael had a Noon return deadline, and I waved him ahead at the Odakyu Line underpass on the Tamagawa, since I needed to stretch and get rid of some numbness in my feet for a few minutes, before limping home in the mid-day sun.

C Speed Soft Open photos

I stopped by the C Speed "soft open" Friday evening. Hiroshi and Mrs. Hiroshi, Tom and Mrs. Tom, James M., Fumiki (in business suit), Tim and James (of fixie fame) as well as many of Hiroshi's friends and Keihin Pista Clubmates were present. Michael K. sent a kind of email shuku-den from Bremen.

The shop is beautiful, the bikes are beautiful, and the audio system is very nice (for the customers or the staff?). Now we just need to do our part to help make the business nice. I was pleased to learn that Mrs Hiroshi works at W in G, so they will have one steady paycheck until the bicycle shop takes off.

These photos are a bit blurry, as the Blackberry camera phone does not do very well in low light. Then again, there was plenty of sparkling wine in a cool room on a hot evening, so the photos reflect the mood.

We will be the #1 shop in metropolitan Tokyo for high end road and track bikes:

... were these lights just out for the party, or are they for sale? I want one.

James shows Fumiki the Nakagawa craftsmanship.

James M. telling Tim a story, complete with plenty of hand gestures. We got some nice High 5 drink tablets and water bottles to take away from the party.

I have a hard time recognizing everyone without the kit, helmet and glasses, but I'm pretty sure this is Fumiki-san.

The good stuff. Track parts. Tim tells me that Hiroshi has some pretty cool components for single speeds -- some of those parts you cannot get anywhere outside of a few shops in Japan.

Hiroshi's previous job was in the fashion biz. WWD (Women's Wear Daily?) in a bike shop, as David Bowie's "Fashion" plays on the audio system?

Lugs, by Panasonic.

More lugs, by Futaba.

There is only one "tetsu chunen" frame (tetsu=iron; chunen=middle aged guy).

c speed ...Japan's coolest bicycle shop about to open!

- press release -

Positivo Espress(i)o-(n)ist Hiroshi

a.k.a. Tetsu Chunen

launching his own

bicycle shop

this weekend !!!

c speed ... the coolest

bicycle shop in all of Japan!

c speed soft opening this Friday evening 18:00~21:00!

CONGRATULATIONS HIROSHI !!!

(we're proud of you!)

AOYAMA = AKIBA OF BIKES ?

Tokyo's Hot Spot For High-End Bicycles

Specialized of the U.S. opened a concept store in Aoyama in 2008 - its first direct-run store in Japan.

TOKYO (Nikkei)--The Akihabara district -- or Akiba for short -- is the place to go for electronics in Tokyo. For high-end bicycles, however, the city's Aoyama neighborhood is where it's at. In fact, people are calling this posh area in the center of the capital the "Akiba of bikes," as it is home to about 10 shops offering upscale models.

This spring, bicycle shop operator Nalsima Friend closed two smaller stores around Aoyama in order to open a plusher, larger one in the same neighborhood. The new outlet offers an extensive lineup of bikes as well as components ranging from tires to wheels to drivetrain parts.

Most of the staff are cyclists with racing experience. The shop even has a courtyard decked out with tables and chairs where visitors can relax and talk about their two-wheeled steeds.

Nicole EuroCycle Co., a dealer of high-end bicycles, last year opened a shop in Aoyama that focuses mainly on Italian road bikes, offering such brands as De Rosa and Colnago. Models priced at about 200,000 yen sell especially well there.

Before being converted into a bicycle shop, the store was a Nicole Group dealership for luxury import cars. Yoshinori Sato, who heads the shop, says sales have grown 100-200% since opening.

Bridgestone Cycle Co. opened its first-ever showroom in Aoyama last year. At Bike Forum Aoyama, visitors can test ride the company's latest models.

Specialized Bicycle Components, a California-based manufacturer of high-end bikes, launched a concept store in the area in 2008. The outlet, Specialized's first directly run shop in Japan, offers a wide range of models for men, women and kids.

