A Traveler's Guide: Scotland in 19 hours (LEL)

Late Thursday night I completed the 2013 version of London-Edinburgh-London, together with 800 others.  Actually some completed the ride over a day earlier, a few later on Friday morning, and several hundred of the 1000 starters not at all.

Audax UK did a fantastic job in providing controls that featured hot food, a flat place to sleep (with blanket), mostly warm showers, toilets with functioning plumbing, bike mechanical assistance, etc. for 1000 riders stretched across many hundreds of miles over a 5-day period.

Sorting the drop bags at the start -- color coding avoids misplaced bags!

The ride offered far too much to relate in a single blogpost, so let me introduce the event by featuring the middle (3rd) day.

I started riding after 2AM Tuesday from Brampton, in NW England near the Scottish border, and returned to the same location, having completed a 300km loop mostly through hills, before 10PM the same evening.

It was the hardest day of LEL; except perhaps for the others.

For the prospective visitor to Scotland, I highly recommend this bicycle loop as an efficient way to see a lot of the country.  It is best to prepare ahead with maps and a route plan, since the locals speak a different language than the English a few miles to the South.  Scottish can be very difficult to understand, if one must stop to ask directions.

We rode from Brampton to Moffat, via Lockerbie, the town made world famous by the Libyan bombing of a PanAm 747 many years ago.

From Moffat, our course took the scenic route (Route A701) and we ascended the "Devil's Beeftub". What is a "beef tub" and why might it have a demonic connection?  I did not know. Other place names were equally (or more) obtuse ... and seemed as if they must have far more distant origins. This visit, like any good 19-hour visit to a new country, inspired me to want to go back and learn more, to find out why anyone would call a location the Devil's Beef Tub?

I am told that the view from the top of this climb is spectacular.  Unfortunately, we climbed in fog and mist, which had yet to burn off.  We were not about to wait at the top for something as unreliable as the local weather.  At least we could enjoy the spectacular wildflowers along the road, and the nearby sheep.  And in the end, the fog lifted as soon as we had descended into the valley to the North.

Descending from the Devil's Beeftub toward Edinburgh

More of the countryside SW of Edinburgh

As we descended through the beautiful valley to the North, on one of the worst road surfaces of the entire 1500 kms, we passed Tweedhopefoot, then a sign identifying the "Source of the River Tweed" (and, I speculate, also the indirect source of the fabric known as Tweed, and of NYC 19th century politician William Magear Tweed a/k/a "Boss Tweed", and other tweeds).  A few miles further on we passed through Tweedsmuir.

Then it was on toward Edinburgh.  (To avoid embarrassment, please remember that it is pronounced "Edinborough" with an "o" instead of a "g" at the end.  It is a big enough city in these parts of the world so one really is expected to know this, even as a visitor!)

What can I say about Edinburgh?  Not much.  As we approached, we went up and down, and up and down, and way down, then up, before arriving at the Control, located just south of the city at Gracemount High School. I am told it is a great, historic city.  Any visitor should allow at least a few days to scratch its surface, instead of only an hour or two.  I would love to return, as soon as possible.  

My best view of Edinburgh, from a hillside well to its South

But for the road cyclist, it is not recommended.  First, there is "big city traffic":  lots of people in a hurry to get somewhere in their motor vehicles.  Second, there are hills.  Too many hills, too steep for road cycling, if the intention is to get from point A to point B without getting completely exhausted and bathed in sweat.  And third, it can rain at any time, almost at the drop of a hat.  And it did, the heavens opening up just after I left the Control, even on what had been a glorious day a few moments earlier.

From Edinburgh we headed toward the south, this time on real back roads, with low traffic volumes, and spectacular views.  We slogged from sea level back up to above 500 meters elevation, all of the climb on an exposed hillside, riding into a stiff headwind.  The headwind continued for the rest of the day.  The rain came and went.  The scenery was incredible, more wildflowers and always sheep, sheep, more sheep.

