The Ups and Downs of a Belgian Amateur Cyclist in Japan

Miura Moonlight Sonata

2012-01-28T17:17:00.001+09:00

no cycling again...getting weak & FAT!

2012-01-23T11:10:00.002+09:00

Gunma LSD （八塩温泉下見）

2012-01-14T17:10:00.001+09:00

Always worth a little detour! Lake Tsuburata wakasagi fishermen.

Covers even my big nose when temperatures go sub-zero!

parking lot was full but still many wakasagi fishing boats available!

Like my post-ride bath overflowing...real luxury!

One of the Yashio-onsens I checked out...

Member of the All-Japan "Secret" Onsen Assocation...featuring "konnyoku" :)

Engawa-lounge-bar in late Taisho-Early Showa style....marvelous!!

so nice to have deep rims to cut through northern winds!

Little Kamakita Loop

2012-01-08T17:35:00.000+09:00

Slowly starting up the engines this year. Combined with yesterday's ride around Miura Peninsula, this long weekend was good for 310km. No cycling tomorrow though.

Hatsu-ride featuring Arasaki Mochitsuki!

2012-01-07T18:19:00.018+09:00

View from Zushi on Miura Peninsula

Little fisherman's harbor in front of Kumano-jinja, Arasaki

This one belongs to the one and only Zentaroh!

Hazard/sightseeing map of Arasaki

Mochi-tsuki rice-cake pounding at the weekend cottage of my boss overseeing Arasaki Bay

Freshly-pounded yomogi-herb rice-cake with kinako toasted soybean flour and brown bamboo sugar...perfect fuel on a cold day like today!

Couldn't resist a stop at my favorite bakery...had a "filet-au-fish" sandwich and took 3 anpans home!

Nakaipan! the best bakery in all of Miura Peninsula...authentic Showa taste guaranteed!

Today happened to be the first day in business this year...got a whole bag full of "Melba toast"-rusk for free!

last one of 2011

2011-12-31T16:04:00.000+09:00

100% DE AGAVE...great way to finish the year with!

Around miura...one more?

2011-12-30T18:21:00.000+09:00

nice bakery...I often stop here

In retrospect

2011-12-28T16:14:00.004+09:00

2011 was a pretty good cycling year for me with plenty of smaller and bigger “ups and downs” both literally and figuratively.

In a figurative way, there were 3 "major" downs: seeing my old VLAAMS asaren (V練) team disband immediately following the March 11 disaster, losing my great training buddy and daredevil adventurer Ludwig von Rindomeister (a.k.a. Manfred von Holstein, his real name) due to a serious but not life-threatening lower back problem* and suffering myself from a cycling-induced medial collateral ligament (MCL) ailment (because of excessive climbing in the saddle).

In terms of literally “ups,” I was very fortunate to scale new heights (Crystal and Venus lines, Hikarigahara-kogen and many more ridges) and crest new toges (Nomugi, Suzuran, Sakai, Mugikusa, etc.) thanks to Ludwig’s superb planning and guiding skills. Particularly memorable were our multi-day mid-summer exploits such as the two-day Karuizawa-Hakuba-Ueda adventure which Ludwig had purposely mapped out with meandering detours to make sure we would climb every single mountain pass and ride on every single rindo en route to our final destination…sometimes that meant cycling on gravel and muddy forest roads in the middle of the wilderness for extended lengths! As a “dream combi,” Ludwig and I easily managed to keep a great “fast & steady” pace on each of these adventures. On a typical “toge-goe” 峠越えride, I was able to get my breathing back under control while waiting at the top (WATT) while Ludwig was able to do some back stretching (quite a bit!) while patiently waiting for me to reach the bottom.

My only “race” this year - the classic TOITO - went fine, finishing 5th in age group (11th overall) in under 10 hours (9:45) more than one hour slower than Andy W. of Niigata. I enjoyed riding with (mostly behind) Andy and his teammate during the first one-and-half laps of the ride. Andy will be aiming to finish under 8:30 next year! Not sure yet if I will be participating again next year now that my VLAAMS team has disbanded. If I can find a team willing to take me on board, I would like to finish under 9:30 and 1st in age group (yeah…moving up to “50+” !!)

In terms of total distance covered (not necessarily an indication of athletic prowess - plenty of junk miles !!), I have been doing better than last year’s 15,272km and am projected to reach around 16,200km by year-end. The 18,000km target set at the beginning of this year turned out to be an elusive one after I began underperforming due to a knee problem (torn/overstretched MCL in left knee about to become chronic) from mid-September on. I think I have by now completely recuperated from this ailment and intend to focus on LSD training this winter using my kotei as well to regain stamina and build up muscle strength. I also want to improve my climbing skills and try to find a better “seated vs. danseuse” balance so as to avoid future knee problems.

Looking forward to another year of happy and accident & injury-free cycling!

* A good sign for 2012…LvR in the meantime underwent a successful operation in Germany considerably reducing his back pain with excellent prospects that the pain will disappear…all right!

Kotei likes sea

2011-12-25T18:01:00.000+09:00

Antique market browsing

2011-12-18T21:01:00.000+09:00

Rest day spent browsing at the monthly Takahatafudo antique market...found two delicate ochokko cups but my better half wouldn't let me have them. Then I found this gorgous kappa-assault/underwater rape woodblock print by Utamaro...again I was not allowed to take it home with me. I love these antique markets for all their little voyeuristic charms.

Little winter Enzan loop

2011-12-17T20:22:00.000+09:00

Enjoying first snack of the day on top of Yanagisawa-toge

Onigiri lunch at Taniguchiya!

2011-12-11T16:23:00.000+09:00

Speedy Kanazawa ride

2011-12-10T16:25:00.000+09:00

Amamezasu...aiming for the sky?

2011-12-04T18:01:00.003+09:00

Too lazy? Strong wind blowing early in the morning, an excuse to turn off the alarm clock? I guess I was in need of some extra rest and only left the house at 7:30 am... Went straight to Amamezasu-toge after filling up my bottle at the Holy Fountain. Skipped Nenogongen and let the GPS perform a quick routing calculation to home instead...this resulted in a new and very pleasant route. Nice & quick 130km loop!