So why has Aoyama become such a popular spot for selling high-end bicycles? "The number of people who ride such bicycles is increasing particularly sharply in Aoyama, because of the high concentration of wealthy people and foreigners here," said Sato of Nicole EuroCycle.

Another likely reason is that because Aoyama is home to scores of fashion- and design-related businesses, there is a larger number of people there who are attracted to products that are en vogue, including fancy racing bikes.

(Source : The Nikkei July 21 morning edition)

Mt. Fuji is Gray -- "Rehabili" Rides

I suffered through the heat this long weekend for 3 short rides, 60, 80 and 95 kilometers, leaving home before 7AM and returning a few hours later, my energy drained completely by 95 degree (35-36 degrees celsius) heat and humidity.  The Sunday and Monday rides each wiped me out, leaving me flat on my back for the afternoon.

My last (pre-accident) ride of any length was 10 weeks ago, and I return to the bike with weakened legs, a few kgs of extra weight (all in my stomach area, to which other fat also seems to have migrated), weakened back muscles (my back ached each day), and a need to avoid putting my full weight on my left arm, which is still healing and still quite weak.  How long is the road back?

Somehow, during the time I was away, Mr. Fuji turned from white to pale gray, barely distinguishable from the summer haze.

As I took this photo from the path and munched down an energy bar, having run out of gas only 16-17 km from home, I saw two riders in Positivo Espresso kit heading down the road below me.  I remounted and headed down the path, maybe 150 meters behind them.  They just made the green light at Sekidobashi, and I needed to go under the bridge, losing them.  I stopped for a real rest at the 7-11 near Y's, and continued out toward Takao.  When I arrived at Takao, Michael H. and Graham D. were just finishing up their rest.  I followed about 10 minutes behind them up the hill west of Takao, turning around 1/2 way up to head for home.

Racing while Injured

Who will win the Firenzo Magni prize at this year's Tour?

Cadel Evans continues to ride with a broken left elbow but he will have a tough time winning the prize, as he exploded on the Madaleine and collapsed in tears into a teammates arms at the finish, losing the yellow jersey and fading almost 8 minutes out of the lead.  If he can finish with a decent place, or achieve a great solo breakaway, like Tyler Hamilton's 2003 142 km solo breakaway stage victory with a broken collarbone, pass the drug tests (unlike Tyler) and hold back any more tears, then he will deserve it.  An uphill battle, appropriately.


Simon Gerrans crashed 7 km into a 189 km stage 8, made it through the next 182 km riding with a broken left arm, but could not start the next stage with his arm in a massive, full length cast.  Too late now to cut off the cast, replace it with a light splint (or better yet, some tape, like Cadel) and press on.  Sorry Simon.

Frank Schleck never got back on the bike after breaking his collarbone on stage three.  Sure, it was a nasty crash, and I was a bit relieved to see he was conscious, but HTFU, Frank!  If you don't get back on the bike and ride that pave, you can't start the next day's stage.

Lance -- it looks ugly, the gashes, the blood and the torn shorts and jersey, but nothing broken.  HTFU Lance.  You could still get the trophy!

Cadel hides the pain:

... a new candidate as Robbie Hunter breaks a bone in his arm (another elbow -- looks like the right elbow for a change) near the start of Stage 10, but finishes with the Peleton and declares his intention to keep riding, and his anger at the "tool" who dumped it in front of him, leaving him nowhere to go.  But sadly, he is not at the start of Stage 11, leaving Garmin Transitions short one sprinter.

Time for me to get back on the bike and HTFU!

Bianchista: Gentlemans Race

Bianchista: Gentlemans Race

Home Grown Heroes

Just thought I would let you know that Rue88 has run an artical on our very our Dave. H and Dave. K and thier L'Etape du Tour challenge to raise money for the Tyler Foundation!

If you haven't already donated please head on over to the Tyler foundation and chip in! Even if it's only ¥500 every little bit counts!

Also if you can post the links and stories up on your blogs, websites and send it via e-mail to everyone you know it would really help spread awareness.

All the best to them and hopefully they will keep us updated with their efforts!