Looking back down the hill

Looking up the hill ... and into the wind

In England I saw foxes, various game birds (pheasants, etc.), bunny rabbits, sheep, cows, horses (large, race, pony, etc.) dogs, cats, frogs, snakes, etc.  In Scotland, sheep.  And more sheep.  A few cows, yes, but mostly sheep.  In England, the sheep seemed very relaxed, at peace with themselves and the world.  In Scotland, the sheep were eating frantically, with a devotion I have rarely seen in any living being engaged in any activity.  Perhaps they were the Devil's sheep?  They were bigger than English sheep, and all appeared to have been recently shorn.  They ate as if every piece of grass were the last on earth.

Unfortunately, while the sheep made an impression on me, they did not make it into my photos in any significant numbers, so you will need take me at my word, or go visit yourself!

After two long climbs into the wind, a long hard slog up a valley into the wind, and two more descents on rough roads, we finally made it to the Control at the little hamlet of Traquair.  This was the most jolly Control of the entire 5 days.  Perhaps it was the recognition that we were "over the hump" and headed home, and had just cleared one of the tougher stretches?  

Or maybe it had something to do with the little portions of Glenlivet 12-year-old Scotch whiskey offered to each rider?  The Glenlivet, made with water from the River Tweed, of course, was delicious.  Highly recommended as a souvenir of a visit to Scotland (but a bit heavy for the road cyclist to carry, so best to pick it up at the airport, in duty free).

The "valley of death" -- it looks pretty, but straight into a stiff headwind with 850kms and many hills behind already 

There were plenty more hills after Traquair, another mini-Control at Eskdalesmuir, then a lonely climb in the rain and a nice gradual descent along a river (with plenty of "rolling" hills along the way), before re-crossing the border and riding a mostly-flat stretch in the gathering dark from Longtown to Brampton, via the A7 and A5071. 

Back at Brampton, there was enough time for a few hours of sleep before the start of the 4th day.

P.S.  I should note that my one-day tour of Scotland's hills covered only the "lowlands".  The Scottish "highlands" are further to the North and, even hillier.  Audax UK is planning a Scotland Highlands, Glens and Western Isles 1300 km event for summer 2014, for anyone who wants to see more of this spectacular country.  (Warning:  That is a very hilly event, so best not tried with a fixie.)

UPDATE 1:  After the end of my trip, upon returning to Japan, my crack team of research assistants discovered, following exhaustive research using the latest in tools ("Google" and "Wikipedia"), that the Glenlivet distillery is located far to the North, in the Scottish Highlands, and is nowhere near the River Tweed.  So either I was hallucinating, or I fear that someone at the Traquair control was having a bit of fun with us outlanders when they said that the scotch whiskey came from the River Tweed.

UPDATE 2:  In case the style of this post is not immediately recognizable, please see the bestselling book "Dave Barry Does Japan" for a master humorist's attempt to write about a country he does not know at all, based upon the most superficial of impressions formed during a short visit.  See also MOB's classic 2008 post with its description of Japanese pachinko sprawl, the True Tokyo-Itoigawa Monogatari.

English (and Scottish) Weather - Changeable

Getting ready for London-Edinburgh-London (July 28 to August 2), I have completed my training and did not take a long ride over the weekend.

Or rather, it is too late for training to do any good.  Any more than normal exertion (and any less than normal sleep) over the next six days will just make it more difficult to complete the event.

So I have entered the phase when all preparation is focused on equipment, route planning (where to sleep, how much distance is realistic how fast?), figuring out what to put in the two "drop bags" that riders are allowed, and trying to put work on an even keel so that I can be out of touch during the event without problems.

Part of this involves checking the weather forecasts.  My friends in London told me that "the weather is the weather here, never reliable".  That seems pretty much the case in other parts of the world as well from every time I have ridden more than 600km in a single tour or event -- at least some rain, and some shine.  Indeed, the longer range BBC forecasts for each of the first few days of the ride now look something like this in Brampton (NW England) and Edinburgh:

What does that mean?  Some rain showers (2 drops apparently meaning "heavy showers"), some sun, some clouds, with the high temperature somewhere between 14 and 21 degrees C -- all on the same day.  And the same forecast (with 1 drop instead of two, signifying lighter showers, and somewhat warmer highs) for almost every location of the ride, every day of the event.