Severe case of kataomoi ??!

2011-11-30T20:32:00.000+09:00

Kaburi-toge Loop

2011-11-27T17:04:00.000+09:00

a lazy day...

2011-11-26T19:29:00.000+09:00

Hisari Hadano Mikuni 3 passes crested on Labor Thanksgiving Day

2011-11-24T10:47:00.002+09:00

Labor Thanksgiving Day! Left home at 6:00 and tried to avoid 246 like the pest - as contrary to my expectations - it was infested with huge, long trucks driving at crazy speeds very nearby.

My plan was to do so by heading direction Odawara and from some point let my GPS recalculate a route to the top of Hisari-toge...which it superbly did taking me through splendid country roads and mandarin fields boasting breathtaking views of Fujisan.

The only problem was that this beautiful winding route took me up Hisari-toge from the opposite side than I had planned and I got rather confused when I descended. I took me some while to realize that! Hisari-toge is a nice little mountain pass but serves little purpose (no shortcut or anything).

So down the village of Matsuda-machi I had my GPS calculate a route taking my over Hadano-toge to the Myojin/Mikuni-toges (I always pre-enter the latitude/longitude coordinates before my ride lately) and the device - again - did a wonderful job of guiding me onto a closed rindo which I suddenly recognized from a TCC ride a couple years ago. Lots of sharp rocks and debris!! I carefully descended down to Tanzawako and from there climbed my way up Myojin/Mikuni.

I was way behind schedule and suffering a hunger knock (already 14:00 at top of Mikuni without eating once). At the Yamanakako 7/11 I refuelled but as I was eating some spaghetti, cold rain started to fall and my body cooled down and to make matters worse - my legs started to cramp (from the cold?).

The rest of the Doshimichi ride to home was in the rain...I was trembling heavily at first (Yamabushi-toge) but it got better after a while. I arrived back home at 19:15 in the dark and very wet!
(complete route in the post below)

Hisari-toge, Hadano-toge, Mikuni-toge and...back via Doshimichi

2011-11-24T09:50:00.003+09:00

Hisari-toge, Mikuni-toge and back via Doshimichi by wielrennertom at Garmin Connect - Details
http://ridewithgps.com/trips/452344/full.gif

Racing on the beach

2011-11-21T07:32:00.006+09:00

Younger brother (zekken no. 579) in action and heading direction France at the recent De Panne Beach Race. Belgium boasts one of the widest beaches in the world. After the race, the bikes get a good cleaning using state-of-the-art water hose equipment (demonstrating that Belgium is the birthplace of cyclocross!)

My brother's first beach race (54km in De Panne) - now very popular in Belgium/France - finished 339th out of 1,300 participants...

Bike room !

2011-11-20T19:38:00.001+09:00

ザ・ミヤタ　THE MIYATA...filling the needs of the times

2011-11-17T09:41:00.003+09:00

About the only bicycles on display at the recent Cycle Mode fair that really caught my attention were the more classic, orthodox steel-framed ones. Mass-produced carbon bikes have become rather boring with most open-mold based models following the same trend -- for 2012 for instance, a flattened top tube seems to be the fashion as reflected in entry-level and high-end level models of illustrious brands like Colnago.

I was therefore pleasantly surprised to learn that Miyata has decided to stage a comeback and re-start the production of chromoly road racers. I believe that many (elderly?) bicycle enthusiasts like myself have a nostalgic longing for the bikes once ridden by their youth heros (in my case Freddy Maertens) and Miyata's decision aims to meet this demand.

It would certainly look like the time has come for Japan's great customized-frame builders like Cherubim, Hosokawa Seisakusho or Nakagawa and many more!

Full excerpts from The Nikkei Nov. 15 morning edition (pictures below are my own)

Miyata Cycle Co. plans to start taking orders in January for high-end sporty road bicycles for the first time since it left the segment in 1993.

Miyata anticipates growing demand for these bikes amid the growing focus on fitness and health in recent years. It is known for its mainstay daily-use bicycles.
Equipped with a proprietary metal frame, the new bikes will be made at the firm's Chigasaki factory in Kanagawa Prefecture. Models will be on display at major bike shops throughout the greater Tokyo area, and orders will be placed online.
The bikes will be priced from 439,000 yen. Miyata expects orders for 100 units in the first year.
Miyata was a major exporter of sporty bikes to Europe and the U.S. in the late 1970s, winning acclaim and having its frames featured in the Tour de France. But it pulled out of high-end sporty bikes after earnings eroded amid competition from low-priced imports.

Sunday riders

2011-11-13T17:59:00.000+09:00

Third time around Fujisan this year!

2011-11-12T20:47:00.000+09:00

Cherubim Rambler-E @ Cycle Mode 2011

2011-11-06T19:19:00.001+09:00

Kayunita-toge...3,000m of climbing, slowly regaining old form!

2011-11-05T20:24:00.002+09:00

Culture Day 200km ride...

2011-11-03T19:29:00.015+09:00

Suddenly feeling 30 years younger...

My private terrace...

perfectly-timed rendez-vous

Mike signaling my half-fast pace is just perfect !

Yellow Angel Trumpets...

WH-RS80-C50-CL

2011-10-30T17:31:00.002+09:00

Tried my deep (50mm) rim wheels with 20mm clicnhers for the first time this morning. First impression: FAST!

This weekend's two "rehabilitation" rides worked well adding up to a total distance of 300km...PCL muscle strain still there but no longer painful; not getting worse and "under control" now I think. Ran into Positivo Espresso mate Jerome as I was slowly riding towards Makime-toge. Jerome was on his way home after a 2-day ride to view the newly-constructed velodrome in ....sorry, forgot where it was.

Garigari-kun & Saijin-toge (new)

2011-10-29T20:03:00.002+09:00

Sakura (upper left) in full bloom !

Lake Tsuburada

Rendez-vous with Garigari-kun at the Akagi Nyugyo headquarters

Nagatoro

Saijin-toge 塞神峠　(new!)