The Very Last Ride

After spending two months in the German diaspora, I will fly back to Japan on July 10th/11th to pack all our worldly goods (except my family) into a container which will be shipped to Germany in due course. Then, the plane for Germany leaves on July 16th and that might be the last time I will come and leave Japan for a longer time. I will be fully busy with rejoining my family, do last minute shopping, meet friends, organize paperwork and removal preps ........

Naturally I will also want to escape from all of this and it would be wonderful if we can organize a bike ride sometime between July 13th and 15th most likely. I have spoken with Ludwig already and I might be able to put my hands on his cyclo cross for a ride with him. I would like to do one of the nicer mountain climbs I have some nostalgic feelings for, perhaps Matushime, Yabitsu, Tsuru/Tawa or Gando or O-Toge, perhaps Yanagizawa or Doshi-Michi.

If you guys are out there and not vacationing in Europe or elsewhere, please let me know.

Michael aka mob

Bike movies / Last Ride

"This one goes to eleven" (and 28)

As part of my preparation for the upcoming Etape on 18th July I fitted an 11x28 cassette on my wonderful new Dura-Ace 7850 wheels. I discovered that on long climbs having the ability to shift into a 28 really helps - especially in the "disadvantaged" state I was in for Sunday's training ride. To paraphrase the immortal words of Spinal Tap guitarist Nigel Tufnell, "this one goes to 28".

Firstly, a lesson in how not to prepare for a day of climbing in summer heat: champagne, white wine from the Loire region, red Bordeaux, Sauternes, vintage port and then 4 1/2 hours of sleep. Whereas I thought upon waking up that I had miraculously dodged a bullet, reality (and a feeling of approaching death) set in on the 7:30 train to Otsuki. I was indeed in a disadvantaged state. Riding away from Otsuki station James K soon pulled ahead. Soon a problem with my front derailleur forced me to stop to have a look. The little devil sitting on my shoulder was suggesting it was damaged beyond repair and the only solution was to retreat to the station but the angel on the other shoulder reminded me of Rule 5 (harden the **** up) and take what was coming to me. The gentle ascent to the beginning of Sasago Toge was the most difficult time I have ever spent on a bike. The heat and humidity were killing me. Once in the shade and quiet of the climb itself the world began to reset back to normal. I am not yet fully used to the noise from the rear hub of the new wheels so on the descent I kept thinking there was another bike right behind me.

We descended down to the Fruit Line and rode across to the climb up Yanagisawa Toge, attacking from the Enzan side (16km). This is a long a steady climb and is ideal for our Etape preparations. Apart from having to stop to switch off the cadence monitor in my Garmin (which was going haywire) and some cramp in my toes it was an uneventful climb. At the top it started raining - this was not to be the only rain of the day. The rain falling on the hot roads made for a descent through steaming rods - very dramatic. Towards the bottom we turned right down the now infamous route 18 - y'know, the road with the "rollers" such as Tsuru Toge and the Kobu Tunnel approach. OK, you say, those are further down route 18 and we would not encounter them on this day. True, but within a short distance we found ourselves on a 16% slope which eases off to a mere 14%. This was sharp 250m climb. It was indeed a short-cut through to Matsuhime, but in future, beware when James suggests a "short-cut" or "just a few rollers". Having said that, his underestimations are not always bad. For example a quick pint after work can sometimes turn into something rather more....

The climb up Matsuhime was refreshingly cooler and then beyond refreshing when the heavens opened and it rained very hard and glasses steamed up etc. Steamed up glasses did not make too much difference on the first part of the descent as visibility was very poor anyway as we were in a cloud. We kept up a brisk pace back to Otsuki station and made the train just in time.

120km and 2700m of climbing. According to my Garmin I hit a new record top speed of 914.3km/h. I'm not sure if that is when I was going uphill or downhill. If you heard a sonic boom yesterday that must have been me.

It's all Russian to me~!

Some of you have mentioned that a rival to Garmin would be truly welcomed in the cycle GPS market and it seems that a few models are slowly reaching the shelves of our LBS.

Today I was at Sagami Cycles and came across this nice little number, albeit a clone of the Garmin I have to say that for the price it’s pretty impressive as it also comes with Japanese road maps preloaded, in a nice easy on the eye package.