At least it is not likely to be as hot and humid as Tokyo, nor as cold as Rainy Pass in Washington State last year during the Cascade 1200.

Bastille Day Ride

We got an early start -- almost as early as planned (630AM), and made it out of the central Tokyo heat island before the temperature exceeded 30 degrees C.  Then after some riding in the Akigawa, Itsukaichi and Jerome Hill areas, including roads not previously taken ... we ended up near the Positivo Espresso Oume/Ikusabatake training facility.  

Hidden roads near Oume

The training facility was closed, so after buying food at the local PE-approved super market, Jerome and I went down by the river, where families with kids were picnicking, relaxing and watching rafters and kayakers come through, at the end of their upper-Tamagawa runs.  

At the picnic area, Ikusabatake.

The kids, mostly under the age of 10, all seemed to be enjoying the water, while parents mostly watched from the edge.  Jerome and I, of course, went and joined the kids, spending a very nice 20-30 minutes cooling down.  My first experience swimming in the Tamagawa, if memory serves.

This break was just enough of a cool down so that we decided to climb over the Tsuru Tsuru onsen hill -- 400+ meters of elevation gain, in addition to the short steep climb just to get back to Yoshino Kaido. 

The climb was steep, the weather now getting very hot and the air thick, but we did our best.  In fact, I think on the upper portion, as we neared the pass, a hiker must have surreptitiously recorded us and posted it to Youtube.  

I can only think that watching us must have been what inspired Chris Froome to attack with such gusto near the top of Mont Ventoux, as he obviously mimicked our super-high-cadence climbing attacks.

We descended the other side safely and were back in Tokyo a few minutes after 3PM, having ridden back in 34-35 degree C, sticky, miserable weather.

Cut hillside above Tsuru Tsuru Onsen.

Riedberg -- P.E. Bremen Chapter goes to the Alps

Well, the Tour de France have left the Pyrenees and it will be awhile yet before the peleton gets to Mt. Ventoux and then the Alps ... and how long can one remain interested in watching a group of brightly colored cyclists schooling like fish down roads with aerial shots of hay fields cut so that they form the shape of two wheels and a bicycle frame, or the like?  Yes, it is pretty, but it eventually gets old.

So for relief it is very nice to get a report from Positivo Espresso founder MOB on his cycling in the German/Austrian border regions.

He has even written in English ... and despite several years back in Germany his English is still easier to read for me than German translated to English via the "Google Translator" function in Chrome.

Wheel Nos. 00011 and 00012 - Carbon Clincher 25mm wide rims from China

It has been several years since I rode my Reynolds Stratus Cross carbon tubular wheels.  I decided that for those of us who ride without a team support van and spare bikes/wheels at the ready, the benefits of tubulars (low weight, better "road feel") do not outweigh the costs (glue/tape, carrying spare tires, replacing the $75+ tire instead of the $7.50 tube, etc.).  

But the hubs on my Reynolds wheels are still as smooth as the day I bought them, and no reason not to repurpose them.  So I ordered a pair of carbon clincher rims (25mm wide, basalt braking surface) from China ($360 for the pair, including shipping), and some Sapim CX-Ray spokes from a German online retailer ... and today built up a set of carbon clincher wheels.  They look great and should be very fast and comfortable, given the 25mm width and beautiful deep carbon rims.

Wheel 00011. Front.  20 spokes.

Wheel 00012.   Rear.  24 spokes.

Happened to have a set of Vredestein 700x25 Fortezza TriComp tires waiting for these.  Perfect.

Of course, carbon clinchers have their own, very well-known weaknesses.  They melt apart when overheated from braking on long, steep, technical descents.  Fortunately, we do not have any such terrain around where I live (hah! just kidding).  