Un-tensioning the tendons & ligaments...week #2

2011-10-22T21:01:00.002+09:00

Sukoshi-zutsu...rihabiri-chu !! week #2

2011-10-22T13:06:00.004+09:00

Tenderness & pain in the back of the left knee slowly but surely ebbing away with each new day. Strained and loosened hamstring tendons/posterior cruciate ligaments have finally started to tighten up and regain their proper tension again! HURRAH!! Comforting sensation but 油断大敵!!!

THREE WEEKS ABSTINENCE FROM CYCLING...week #1

2011-10-16T20:06:00.001+09:00

battery holder

2011-10-11T08:50:00.004+09:00

I found the perfect "battery holder" to boost up my Edge 800. As you can see, I fits neatly under the top tube and the neoprene will not scratch the carbon or any other material. The 800 is behaving a lot better lately and is no longer shutting itself down mid-ride. It seems that deleting previously uploaded courses ("corrupt" files?) solved that problem...

October pottering

2011-10-10T17:52:00.000+09:00

Tour of two Saitama Lakes...Tsuburada & Mase

2011-10-09T20:31:00.003+09:00

both lakes 円良田湖 & 間瀬湖 are famous for "hera-buna" fishing (and wakasagi during the winter months). Maseko is on the way up to Maze-toge 間瀬峠. Half-way I programmed the GPS for Jomine-san 城峰山...it seemed to have picked up a fantastic route and rindo leading to the top. Unfortunately, the rindo turned into a very rough dirt road with deep crevaces running near both sides. I crashed and hit the rocks/pebbles with my bad left knee first...now not only the inside but the outside is hurting very bad. Only a small cut and a little bit of blood but the knee looks blue-ish now. Called it a day and turned back to Chichibu...walking the rougher parts and ruining my (brand-new!) cleats in the process. A weird oni ogre statue was overlooking Saitama's own Kegon-no-taki but I was no longer in the mood to check out the waterfall right below. The statue represents an acala naatha or fudou-myouou 不動明王; in this case 空滝大明王 (supposed to be another haikyo site!). Very pleasant temperatures all day, average of 18 degrees.

Choco Power for Higashi Nippon !

2011-10-02T12:51:00.002+09:00

The new VLAAMS maillot produced by HASHIKEN (Ken Hashikawa) hailing from Fukushima and now based in Kortrijk, Belgium coaching young Japanese cyclists aspiring to become pros

Delightfully aimless 260km

2011-10-01T19:17:00.003+09:00

aimless but delightful...solo at its best.

A cheerful obaachan at Mamba (Gunma) went like

いい陽気になったね！

daughter cycling far away....

2011-09-28T07:39:00.005+09:00

Her top-of-the-line Anchor bike back home is missing her dearly though...

Single malt from....Mars !

2011-09-27T20:06:00.002+09:00

MARS Single Malt Single Cask # 0052 of American white oak cask no: #1110 (1991.3-2009.4) 58 per cent alcohol.

Nose: delicate, green mikan mandarins, nougat, pistache icecream...

Palate: "kinako" toasted soybean flour, orange candy, hints of liquorice...

Finish: mildly sweet like carrot juice then suddenly goes dry...

Marvelous single malt…unfortunately only available at the Shinshu “Factory” distillery (TEL 0265-85-4633)

Two-day Nozawa Onsen ride

2011-09-25T11:37:00.024+09:00

Toured around the northern part of Nagano prefecture with L. von Rindomeister venturing into Andy Wood territory...lots of toges conquered - splendid "unkai" views stretching above Niigata.
DAY ONE / DAY TWO

Yakiyamasawamaki(nishi)*...a new rindo !

2011-09-18T20:48:00.002+09:00

* also simply known as "Rindo Hikawasen" discovered by Ludwig von Rindomeister (who else?) !

another rainy ride...

2011-09-17T17:23:00.007+09:00

Sayama cloud burst

2011-09-11T17:58:00.000+09:00

TCC Best of the West

2011-09-10T18:19:00.000+09:00

Friday pottering...

2011-09-09T19:39:00.001+09:00

Otarumi closed !

2011-09-04T13:20:00.000+09:00

Worthy rain bike

2011-09-03T18:56:00.000+09:00

white bar tape...

2011-08-28T12:11:00.004+09:00

Winter course in summer (Take 2)

2011-08-27T19:56:00.000+09:00

Brown belt path...

2011-08-21T09:58:00.001+09:00

Aiming for 18,000km by December 31 this year...still on the right path but rainy weekends like this one may render my goal an impossible challenge. Happy though I could at least manage 230km "under the belt" yesterday. Riding through several curtains of misty rain mostly along the southern tip of Miura Peninsula was actually fun. The Pina rain bike helps as a little motivation but if it is raining like this morning with wet roads from the start, I'd rather stay in bed...

Winter course in August !

2011-08-20T18:35:00.006+09:00

Manfred von Rindomeister...added two new toges in Saitama!

2011-08-14T20:54:00.001+09:00

Flamin' red

2011-08-12T14:50:00.001+09:00

Two-day Karuizawa-Hakuba-Ueda adventure

2011-08-10T21:19:00.094+09:00

A Facebook comment: “Aahh, you let Ludwig von Rindomeister choose the roads - That'll teach you!! ;)…”

Of course, I should have known better by now! Ludwig had drawn out the blueprint of another daredevil adventure that had me more than once swear obscenely like a sailor.

Day 1

We had our RdV at Omiya Station early Tuesday morning to catch the first Shinkansen to Karuizawa. The evening before, I had in vain tried to upload the routes of day 1 and day 2 meticulously (combini stops included) prepared by Ludwig.

The mountains around Karuizawa were shrouded in the mist and it was only 20 degrees when we started rolling towards the Asama Sun Line. Vulcano hazard index had been put at its lowest level…nothing to fear. 12km into the ride was supposed to be our first combini stop to load up before attacking Asama-san. A Yamazaki store appeared on our left side but as we were speeding downhill, it was too late before we realized we missed it. Luckily we were able to fill up our bottles at the local cultural or whatever hall and eventually we were carrying sufficient fuel to crest Asama-san.