For me it's not so good due to it all been in Japanese but for you guys with excellent skills its worth looking into.

I have no idea what the features are or if the data can be uploaded or down loaded but like I said a very nice package.

Training in the Flatlands - Faster, Higher, Stronger Michaels

Thanks to James M., the NY Times article about Christian Van de Velde's flatland training in the Chicago area has been found HERE.

Seems like training with a powermeter and using headwinds are the two suggestions for climbers living in Flatlands. 

Powermeter/bursts:

"... set about increasing your average wattage. Mr. Vande Velde does this by punctuating rides with five minute “power bursts,” dropping into a big gear, pushing his pedals as hard as he can, his wheels turning at his top sustainable watts and barely 50 revolutions per minute. In the next five minutes, he’ll click up into an easier gear, pedals whirring at low watts and about 90 r.p.m. (which any recreational rider should be able to maintain). Then he’ll repeat."
Headwinds:

"... if you live in a flat area, listen to local weather reports and note the direction of the wind. A strong head wind can simulate hill climbing, Mr. Vaughters said. “You need to push hard into the wind,” using “a big gear, for at least six minutes and no longer than 45 minutes” once or twice a week “to get the aerobic benefits of climbing big hills,” he said. (In recompense, you get a tail wind all the way home.)"

Rule 5: This man clearly understands it!

With thanks to www.bigringriding.com

"it's not just a the chainring, it's a state of mind"

THE KING OF HTFU (ref: rule 5)

FIRENZO MAGNI: I CONSIDER MY GREATEST WIN MY SECOND PLACE IN GC AT THE GIRO OF 1956, MY LAST YEAR AS A PRO.

VALERIA PAOLETTI: You were a very brave second in that incredible Giro. Tell us what happened.

FM: DURING STAGE 12, FROM GROSSETO TO LIVORNO, I CRASHED ON THE DESCENT OUT OF VOLTERRA AND BROKE MY LEFT COLLARBONE. AT THE HOSPITAL THEY SAID I SHOULD PUT ON A PLASTER CAST AND QUIT. BUT I DIDN’T WANT TO. SINCE THE NEXT DAY WAS A REST DAY, I TOLD THE DOCTOR TO DO NOTHING AND THAT WE SHOULD WAIT AND SEE. THE DAY AFTER I ASKED THE DOCTOR TO PUT ON AN ELASTIC BANDAGE INSTEAD OF A CAST BECAUSE I WANTED TO TRY TO RIDE THE FOLLOWING STAGE, LIVORNO TO LUCCA. IT WORKED! I WASN’T AMONG THE FIRST RIDERS BUT I FINISHED.

VP: There is the famous picture of your riding holding a piece of inner tube in your mouth during the 13th stage, the individual time trail of San Luca. Can you explain?

FM: JUST BEFORE THE STAGE STARTED I TRIED TO RIDE MY BIKE ON A CLIMB AND I NOTICED I COULDN’T USE THE MUSCLES OF MY LEFT ARM TO PULL ON THE HANDLE BAR VERY HARD. SO MY MECHANIC, FALIERO MASI, THE BEST MECHANIC OF ALL TIME, CUT A PIECE OF INNER TUBE AND SUGGESTED I PULL IT WITH MY MOUTH. THAT WAS A GREAT IDEA!

VP: Then, during Stage 16, from Bologna to Rapallo, through the Apennines, you crashed again and broke your humerus.

FM: YES, I DIDNT HAVE ENOUGH STRENGTH IN MY LEFT ARM AND I CRASHED AFTER HITTING A DITCH BY THE ROAD. I FELL ON MY ALREADY BROKEN BONE AND FAINTED FROM THE PAIN. THE AMBULANCE CAME TO BRING ME TO THE HOSPITAL. IN THE AMBULANCE THEY GAVE ME WATER AND I GOT BACK ON MY FEET. WHEN I REALIZED THAT I WAS BEING TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL I SCREAMED AND TOLD THE DRIVER TO STOP. I DIDN’T WANT TO ABANDON THE GIRO! I MOUNTED MY BIKE AGAIN AND RESTARTED PEDALING. THE PELOTON HAD WAITED FOR ME, SO I ARRIVED IN RAPALLO IN A RELATIVELY GOOD POSITION. I HAD NO IDEA OF HOW SERIOUS MY CONDITION WAS, I JUST KNEW THAT I WAS IN A LOT OF PAIN BUT I DIDN’T WANT TO HAVE X-RAYS THAT EVENING. DURING THE DAYS THAT FOLLOWED I COULD HOLD MY OWN.