So these will probably be my time trial, triathlon and/or flat terrain wheels.  Or perhaps I will end up giving them to someone who weighs much, much less than I do and so is not a target for extreme brake-related heat on a descent. ...  And I will use Shimano cork-style brake pads, rather than Swisstop Yellow, given the warnings here about a link between heat generation and these pads.

Saddle cut in two

Jerome can be somewhat hard on his equipment -- not just wheels.  I noticed a line across his saddle this morning, as we returned from a short ride in the hot, hot, humid weather.  Upon further inspection, the saddle seems to have been split completely into two pieces - fore and aft - with only the top cover and rails holding the pieces together.

How did it get this way?

Fortunately, I had a Charge Spoon saddle purchased last year from Wiggle but not yet tried, so Jerome will now be the test-rider.

Wheel No. 00010 (and 00014) For Jerome

Jerome has had a run of trouble with rear wheels.  He favors wheels from a certain French famous brand we shall refer to as "M".   He had M wheels on his old Peugeot bicycle, on his newer Look bicycle (ca 2010 ... replacement for the one that was stolen).

In any event, the lower end M wheels on his Look bike started to have serious problems last year as he essentially rode them into the ground.  Repeated adjustments and new spokes did not solve the problems, so it was time for something else.

He started to use the old (mid range) M wheels from his Peugeot, but the cassette/free wheel has some play in it and needs a replacement part, ... which are no longer available given the age of the product.

So I told him I would build him a wheel, and meanwhile sold him (steeply discounted) my R P "made in Oregon" wheels, which I got for Transalp 2011 climbing.  I thought they would be okay for him, since he is 10+kgs lighter than me.  ... but he broke spokes, 3 over the first few months.

So for the SR600, I offered to swap the R P wheels for my older 2004 M Ksyrium SSC SL wheels -- which have been completely rebuilt once by our expert local shop, new rim, etc., etc., and have not gotten much use lately as they have been on my son's bike.  ... but he broke spokes again during the SR400, on Utsukushigahara and again on Route 141 near Kiyosato.

So, at last, the SOLUTION.  I finally built wheel No. 00010.  32 spokes 3-cross, DT competition drive side, DT revolution non-drive side.  Basic hub (Shimano 105 - 5700).  Light rim (DT Swiss RR415).  Strong, reasonably light, and let us hope it can stand up to even Jerome's big ring torque-heavy climbing style.

Sadly, the wheel has no French components.  At least I put back on the Michelin tire ...

---------------------------
UPDATE:  August 2013.  I have now completed the companion front wheel, No. 00014.  It also has an RR415 rim, but an SP Dynamo SV-8 hub and 32 3-cross DT Revolution spokes.  He has been using the heavier Shimano dynamo hub and DT Competition-spoked wheel for the past almost 2 years.  If the RR415 rims are sturdy enough for Jerome, then he should be zooming up the hills on future brevets.

SR425? Flash Report

Your correspondent is too busy for a full trip report ... but in the meantime, Jerome and I each DNF'ed on the SR600.  But "DNF" has a negative connotation, and this was in fact a very nice, very epic ride.  Just that neither of us had allowed enough time for sleep in the day or two before the ride, I had not planned for an early enough start to actually get home at a decent hour Sunday evening, and Jerome suffered another rear wheel failure ... with my interim repair only getting him part of the way home.

Venus Line!

The Fuji SR600 is an incredible course, and we will try it again, with better preparation, and ride it to completion.

At Shibu Pass -- highest point on a National Highway in Japan

In the meantime, I got to ride some incredible climbs for the first time -- most notably from Kusatsu to Mt. Shirane and the 2172 meter elev. Shibu Pass on Saturday, then on Sunday morning the climb from Ueda up to Utsukushigahara (1940 meters elev.) and along the Venus Line.  Spectacular.  