Once we got above 1,000 meters or so, the sun broke through and it got noticeably warmer though not uncomfortably hot. With only 1km left to the summit, another cyclist – one of the only four we met on our two-day ride – was trying to catch up while Ludwig and I were enjoying a leisurely pace discussing the global economic slowdown. We accelerated a little bit and the guy disappeared. At the top, we had some croissants and bread at a very clean eating place that must have opened only very recently. I was enjoying the view from our table when Ludwig reminded me we should keep going. To my surprise, Ludwig proceeded to take the gravel road on the left…not the wide paved road we had been following so far. The shaking began! In no time a huge gap opened up between us as if Ludwig was on his Red Bull cyclocross flying over the gravel and rocks. This dirt road full of bumps and potholes – Cherry Park Line?- finally ended at a parking area where buses and taxis were dropping off elderly hikers.

Most of the afternoon was spent crossing several prefectures…into Gunma over Jizo-toge (one of the many Jizo-toges), back into Nagano over Torii-toge (Tsumagoi Village), into Niigata over Sasagamine-toge (Myoko Village) and finally back into Nagano over Otomiyama-toge （乙見山峠）…

16:30 @ Myoko Village…the local 商店 store proprietress informed Ludwig we had the choice between either a long 砂利道dirt road infested with monkeys and bears or a LONG 120km+ detour to reach our final Hakuba destination. What to do? Flexibility personification Ludwig suggested we cancel our Hakuba Happo accommodation and instead spend a slow evening in Myoko village after doing some reconnaissance of Sasagamine-toge…who knows, maybe there is no dirt road at all?!

“Why not?” I answered and off we were on our way to Sasagamine-toge while checking out on our way up candidate minshuku for a worst case scenario. The climbing went in good rhythm and smooth and before we knew it we were riding past the bokujo farms with adorable chicks in Ferrari-red Niigata- numberplated Volkswagens cheering us up…until the Japan Self-Defense Forces took us back to reality…”sorry guys but the road down from Sasagamine is all jari!”

We reached the end of the road…jari indeed! We were at a loss – me more than Ludwig. Five minutes later, a car about to enter the jarimichi appeared. “You guys, it’s the first time for me too but I found this internet review praising all the charms of this little rindo! O-saki-ni!!”

All the time, my stupid Edge 800 was in overdrive trying to calculate the remaining distance to our final Hakuba Happo destination….What? Only 52k? What happened to the 120k? Ludwig-yo! Now or never…let’s go for it!

What followed I will never forget! Ups and downs along a very long rocky road…by miracle my tires (Ultremo Double Protection 25c) took me over a crazily pebbled path – how long exactly I don’t know but it seemed endless. I felt real sorry for the Super Six....the very priviledged bike I always feel I'm only looking after - not really owning (I always inform my wife "today I'm going with Charles' bike"!) . On the descents, it would be Ludwig getting far ahead, on the climbs, it would be me overtaking Ludwig and getting quite but not so far ahead…good enough a chemistry.

Several times mid-course, the jarimichi turned into a paved road – much to our delight! We eventually got back into Nagano territory and found our way to Hakuba a little bit before sundown. Downtown the touristic part of Hakuba, we spotted this Mexican Steaks (sic) restaurant and instantly our minds were made up! Ludwig had a double poron of (two) main deep-fried fish and bean dishes while I stuck to Belgian fries with mayonnaise and steak on top of fried chahan rice…what a glorious day!

Day 2

“Toorootootoo-téé-tootéé-tootéé, toorootootéétoo-tootéé-tootéé-too…” How I hate to wake up to that Joplin tune! Thirty minutes later, Ludwig and I were peacefully sipping coffee and munching on some pastries outside a combini with an impressive view on the Hakuba ski slopes.

A woman suddenly approached me proudly proclaiming she likes Canada! I hadn’t the slightest idea why she mistook me for a Canadian (honestly!) but I patiently listened to her stories about her ski trips and home stays as a volunteer in Calgary and other ski resorts. Ludwig, whose real-life profession is to either help people build up dream castles or to tear them down, wanted me to confess my nationality is not really Canadian. Come on…let this lady have her little dream. But what a strange encounter at 5:00 a.m. in a place like that! After we had our picture taken together by this Canada-loving lady, we took off with destination Ueda.

We soon found ourselves climbing up some lonely but very picturesque country roads – some of which were recently featured in a cycling magazine. As we reached a certain altitude - 685m to be precise – riding in the shadow, they were there….Them!

Never experienced this before…swarm after swarm of black buyo flies kept following us trying to touch down on our derrières and feast on our blood. That hurt! There were many tens of these sucker gnats and they would work their snouts right through our lycra…what a torture! Trying to speed away from them didn’t help at all – on the contrary…as we were working up more sweat mixed with the body soap scent (yes, body soap is what we were washing our cycling wear with) even more of these black sucker flies emerged out of the bushes – following and attacking us in Pied Piper fashion. The only solace would come when we got out of the mountain shadow into the open and under a scorching hot sun but that felt very much like a torture too!

After these agonizing moments, we reached a village called Kinasa　鬼無里, literally the “ogre-free village”. As Ludwig was consulting his map and wondering whether or not to add a little detour with a few more toges, this young and very cosmopolitan-looking woman came out of nowhere jogging into our direction wearing an iPod around her arm. The mystery lady was eyeing us and vice versa…no time for flirting though. Ludwig had already taken off as I watched the lady jog up the toge we eventually decided to skip.

We were making good pace again until we ran into barricades – road closed/impassable. 200m further up, we ran into a landslide which failed to impress Ludwig. Ludwig has gotten so used to climbing over debris, rocks and fallen trees that he readily offered to shoulder my bike and get all of us to the other side! Chapeau man!