VP: You were even able to ride the Stelvio Pass (Stage 19)!

FM: YES, THERE I DIDN’T HAVE PROBLEMS ON THE CLIMB, BUT THE DESCENT WAS HARD. ON THE CLIMB I COULD GO UP AT MY OWN SPEED. AT THAT POINT MY AIM WAS JUST TO FINISH THE GIRO, NOT TO WIN IT OF COURSE. I DIDN’T WANT TO ABANDON THE GIRO IN THE YEAR OF MY RETIREMENT.

VP: Why did you have problems on the descent?

FM: BECAUSE I COULD NOT BRAKE WITH MY LEFT HAND AND I SKIDDED. THAT WAS TOUGH!

VP: Then there was Stage 20 from Merano to Trento, over the Costalunga, Rolle, Brocon and Bondone climbs. Pasquale Fornara was the pink jersey. That day 60 people abandoned! What happened?

FM: IT SNOWED THE WHOLE DAY AND IT WAS VERY COLD, I HAD NOT NOTICED HOW MUCH. ALONG THE WAY I SAW MANY BIKES PARKED NEXT TO BARS AND I ASKED WHAT WAS GOING ON. THEY TOLD ME THAT MOST OF THE PELOTON FROZE AND HAD TO QUIT. THEN, BEFORE REACHING TRENTO I SAW THE PINK JERSEY QUITTING TOO! ‘WHAT?? AM I SEEING THINGS?’ I WONDERED. IF I WERE THE PINK JERSEY I WOULD HAVE CONTINUED, EVEN IF I HAD TO WALK, BUT I WOULD NEVER ABANDON!

VP: What happened next?

FM: WHEN WE WERE IN TRENTO MY TEAM CAR CAME UP TO ME AND SAID I WAS THIRD. “THIRD?!”, I WONDERED AGAIN. I WAS THIRD THAT DAY AND BECAME SECOND IN THE GC.

VP: Gaul won that stage and went from 16 minutes behind to winning the 1956 Giro.

FM: ACTUALLY, I THOUGHT ABOUT ATTACKING CHARLY GAUL IN THE FOLLOWING STAGES AND TRYING TO WIN MY FOURTH GIRO. I TRIED ATTACKING HIM A COUPLE OF TIMES DURING THE LAST TWO STAGES, BUT HE WAS TOO STRONG. THE DAY AFTER THE END OF THE GIRO I WENT TO AN INSTITUTE THAT SPECIALIZED IN BONE INJURIES. AND THEY GAVE ME A DRESSING-DOWN! THEY SAID I HAD TWO FRACTURES - I THOUGHT I HAD ONLY ONE - AND FORCED ME TO PUT A PLASTER CAST ON. THE NEXT DAY I WENT TO MY MACHINE SHOP AND ASKED MY MECHANIC TO CUT THE PLASTER CAST AWAY WITH THE SPECIAL SCISSORS HE USED FOR SHEET METAL. THIS WAY I COULD START TRAINING AGAIN.

Save the Date - Midsummer Team Dinner - Tuesday July 27

We are losing Michaels to the flatlands at an unsustainable pace this year.  First Michael K. to the flats of Northern Germany.  Now Michael H. to flat Dubai, in August.

A promotion within his bank (the very same institution which is called "home" by his countryman, David J. of the P.E. London chapter -- you know, the one with those funny/serious old/new ads in the jetways) sends Michael H. off to oversee their legal function for a much bigger piece of real estate.

I am hoping to be able to celebrate my own recovery and return to the saddle at the same time.

For any of you who will be in Tokyo in late July, SAVE THE DATE - TUESDAY JULY 27 - for a team dinner, place TBD.  Given the season, the focus may be more on cold drinks than on food.  Ideas welcome via email or comment.