Near Utsukushigahara

And in addition to deer at night on the climb to Yamabushi Pass in Chichibu, I saw one of these ungainly beats in the wild on Saturday afternoon:

Kamo Shika (from Google Images ... no time for a photo ato 50kph+ on a descent)

SR600 Fuji this weekend!

This weekend, Jerome and I will attempt the Fuji SR600.  What is an SR600?  It is a course of 600 kilometers and at least 10,000 meters of climbing.  To qualify for "credit" as a randonneur, one must complete it in 50 hours (10 hours longer than a "normal" 600km Brevet, to accommodate the extra climbing).  In this case, since there is EVEN MORE than 10,000 meters, the time limit is 52 hours.

The course looks spectacular

The climbing is daunting, with 2 passes of more than 2100 meters elevation, and a whole bunch just a little bit lower. 

At least the weather seems reasonably cooperative -- not too cold on the high passes, not outrageously hot in the low valleys, and no segment that is showing (24+ hours before the start) a greater than 30 or 40% chance of rain ... after two or three very wet weeks!

Positivo Espresso Classic Hot Ride

Tokyo heat and humidity, hammering up the river with Jerome at 35-38kph.  Today's weather brought back memories of so many similar rides with good friends over the past 9 years.

Hot and humid, but not so hot as to be completely oppressive.  And with a cool breeze on the upper stretches of the climbs and, of course, a reasonably stiff headwind on the homeward leg.  Hot enough so I lost several kgs of weight during the ride, despite consuming 3.5 liters of liquids (plus a bowl of cold udon with salty broth, and at least 3-4 cups of mugicha).

Jerome and I headed out on a half-day ride.  We planned to go to Takao, over Otarumi Pass, then back over Wada Pass (the "Ura Wada" climb).  It rained a lot last week, and so we thought it best to avoid climbs that would be damp.  Both these seemed likely to be dry enough to avoid slipping on a bed of leaves, moss or still-wet pavement..

Of course, once over Otarumi, we decided to add a third hill and headed off to Bijotani (valley of the beautiful ladies).

On the flat area at the top of Bijotani ...

Sadly, there was a sign at the Bijotani Onsen to the effect that the Onsen has CLOSED for good.  The "bijo" have all moved to the city or gotten old and feeble.  We saw no cyclists on the Bijotani climb, but did pass one man descending motor scooter, chatted at the top with an 80+ year old hiker climbing Mt. Jimba, and then saw a group of about 10 men on mountain bikes as we descended the South side of the pass.  The men on mountain bikes were in their 40s or 50s. I hesitate to call them "mountain bikers" since they were all spinning ridiculously low gears on a relatively shallow part of the climb, but they were traveling in groups of 2~3 and looked as if they were having fun.

Steep drop off alongside the road at top of Bijotani

Ura Wada was relatively quiet, though we did see Alan and Naomi W. of TCC whiz by on the descent as we climbed the lower stretches.  On the descent, I got a heat puncture from sitting on my brakes ... and the wheel rim was too hot to touch as I tried to change the tire.

Fujino's local yuzu cider - lots of sugar

I rode Brunhilda Li, my German-designed, China-built Canyon carbon frame bike, with my HED Jet 6 wheels.  Brunhilda is a great frame, and the wheels are fast -- noticeably easier to hold a speed over 35 kph, and noticeably easier into the headwind.

Ready for LEL -- Voyage, Voyage

I still have more training to do -- the Fuji SR600 coming up --  but my bike ("Voyage") is ready for London Edinburgh London.

I've selected the wheels, lighting and storage options (though I may go with a larger rear bag ultimately).  The major tweaks from recent rides are below, as of June 22.  Updates further below are as of July 7.

(1) I have added some new carbon bottle holders (via Aliexpress) and will take advantage of the ability to attach a third bottle holder under the downtube.  As you can see, I have a tool canister in the third bottle holder.  This will free up space in the rear and handlebar bags for other, lighter weight gear.