Most of the remainder of the day, we were going up and down at an average altitude of 800m culminating in a toge called Shonara修那羅峠. From this pass, it was basically a nice descent into Ueda but as it was still early in the day, Ludwig suggested we try out some nice and famous onsen in the neighborhood. Bessho-onsen 別所温泉 that is. This hot spring village appeared less romantic than Ludwig had imagined – rather life-less with dull-looking ryokans. One of them offered a “higaeri” single-day hot bath course for 1,050 yen…no way! I managed to convince Ludwig to enter a 150- yen-a-pop Showa-era bathhouse instead. 150 yen and using real onsen water…wow! Ludwig looked disappointed though; to him onsen=rotenburo but that is not always the case.

We got out of the bathhouse refreshed but this time reeking not a little of sulfur! By the time we reached Ueda station, our cycling wear was completely dry again. We boarded the Shinkansen and even managed to get ourselves seats. Another glorious day it was!

rather be on a MTB !!!

Short Makime loop in reverse

2011-08-08T15:06:00.000+09:00

Makime-toge from Doshi-michi up...at a leisurely pace - right shoulder still hurting from last Saturday's "tachigoke"

Shadowy roads noticeably a lot cooler !

Makime-toge...nice any time of the year

90km recuperation this morning; ready for some more serious riding tomorrow!

Great TCC comradeship - Okumusashi Madness Re-run

2011-08-06T20:33:00.001+09:00

What a fine day out ! Thanks go out to Deej for his great attentiveness in keeping the TCC herd together like a trusty sheepdog. Those efforts really turned today's ride in such a pleasant and memorable event. The "Kaburi Killer" climb was painful for me and I had to be very careful not to go into overdrive. The superrich icecream at the Sainokuni bokujo was a well-deserved reward. My legs started to feel better after I lowered the saddle a tiny bit and I could feel a second wind welling up on 299 in Chichibu. I continued to climb Yamabushi-toge in outer chainring and had plenty of time left to clean off most of the dried-up slime on my jersey and a quick wash of my bike before Ludwig arrived at the holy fountain. I got home before 17:00 and as soon as I entered my place, my wife immediately spotted my bruised elbow. What you crashed again?!! (she says so even though the last time I crashed was 4 years ago:D) No no no...just some stupid tachigoke, nothing serious at all!

"Tsuyu-no-modori" watered-down social ride

2011-07-31T14:22:00.002+09:00

Quick 130km loop

2011-07-30T16:26:00.001+09:00

Time: 04:48:14 / Elapsed Time: 05:01:27 / Distance: 128.77 km / Avg Speed: 26.8 km/h

Avg Moving Speed: 27.3 km/h / Max Speed: 64.2 km/h / Elevation Gain: 1,461 m

Calories: 4,032 C / Avg Temperature: 27.0 °C

Red Fujisan Higurashi vs. Minmin 1:0

2011-07-23T19:29:00.062+09:00

Started from Koremasa bridge at 6:00 in the morning with Ludwig who had a different ride plan (cyclocrossing along R76 Tanzawako etc.). My plan was to ride clockwise around Mt. Fuji (Take 2) - a repeat of what I did earlier this year in February. Typhoon No. 6, having pulled in its wake northern winds, largely contributed to the pleasure of today's ride: "mild" temperatures and relatively dryness in the air. I went solo after parting from Ludwig at the last 7/11 before the R76 turnoff and continued non-stop until Lake Yamanaka. Fujisan appeared virtually snow-less and very reddish-brown...unmistakably a volcano! About to erupt? For the first time since I came to this country, Fujisan appeared fearsome to me - not adorable at all!! The sound of Higurashi-semi cicadas was overwhelming as I circled around Fujisan. Normally, Higurashi take the center stage AFTER the Minminzemi cicadas, but somehow this year, the order got reversed! Were they fooled by Typhoon No.6 that ushered in early September temperatures? Don't really know but I'm sure that there must be a lot of confusion going around the Minminzemi colonies right now! Today's ride was good for almost 270km in the saddle at a decent average speed of 26.2km/h. Looking forward to doing the same route again in Autumn!

Today's route here

Two-day ride out to Takayama, Gifu Pref.

2011-07-18T16:16:00.033+09:00

The long “Marine Day” weekend was spent not on the beach but deep in the mountains of Yamanashi, Nagano and Gifu and mostly in the saddle…14 hours or so on Sunday alone! I had asked Ludwig (alias Manfred) to map out a three-day ride plan and this is what he came up with:

Ludwig’s original plan:

Day 1 (Sat): cycle over Yanagisawa and the Kofu mountains to Matsubaroko…at least 4,500m of climbing.

Day 2 (Sun): over Mugikusa-toge (Yatsugadake) and part of the Venus Line to Okaya, then into Kiso Valley and via Nomugi-toge (and a few others such as Sakai-toge) onto Kiso Highway and into Takayama…about 200km and again at least 3,500m of climbing.

Day 3 (Mon): via Toya-toge and R471 to the base of Norikura, then Norikura, then Shirabiso-toge, then into Matsumoto (or to Shiojiri), train home from there…about 150km, at least 3,000m of climbing.

As I learned afterwards, indefatigably energetic Ludwig even added another, Shirakaba-toge on day 3 before settling down in Shiojiri. 12,000+m elevation gained within the short span of 3 days! Who can beat him? Some of the highlights…

Day 1:

Tabayama Natsu-matsuri performance featuring exquisite slow-motion dancing to the live accompaniment of a small hayashi orchestra as we refilled our bottles at the well
Puncturing twice on Yanagisawa-toge – once uphill, once downhill
Almost collapsing on the way up Yakeyama-toge / cooling down the radiator in the mountain stream
Crystal Line – a first for me
Puncturing a third time on Crystal Line and running out of spare inner tubes.
About to ditch my bike in frustration after patched tube deflated for the umpteenth time in the middle of the Kawakami cabbage fields
A good Samaritan (Restaurant Straw Hat proprietor) giving me a lift in his mini pickup truck all the way to Lake Matsubarako
Watching Ludwig suffer the final climb up to the lake from the truck

Day 2:

The climb up Märchen Kaido’s Mugikusa-toge (another first for me)
Venus Line from Lake Tateshina up
Suzuran-toge (but infested with Nikkoukisuge lilies gazers meaning a huge traffic snarl-up)
Me changing the ride plan by adding Wada-toge (not deliberately)
The scenic Lake Shirakabako and the superfast pink lady cyclist (with her BF or husband?)
Takayama-san of Takayama Cycle in Okaya fixing the cause of my repeated punctures
Touristic Nakasendo sections along the Kiso River including the famous Naraijuku post town (Shiojiri)
Riding through a couple ghost villages leading up Sakai-toge
Cresting Nomugi-toge
Getting annoyed and fired up by a Manfred comment
Effect of energy drinks fully kicking in after a brief tunnel cool-down leaving Ludwig miles behind – never experienced a second wind like this before
Feasting on Hida beef and other delicious dishes at Minshuku Iwatakan

Day 3:

No highlights for me except puncturing my back tire (again!) inside the long Abo 安房toll tunnel

Because of the excessive heat and the crazy amount of climbing, painful heat rash-like condition had developed around my "delicate zone". I could not possibly have followed Ludwig on another set of 4,000m+ climbing on Day 3 and am glad now I did not force myself to do so…I can hardly walk today.

I think I will do the Day 2 route again soon but only once it gets a bit cooler!

Day 1 (Home to Matsubarako) Day 2 (Matsubarako to Takayama) (Day 3) (Takayama to Matsumoto)

Summer matsuri in Tabayama

Sakai-toge (1,480m) on Nagano-Kendo 26

Ludwig aiming for the Crystal Line entrance

Woods and mountain stream near Yakiyama-toge

Overheated feet

Delicious mountain runoff

Norikura ahead

unridable bike in the back of mini-truck chasing Ludwig. Driver of the mini truck is the friendly owner of the Straw Hat ストローハットrestaurant in Saku Uminokuchi (R141)

always in good spirits!

Matsubarako lake by night

Matsubarako lake morning glory

Slept in the room on the left (2nd floor)

"unkai"

Famous "I was / made it up there" photo location

Going down Venus Line

Ludwig stretching his back riding through some deserted country road in Nagano

The famous Nomugi-toge..."AH...HIDA GA MIERU..."

About to speed into Takayama in Gifu Prefecture

If you ever run into mechanical or other troubles in Nagano, this is your savior: the great & super-experienced mechanic/shop owner Mr. Makoto Takayama himself (Takayama Cycle, Okaya-shi, Nagano Pref.)

2 days combining to Mt. Everest equivalent. Legs still OK / delicate zone a mess...had to forfeit Norikura on day 3.

Duo Damme Classic video stills

2011-07-11T14:16:00.000+09:00

Go!

a gap of 10 meters already right after the first turn !

Come on, come on....Hans desperately trying to lasso me in

Final curve...Hans miles ahead !

Duo Damme Video

2011-07-11T08:32:00.007+09:00

Damme Duo Classic 2011 from Rudi De Boelpaep on Vimeo.

Featuring the Tom & Hans Duo (00:41~00:45) and my brother trying to "lasso" me in - angrily shouting "'ier go*verdomme!" (00:53~00:54)...

Sweltering O-toge

2011-07-09T20:45:00.000+09:00

A "not-100%-Ludwig" fighting his way up Kobu Tunnel

On top of Matsuhime-toge

About to dash down Matsuhime-toge towards the O-toge turnoff

Climbing a sweltering O-toge

Ludwig temporarily regaining his good old form

Needing an ice-cold drink

Crystal-clear, mountain-fresh water

Really needed that break !

Bikes too seem exhausted from the heat

A bit of a solo run to the top

Ludwig, once more taking over the lead

Euphoric adrenaline rush or just a poor clown ?

On top of Suzugane-toge - today's last major climb (total 4,001m elevation!)

Duo Damme TT training

2011-07-09T19:48:00.000+09:00

trying to get used to the aerobars and different bike

Posing in front of my brother's place

With Hans, the TT specialist !

would probably make a good hillclimber too...

The beautiful polder landscape of the Duo Damme TT

Duo Damme Done!

2011-07-05T15:55:00.005+09:00

Back in Tokyo following a blitz visit to my motherland !

Last Saturday, I took advantage of my parent’s golden wedding anniversary to form an alliance with my brother and enter the much-anticipated fourth edition of the Duo Damme Classic Time Trial Race.

While a near full-member PEE team - joined by PE Japan Chapter David L. - was attacking monster hills including the Passo Tonale and Gaupenjoch on its second-last Transalp stage, I was time-trialing with my brother – ten years my junior – across the pancake-flat but splendid polder landscape of Damme nearby my parent’s home.

On Friday, the day following my arrival in Belgium, I went to fine-tune my brother’s Bianchi alu training bike and – not used to his high-tech torque gauge Allen wrench – managed to wreck both his stem and seat clamp bolts! Without getting too panicky, Hans and I rushed to the LBS and got a new stem; the seat clamp bolt however had lost its grip and turned out to be irremovable. Luckily, I could compensate by moving the saddle all the way forward and angling the saddle’s tip downward. A few moments later, we were making reconnaissance laps of the 11.79km long “parcours” which contained two short cobblestoned sections and a few sharp turns around the “maïs” corn fields and cow farm lands. It took a while for me to get used to the clip-on aerobars and find good form and balance and only during the third lap I started to feel a bit comfortable.

Our official starting time on Saturday was 14:58. Many amateur cyclists had come from far by car and were accompanied by family members. I was surprised by the number of female entrants – not seen in Japan. I was also very much impressed by the high level of organization, very efficient and effective – certainly not to be outclassed by the cycling events I have attended in Japan! Sponsors, spacy tents complete with beer bars, a huge police motorcade presence, road marshals at every turn and corner, Tacx Satori trainers freely available for warming-up and all kinds of attractions for kids, live broadcast of the Tour de France, Waxx Underwear Summer Party with DJ “Jerre”, BBQ and…cow dung mine fields!