P.S.  There was a nice article within the last few years about Christian Van de Velde of Garmin Chipotle, and how he can train to win (well, be competitive in) Tour de France mountain stages while living in a completely flat city like Chicago.  First to find that article and link to it (or forward it to me, for the technology challenged) for the benefit of our two flatland Michaels gets treated to a cold beer at the dinner.

 

Étape training: Ça plane pour moi

On a hot but thankfully not particularly humid day James and I set off on one of our final training rides for l'Étape du Tour 2010. We are riding to raise money for the Tyler Foundation which provides support to children with cancer and their families. In less than a week we have received pledges for over "one million yen" (sorry Dr. Evil, that's Yen, not dollars and yes, the photo is of Dr. Evil, not my riding partner contemplating equity derivative prices at work). We hope to double this number before we set off for France.

This ride was never labelled as a "social" or cappuccino" ride and rightly so as we rode 150km and climbed 3600m and remained in observance of Rule 5 (see post last week). This was exactly the training ride we were looking for, hence the title of this blog - although not even l'Etape has a 30km climb at the end (Odarumi). Ca plane pour moi roughly translates as that flies with me or that suits me.

Until recently I was under the impression that the singer, Plastic Bertrand, was the

best the French could offer in punk music.

Certainly many French people I know claimed him a their fellow countryman. In fact,

lil' old Plastic Bertrand is ...... a Belgian called Roger.

Roger was not really hard and edgy when compared to real punks such as The Damned

and New York Dolls (which reminds at Tachikawa station we saw a guy in heeled sandals

and a handbag but did not get a photo).

Roger cannot compete with these characters.

This was my first outing on my new DuraAce 7850 wheels. The

reviews I read were outstanding and I was not disappointed. Until

now all I had ridden were the cheap wheels that came with my bike.

Solid and bomb-proof like something made in the 1950s in the

Midlands of England but heavy. Could this be the thin end of the

wedge? The beginning of an equipment upgrade cycle that has the

good people of Treviso salivating? Can you hear the siren call of the

Dogma? In addition my bike had been given a pro overhaul by James

M and the gears were very smooth.

Anyway, back to the ride. The first climb was up Sasago Toge. This climb is every bit as beautiful as I had heard. Nice pitch, in the shade with some nice views. Dropping down the other side we briefly rejoined Rte 20 and soon turned off up Rte 218. This too was new to me and turned put to be a pretty tough climb with several parts at 11-13% (one bit at 14%). It took us up to Daibosatsuko (a reservoir) and then on to a peak at Kaminikawa Toge. Be warned, as I started to tire a bit the site of the reservoir wall up ahead was encouraging, however, the road goes on way above. I declared the top further up and stopped for a drink and an energy bar only to realise that after a short drop there was more climbing. At the real top we stopped to fill water bottles from a pipe. Just to check I asked the man sweeping the deck if the water was OK to drink: "Maybe, probably" came the answer. We took our chances. Since this was a weekday we were likely to be the only people the Daibosatsu Talker would see and he was keen to talk. I asked him the name of the road we had just come up expecting it to have an interesting name but he told us it is called Rte 218. The road down the other side which we were about to take was Kaminikawa Toge (we were standing at the top of the pass). This leads down to the Fruit Line and would be a beautiful but in parts very challenging climb.

Down to Enzan area for a non-7-11 food stop and then we attacked Odarumi. We started this section at 516m and it ended at 2385m. With the exception of a 2km stretch that flattens out this is up all the way. Even adjusting for the flat bit the average gradient is about 6.6% but I rarely saw my Garmin reading that low. Several stretches go on at 9-11% and seem to never end. However, Team Etape were strong: nobody passed us............ but in the interests of full disclosure we didn't pass anyone either. As we say in England, this was a sodding tough climb. We both admitted to asking ourselves questions such as "why?, "what the hell am I doing here?" and "what would it take to get me back here?". I suggested there were beautiful young non-males at the top with a cool shower and scrub down waiting for us but that was not to be. With 5km to go while we were riding in near silence as we faced up to our demons I said to James: "Just imagine if someone attacked now. Could you respond??" He tried for a few yards and there were a few "Oi yoi yoi yoi yoi's" and then silence again.