UPDATE:  Though I will use the third bottle holder, I am a bit disappointed by its small capacity.  Its main purpose will be for storing a few heavier items, since the Rixen Kaul klick-fix seatpost attachment is rated for a maximum of 2 kgs.  I will probably use the slightly larger Rixen Kaul bag (photo below) rather than the Voyager Mini-Flex (photo above).

(2) I will go with my trusty SV-8 dynamo hub, Velocity A23 rim, 32 Sapim CX-Ray spokes, and Supernova E3 Pro light.  For the rear wheel I will use the A23 rim I built with a Chris King classic hub and 32 spokes (drive side DT Swiss Competition, non-drive side Revolution0.

When I mounted the Supernova at my front brake attachment last month, I found that when I would turn the mounting bracket hit the shifting cable's barrel adjusters, which are at the base of the headtube.  This limited my turning angle to around 25-30 degrees -- a potential issue at slow speed.  It also would knock the light and brake off-center, and I feared that with time repeated impact against the cables would sever the inner shifter cables.  So I am mounting the light off a handlebar mount, with an extension high enough to avoid obstruction from the Ortlieb handlebar bag.  I considered the "axle mount", but I like this better -- at least I will try it for the SR600, to confirm it is stable.

UPDATE:  Using the light attachment pictured above, the light kept slipping forward/pointing down toward the ground, and was only really stable after being secured with a plastic tie looped from the light back around the handlebar stem.  I have since found another brake-base mount attachment that does not interfere with the barrel adjusters and, with some metal-bending, I managed to attach it to the Supernova light.  This seems to be a better solution for me than the SR600 attachments or the axle.  I should make a better attachment, or have one made, by someone with some scrap metal and a good drill.

(3) I also hooked up the Lightcharge USB charger again for some help in re-charging batteries (*limited to dry, daylight hours), to help keep the Garmin Edge 800 going over 4~5 days of LEL.  It has the benefit of being cheap, easy to install, and it should not compromise my lighting even if it happens to get waterlogged somewhere in Scotland.

UPDATE:  I tried to use the Lightcharge USB charger on my iphone ... and the amount of the charge over a 45+ minute plus descent with constant speed between 30 and 50kph was only around 6% of the phone's capacity.  I think "The Plug" does slightly better, but installation would be difficult.  I will go with battery chargers for Garmin and iphone, one more time.

(4) I plan to use the Axiom Fastback DLX reflex fenders -- clip on and off for easy packing.

UPDATE:  I will now use the SLS Raceblade Long removable fenders.  Easier clip on and off, better coverage, and slightly more stable.  See the updated fender review.

(5) new bartape, with gel pads underneath.  This and 700x25 (or 700x24) tires at sub-100psi, with 23mm wide rim traditional 3x spoked wheels should prevent hand pain, even if the road surfaces are poor.

UPDATE:  On the SR600, the bar tape/gel worked very nicely.  Also my shoes worked well -- no hot foot or pain whatsoever.  I will go with my favorite 700x24 Vittoria Open Pave CG tires.  My Conti 700x25s will be spares, one on the bike and one or two in my drop bag(s).

(6) a SRAM Rival "wi-fli" long cage rear derailleur and 11-32 rear cassette (to give me easy climbing gears with 53-39 front chainrings -- essentially the same low gear ratio as with 11-28 and 50-34 compact crankset gearing).

UPDATE:  LEL set up pictured below.

More Keirin -- International Riders

Nice documentary about Shane Perkins and other international riders who are invited to participate in Japanese keirin races, embedded over at MOB's Cyclyng blog.

The Return of Womens' Keirin

Apparently in the past year or two, women's keirin has returned to the betting tracks of Japan.

I learned this when I happened to catch a rebroadcast segment on J Sports cable TV last week.  The event is called "Girl's Keirin" in Japan by the marketing folks (and J Sports), though this would be considered offensive in the U.S., and in interviews the athletes themselves use the term jyoshi keirin -- 女子競輪 -- which really means womens' keirin.