My personal photographer showed up with her BF just in time before the start to help eternalize the rare brother act. As expected, Hans went for it right from the start and around the first corner, I was already trailing 10 meters behind! A gap of about 10 meters between me and my brother would open up many times until the finish line, meaning there was virtually no drafting advantage for me at all! Several times, Hans looked behind him and pointed to his back wheel angrily shouting “get right in over here!”… but my legs refused every time and my lungs felt as if they were about to burst. A week earlier, Hans had won a silver medal at a major solo time trial event and he certainly deserved a faster partner than the weakling I turned out to be. Nevertheless, we savored every single second of the race…crossing the finish line I felt like spitting blood – legs completely kaput.

The live race result display screen inside the tent showed Hans and I were in fourth place with an average speed a little above 41km/h. The final standings are still not known to me right now as we had to leave the venue to join other festivities taking place at my parent’s place. Next year, I would love to stay a bit longer so that I can attend the Waxx Underwear Summer Party!

the obligatory pre-race interview

posing with my personal photographer

about to be escorted by a dedicated police motorcycle

trying to relax

Brother turning bemused eyes on my “Japanese stretching routine”

LOL

Checking the standings

pain, pain, pain

Hans ten meters ahead approaching the finish

My Duo Damme TT partner !

2011-06-27T07:58:00.000+09:00

Planning (hoping) to stay in his slipstream from start to finish!

Perfect rainy season companion: Chichibu Golden Horse !

2011-06-26T21:48:00.000+09:00

Chichibu Golden Horse aged 8 years single malt whisky...quality of my choice !

Kotei Onekan debut

2011-06-26T16:15:00.000+09:00

Special 19mm spanner for tightening the chain on Eno eccentric hub

White Industries Eno Eccentric Hub

Fine-tuned kotei: saddle lower with tip slightly downward / chain "nicely" tensioned / bar tape

Bullhorns feel comfortable especially when climbing out of the saddle

Wearing my "kotei jersey" in misty rain along the Onekan

Yoruren #4 & Asaren

2011-06-25T15:52:00.008+09:00

Two large High5-charged bottles...certainly no luxury on a piping hot morning like today!

Somewhere near Yuzurihara, sweating profusely

Yoruren earlier this week...Koremasa bridge still under construction!

自転車乗りの幽霊　Yoruren #2...followed by a ghost cyclist on ONEKAN !!

2011-06-21T21:02:00.004+09:00

自転車乗りの幽霊？strange lighting in the left corner...a ghost cyclist ?

Yoruren

2011-06-20T21:47:00.004+09:00

Could this be the beginning of a new daily ritual? Sky still at sunset, I left my place at 19:00 precisely. Only needed five minutes to change from my office into my cycling wear. My new super-bright headlamp had arrived earlier in the day and I was so excited that I only discovered ten minutes into my evening ride that I had forgotten to don my head protection! I was therefore extra careful crossing Koremasa bridge and felt safe only after I got onto "byoinzaka". I took this little hill in my heaviest gear of the day (50X11) and this felt really great after a full and dull day sitting at my desk! I continued for a while along Onekan where I doubled back at the Mercedes dealership. Only 50 minutes but good for 25km. Tomorrow, if the roads aren't wet, I intend to slightly extend the distance...

The Zen of Kotei

2011-06-18T17:30:00.008+09:00

Great advice by Kotei Grand Master Tim:

A couple of small tips from looking at your bike picture:
1) Lower the nose of your saddle - rotates your pelvis into a more natural position for higher cadence. It will require more core support - but that will carry back to your road ridin...g very well.

2) Lower your saddle height below your normal road bike. Full extension of the legs while just getting your rhythm is going to put you on the bitter edge for harmonic bouncing. Lowerd saddle allows you more envelope to modulate the higher rpm and avoid bouncing.

3) Tighten your chain - it seems a bit loose in the pic. There should no backlash in it. Loose chain will also contribute to harmonic bouncing. And also interrupts your transitions from power to 'reverse' - subtle, but noticeable.

...don't worry it really does get better, and you'll find a certain joy in the fractional transitions your muscles make in maintaining the delicate balance to avoid you becoming a 'yard sale'. That is the zen of kotei. When it comes together, you are totally at one with the road. When it doesn't you quite literally become part of the road!

Thanks Tim !

Solo Yakyu-toge

2011-06-12T19:20:00.002+09:00

ぜんぜんいやらしくない？？

2011-06-11T10:36:00.001+09:00

Brother TT

2011-06-11T08:46:00.014+09:00

Very soon, I will be time trialing with my younger brother in Belgium. Hans has been participating in TTs almost on a weekly basis these past few months with top-10 finishes and easily averaging 42km/h (including the usual menu of several sharp U-turns). Very excited about this event!

Brother Hans on the launch pad

showing off his superb form...

Yesterday's Super One Run...more pics by Ludwig

2011-06-05T20:46:00.002+09:00

Mending my puncture...

By Lake Naguri

Resting on top of Arima-toge

The entire ride mapped

Super 尾根 Run

2011-06-04T21:10:00.018+09:00

Google blogger is getting increasingly complicated....I must be getting old - can no longer create my desired lay-out with the updated version. Oh well - maybe time to quit blogging all together and spend the new-found time on some extra cycling!

Ludwig "doctored" today's ride plan...he was not impressed with my proposition to do a tunnel-to-tunnel ridge ride (Shigasaka to Tsuchisaka), calling it "rather lame"!

He had remembered that Arima-toge is passable again and as we approached Lake Naguri, the big question on our mind was should we go clockwise or counter-clockwise. We ended up going clockwise, perhaps the least scenic route but with none the less climbing! Riding towards the Chichibu area, we decided to ride on the left border of both lakes, enjoying some exciting shortish "rollers".

Onto Nakatsugawa & Nicchitsu Haikyo! In the middle of one of the last longer tunnels, suddenly my back tire went pssshhttt! Instant flat. Ludwig suggested I should go back to the entrance of the tunnel as the distance seemed shorter. I'm very superstitious though and don't want to pass a spot of misfortune twice on the same day so I walked all the way the damned tunnel's exit. Inner tube had gotten punctured at the valve opening; rim tape to no avail....classic! I should cover that hole better with some tape after sanding the sharp alu edges.