Then followed a long and chilly descent. Arms get very tired on a 30km descent as there were few places to let the bike roll free. We returned to the non-7-11 where a local farmer asked where we had been and thought we were completely nuts when I told him. He said it must have taken 3 hours. He wasn't far wrong. We were not sure where the official start was but from the food stop I believe we clocked about 2:50 of which about 2:30 was pain.

Bring it on Tormalet!!

Train back from Kofu and home and back down to earth. When I walked in the door the dog, Humphrey, was a welcoming but at the same time was wondering whether I was still angry with him for his recent campaign of guerrilla warfare. In the previous few nights he had eaten my freshly baked Rapha fruit bread (v. high calorie for rides) and all the foil it was wrapped in, a couple of the children's socks (visit to the vet), a bunch of bananas, a pack of raisins and on that day when he could not get to any food he decided to chew up a water bottle and the phone pad. When I told my wife that the ride was very, very hard, she asked, "so why do it?".

EMX-7 unveiled

To celebrate the Cannibal's 65th birthday, Eddy Merckx Cycles unveiled the EMX-7, an extremely stiff 62HM carbon fiber bike which is to become Quick Step's official bike next season. Slated to be commercially available in October.

A special "Eddy Merckx Limited Anniversary Edition" will carry on the back wheel's rim all the major classic victories Merckx chalked up during his career...

PEEK Training Camp

For those of you who don't know: London is a city very much West of Tokyo and a little bit North of Tokyo. It is not as hilly as the mountains west of Tokyo, but very much more than everything in the North, South, East and West of Bremen. That's why it was chosen to become the first training camp of PEEK (Positivo Espresso European Klub) this year.I spend the day before the trip to London in Darmstadt ("Bowel City") in the district Wixhausen ("Wankers Town") attending a scientific symposium of the Logistics community in Ge many. I am not sure weather all readers of this cycling blog are interested in this specific topic, but in good faith I would like to summarize the main conclusions of the congress, which I have gathered after hours and hours of intensive attendance in dark rooms:

1. There are many problems in logistics today.

2. These problems are very complex.

3. We are currently trying to solve these problems.

4. But as I said, they are very complex.

Well, I guess one can say this also about life. Or marriage. Or riding up a steep hill.

Naturally I was very, very tired and exhausted when I boarded the plane to London. Or to Munich. Because one of the fascinating logistic solutions that airline companies offer to their customers today is, that it is much cheaper to fly from Bremen to the South to Munich and then back the same way and further North to London. But as I said, it is very complex.

I was so excited. The country were people speak proper English! Not that I have never been to London before. No, I had quite substantial London experience, being there with my parents for one full day in the summer of 1976. My parents, who stayed one year close to "Swinging London" in the Sixties (to be more precise, they lived in Bradford) know exactly what was "in" and showed me all the great sights. So when I came back now, I was able to tell David (born in London) and Juliane (moved to London in 2008) who are now living in the PEEK HQ building in Lambeth, where the action is: Carnaby Street!

David and Juliane don't live in Carnaby Street but on the other side of the river Thames, opposite a very big building called Parliament. And also close to Waterloo Station, which is the place where Napoleon's train never arrived at.The PEEK HQ building is really nice and I especially liked the view between the building and the adjacent railway bridge, clad in red bricks. Juliane and David were perfect hosts and even provided me with a very nice bike: A titanium frame Airbourne (Manhattan Project) with a long history. The frame is trippled butted in most of the places and triple triple butted at the bottom bracket. And, in case you haven't figured in out yet, it once belonged to the bicycle collection of David. Not even the soccer cup game between England and Algeria could prevent us now from riding out!So we set off to the countryside, where we made a nice pre-tour ride for the main ride the following day which consisted of a serious of increasing challenging climbs in short sequence. For some reasons Juliane and David still have the prejudice, that I am a strong rider, although all my hill climbing abilities have been drained out due to environment in Bremen since seven weeks. Box hill, for example is a very nice climb which might be just a little bit more challenging than Jerome's hill, but nevertheless was quite exhausting. The highest hill in the area is Leith hill, which we conquered as well, before we made a break at a local teas shop, ate some flap jacks and drank some black tea. Quite civilized riding, I would reckon.