It seems that the bikes used are international standard track bikes -- carbon frames allowed -- and the rules are more consistent with international track bike racing, so the intention is to nurture women riders who can compete at international events, not just to add to the domestic keirin/gambling circuit.

In any event, I missed the earlier inevitable TV segment about the model or "campaign girl" turned keirin rider, and instead caught the much more inspirational one about Miyoko Takamatsu, the 51-year old mom and ex-amateur triathlete who in 2011 decided to go to Keirin School and make her professional sports debut at age 50.  50 ... is the new 40!  or maybe 50 is the new 35!  To a 50-year old cyclist, this is as much of an inspiration as Yuichiro Miura summiting Mt. Everest at age 80, or Jamie Moyer (born one month after me in 1962) still suiting up and pitching in the major leagues in his late forties -- and managing to pitch a major league shut-out game in each of 4 different decades.


Japan may be an aging society, but it is a very healthy and active one.

Brevets on Gravel?

Jerome and I would love to plan some Brevet courses some years in the future, when we each have fewer job and family commitments. ...

So after seeing this NY Times story, and reading on the Seattle Randonneurs' list about this San Francisco based series of gravel long distance rides, I think I need to consult with Tom, Manfred and others about potential Brevet courses on real backroads in Japan.

Who needs an Ebike ...

When you can have ... a jet bike.


And more detail is available here.

600km Okitsu Classic

The last two Kanagawa Audax events I have attended had very small groups of riders.  Last October's 600km Brevet had only 9 finishers and 13 DNFs, as the mountainous course drove away most potential entrants, and Saturday night rain in Nagano punished those who tried it.  Then last month, plenty of riders signed up for the the 400km "Okitsu Classic", but the weather forecast was grim enough to persuade many riders that they would be happy just to stay at home.

Surfers visible at Omaezaki coastlne -- reminds me a bit of California along the PCH

So it was a bit of a shock for Jerome and me to show up, a few minutes late, for the pre-ride briefing on Saturday at 530AM, and walk into a room of nearly 100 people, including riders and staff, and a number of familiar faces.  Maya Ide and Haruyo Kinomiya, who entered the Cascade 1000 last year in Washington State, and many other Kanagawa regulars.  

Just over the next hill at Omaezaki, looking toward the Hamaoka nuclear reactor and a Vestas wind turbine farm.  The woman rider in the photo is Yume-san, who I met when I helped with a tire change before PC1.   This was the last I saw of her ... as my pace was slower than normal with stiff muscles and high humidity.

The course did not disappoint -- easier than last fall's 600km, and with some very nice stretches.  

Most notable was the 100km+ mountainous stretch along route 473 then route 151 in Shizuoka, Aichi and Nagano, through Sakuma and Niino and on into Iida.  Nice river valleys and mountains, with low traffic even on a Saturday afternoon.  I had not ridden this before, but would love to do so again.

Tenryugawa, from the Eastern shore

I had ridden along the reservoirs of the Tenryugawa, back a few years on a trip from Chino to Hamamatsu, along the Akiba Kaido.  That time, I found the never-ending reservoirs monotonous, the tunnels unpleasant, and was looking for an alternate route the next time I ride the Akiba Kaido.  This time, I got a completely different perspective, as we took a small local road along the East side of the reservoirs, bypassing the tunnels and the traffic, and most of the time riding in the woods.  Very nice. 

More Tenryugawa

I started the event with VERY sore ribs and right side of my chest -- from a minor fall off the bike last Wednesday,.  I warned Jerome that I might not be able to ride ... but decided to do so, even if not as quickly as him.  I had some pain the first few hours, until my muscles relaxed in a stretched out position on the bike, and again at the very end of the ride, and took it at much more relaxed pace than I would like, but was otherwise fine.  Jerome zoomed ahead, reaching Tenryu (136kms) several hours ahead of me, resting at a hotspring ("kenko land") in Shiojiri as I struggled through most of the night with only brief meal-time and road-side naps, and then finishing hours ahead of me.

We veer off the main river and head up Route 473 into that valley

A tunnel on Route 151 as we start to gain altitude

The last 40% of the route was familiar territory, from Matsumoto back to the Shizuoka coast via Shiojiri, Fujimi, Minami Alps and the Fujikawa, with a few different twists than last month ... but the weather cooperated this time and the ride was pleasant.

NYC's Bicycle-Promoting Totalitarians!

Here is the link to Ezra Klein's take on this WSJ fumble (and you can view the video there) -- both he and James Fallows used the comparison to The Onion  ... somehow the embedded video seems not to work from blogger.com ...

No, this is video is not from "The Onion".   It is from a WSJ editorial board member who knows that she represents the "majority" view.

Those UGLY bicycle racks.  Bike parking racks are a fire hazard ... cars, not so much.
 4 wheels good, 2 wheels bad!
Over the past five years in NYC, 597 pedestrians hit by cars and trucks. None killed by cyclists. ... But everyone "knows" that cyclists are the real threat, even more so since they were empowered by the mayor and his ideologically maddened traffic commissioner!
Didn't the Chinese ride bikes when they were really communists?  Don't those Dutch socialists ride bikes?  Don't you see the connection?
A cyclist was killed by SUV in the first week of bike sharing program. The answer -- punish the victims.

Japanese Builders do well at NAHBS ...

The North American Handmade Bicycle Show is a late-February event, but I did not manage to check out the winners until seeing an article yesterday in one of the English language newspapers in Tokyo, highlighting some awards won by Tokyo-based Matsuda Cycle.

[JULY 2013 UPDATE ...  unfortunately, the linked article has expired ... I guess the "Japan News by Yomiuri Shimbun" has no aspirations to be the "newspaper of record" for Japan ..., if that was not already clear from their publishing 3-month old items as news.]

To read the article you might not realize that there were other awards given out ... or that the event happened three months ago.

Konno-san of Cherubim won Best City Bike, and there is plenty of other eye candy here: NABHS 2013 winners.

Since there cannot be more than a few Japanese builders who go to NAHBS, one would need to say that they are punching above their weight ... or perhaps more appropriately that they have a very high power-to-weight ratio.

Tomin No Mori -- in 30x12 gearing

Jerome and I went for a Sunday morning ride yesterday.  No photos, and just a trip to Tomin no Mori and back.  No personal records.  The weather was a bit humid, we both felt tired (even before the hill), and the traffic reminded me of why I do not take this road often.  But it was a good ride, and I noted about 30 road bikes nicely sitting on the racks at Tomin no Mori, evidencing the huge numbers of cyclists who do this road on any day with decent weather.

Jerome's bicycle has been complaining of late.  His Mavix Aksium rear wheel died on him recently, after much maintenance deferral.  He has broken 2 spokes now with the Rolf Prima wheel that I sold to him ... and he is using an older Mavic Ksyrium from off his old bike, but the freewheel has a problem and will require some new parts to make that workable.  I am going to build him a new rear wheel ... parts on order.  Meanwhile, on the way to Itsukaichi, he managed to break his rear derailleur cable.

I would have turned around and headed for home at that point, but not Jerome, who usually climbs in a bigger gear, out of the saddle.  He went all the way up the hill in 30x12, stopping once for a good rest about half way up the hill.  This may be the only time I beat him up the hill (riding 39x28 gears).

After returning home, I replaced Jerome's cable and the broken spoke on the Rolf Prima ... and we are ready for next weekend's 600km Brevet.

Positivo Espresso Riding Week August 3-10, Costa del Sol

Looking at the summer's cycling calendar, after the Tour de France and London-Edinburgh-London, the next major event will be Positivo Espresso's week in southern Spain.  Representatives from the London, Bremen and Tokyo branches will head to Malaga/Costa del Sol for a mixed agenda of recovery, recreation and training.  

The trip will definitely include rides in the Sierra Nevada, so remember to set your bike up with some climbing gears.

These climbs start at sea level?