There is also a nice and cool place called Coldlake where we took a break at the burial ground. Overall, one has to keep one's eyes open. As riding in the English countryside is riding along hedges on both sides of the road and there is hardly anything to see at all. So you have to wait for the gap in the hedges and then look fast.First I was surprised, when I saw no new houses in the countryside. I assumed then, that like the "Chiho" in Japan, the rural areas of the UK are slowly depopulated and that the folks are moving into the city or to retirement homes. But then Juliane and David explained, that most of the houses are actually brand new. As the local parish council controls the building permits, new buildings are only approved if they match in style and color the existing structures. So, after erecting new houses, special finishing works are being required, applying large quantities of mold, slime, grime and unstable chemical compositions to walls and roofs so that the structure matches that of the adjacent ones.

It was a nice ride and at the end we were quite exhausted. During four hours I did probably much more elevation meters as compared to riding seven weeks in Bremen. So we took the train back to town, had a good dinner at the PEEK HQ and shared some nostalgic conversation about our mutual time in Japan. Our thoughts where with Froggy, David, Shuhei, Shindo, Kurata, Malcolm, Graham, Peter and all the other riders we have met and had fun with ... Paul Jason.The next morning we made our way early to Waterloo station as we had a major tour in mind. Because the royal meeting was conducted at Ascot the same day, there were many men and women with funny heads at the station. Non-suspecting tourists arriving in London that day might get a complete wrong idea about how people in the UK dress today.

We rode out to Guildford, famous not only because of the Stranglers, but also it is the claimed home of Ford Prefect from the first part of the trilogy "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". Again, a lot of climbing was involved riding along hedges and catching a glimpse from time to time of the original landscape. Juliane pointed out the trees, scrubs, bushes, flowers, pest plants, insects, amoebae, virus etc. of the local environment while David try to lead us on beautiful country roads to the restaurant where we were suppose to have lunch with his parents. Well this was our main tour, but after having spend all energy already on the day before, we took it quite easy.

After passing Petersfield and coming to the town of BURITON (which I assume is the Katakana version of BRITAIN), we descended a small hill. David was in front and I was perhaps 20 meters behind him. There was a speed hump in the road which looked rather silly and I rode over it with perhaps 40 km/hr. The next things I heard was the sound of an exploding tube and the next thing I saw when dismounting from the bike was a flat rear wheel with a broken spoke, a pinched tire and an untrue wheel. Bad luck. At least we were able to repair it somehow so that I could continue to ride, but we decided to cancel the lunch, ride back to Petersfield, have a cup of tea and ride back by train to London. This was the first bicycle I destroyed that day.

Back in London, Juliane and David were so kind to show me around the city. We took are town bikes (less expensive, a Trek MTB for me) slang heavy bike logs around our waists and made way for the Parliament bridge. Buckingham Place. On the way to the place, the streets were flagged with French and British flags, it seems that the chief froggy and his wife were in town. Many war memorials are dispersed around the city centre. Many of them are connected to Germany. "To the Royal Engineers who have given their life during the great war 1914 - 1919". Were where they fighting in 1919, when we Germans have dutifully surrendered already in November 1918? Didn't they noticed that?

And then finally: Carnaby Street, the hot bed of Swinging London. So where is the Mary Quant shop? Where can I buy Twiggies trousers? Get a new haircut? Drink a beer at the pub that was named in honor of Jerome? Ah, here it is.We had some more beers at another place, then headed out to East London to have a typical British Dinner (Tiki Masala) at the Lahore Khebab Place. There we saw also some more WC games and finally we headed back to PEEK HQ.

Now the handle of the Trek MTB got loose from the stem and it was not because I was drank from COBRA beer, that I only unsteadily found the way back home. Second bike destroyed that day.

It has been a successful weekend and all of us have trained hard for the forthcoming Transalp race (2011 that is). The next day I took my plane back to Bremen (this time through Frankfurt) and did the one thing I did rarely in London: sleeping.Thanks David. Thanks Juliane.