Fifteen few minutes later back on the saddle, I felt a sharp needle going into my belly area...that hurt! Once home, I found the little culprit way deep down inside my bibshorts! Two red souvenir spots on my belly still hurt when I push them.

We rode past the Nicchitsu Shataku Haikyo and also circumnavigated the famous Izanagi & Izami duo Ryogamisan mountain side by side. Once past Shigasaka Tunnel on our left side, we had to descend maybe 150 or 200 elevation meters to get to the entrance and continuation of our Super One (Ridge) Run. Ludwig did not remember this entire stretch going past Yakyu-toge to Tsuchisaka-toge can be a real drag...just continuously up and down with lots of rocks scattered about the surface. To me, the worst feature of this ridge run is that every single corner ressembles the next...this can really get a little monotonous!

Ludwig soon caught up with me again and we spent some 20 minutes chitchatting in front of Tsuchisaka tunnel before parting ways. For me, it was a 261km ride with a little more that 3,800 elevation gain meters...

Back home, I fixed myself a good-long Godfather Cocktail * drink...

Nasty baby bee-like creature got under my shirt and stung me twice in my belly area

Left this morning at 5 a.m. with Ludwig from Koremasa bridge

Brief break at Lake Naguri

The screwdriver bridge leading to Otaki, Nakatsugawa and further to the toll road

Ludwig with Futakoyama behind him (near entrance of Haccho Tunnel)

Ludwig clinging on right behind - most often side-by-side

Arima-toge....been a long time (since I last crested this one)

Ludwig double-checking his return route (we parted in front of Tsuchisaka tunnel)

Cleaned my steel rod at the Holy Fountain (I'm keeping my little towels here)

* TOM's Godfather Cocktail: 1/3 Amaretto (Disaronno) and 2/3 Teacher's Highland Cream Blended Scotch Whisky.

Another rainy season

2011-05-29T20:54:00.011+09:00

was ushered in by another typhoon...forget cycling - time for some fine jazz and fine booze! Spent the entire day yesterday at Jazz in Fuchu
2011 - Eiji Taniguchi is getting better and better every year...real magic (if Benny could have heard this; he would have been real astounded) !!

Damme Duo Classic !

2011-05-25T07:37:00.004+09:00

My next race in...BELGIUM!! ... the Damme Duo Classic
together with brother Hans as "TTdual core"...

The 40th Classic 300km Endurance Race

2011-05-22T16:31:00.032+09:00

Completed the Tokyo-Itoigawa Classic Endurance Race under 10 hours (9 hours and 43 minutes) for the fourth consecutive year (no podium though)!
OFFICIAL RESULT:
Time: 9:43:09
Average: 30.00 km/h
Overall: 11th (out of 359)
Age Group: 5th (out of 136)

Stronger than usual competition for me this year meant that I had to ride more tactically instead of relying on brute force. I was very lucky to be able to start in the last group with Andy W. and his Jonnobi Lieutenant. Ludwig had also shown up at this very early hour in front of Takaosan-guchi to encourage me and give some last-minute "moral support".

Otarumi-toge was scaled before I realized it. I was riding mostly behind Andy and his teammate and right behind me were my rivals from Nalsima, Paris-Brest and a couple other teams, familiar faces from past years. My legs felt extremely fresh and the bike was performing at 100%. Riding behind Andy, I was surprised to see him eat at regular intervals still so early into the ride. Our group reached the Sasago Tunnel almost at the same time - a bit stretched out but I managed to hang on to the top (last year, I could only stay with Andy until Uenohara).

Out of tunnel, my favorite largely-downhill section to Nirasaski came up and the group let me have my little pleasure. I enjoyed a brief escape until Fuefuki where I was hoping to run into Positivo Espresso Super Stamina Champ Jerome...nowhere in sight though (had decided to stay in bed). We approached the Nirasaki checkpoint at Marunoya in one group but some guys started to sprint for "bonus points" (the official ride certificate has the standings/split times for each distance between the checkpoints). One「けつの穴の小さいなるしまフレンドＡ」 rider whom I had "beaten in the sprint," pushed in front of me as I was patiently waiting to hand over my time card...やれやれ oh well...this "race" is about having fun after all!

It was slowly and painfully getting clear to me that I would no longer be able to stay in the slipstream of Andy and his mate. As soon as the Fujimi-toge grade started to pick up, I had to let go and tried to find my own rhythm. I joined and got joined by several smaller groups - one of them consisting of 3 very young Tokai Univ. riders...good climbers but not much lasting power. At the next Shiojiri checkpoint, I ran into YellowGiant Travis and my TCC buddies for the first time.

Travis took a headstart and I never managed to completely catch up with him until the next and final "A-COOP" checkpoint at Hakuba. Just before reaching this checkpoint, I began to suffer my first leg cramps....they would move from one leg to another and from one muscle group to another each time I tried to push or pull the pedals harder. These cramps never completely disappeared except inside the tunnels...perhaps thanks to the lower temperatures and the enormous length of these tunnels having fanned the heat out of my legs?

Just as I got out of the last tunnel and starting to get this victorious feeling, Travis flew past me at a supersonic speed pulling two riders (two of my closest rivals!!) behind him. Travis, always the gentleman, was so kind as to slow down to allow me to jump on the bandwagon (First Class Service!) which I did. After a while, the pace went up again and the painful cramps reappeared. I gave up chasing the three and finished one minute behind my 2 close rivals (finishing 5th in my age group - could have been 3rd otherwise if...)

I spent a great evening meeting David L. and other Positivo Espresso/TCC buddies at Hotel Itoigawa but had to wait quite a while before all my own BEACH team members (five in all) arrived. Like previous years, we celebrated at the downtown yakiniku place - this time unfortunately without Saruto-san.

This morning, it was raining very hard in Itoigawa and Ichiro-san and I quickly abandoned the idea of cycling back to Tokyo. Instead, we all went to the usual little restaurant at 7 am and feasted on all kinds of dishes and delicious "gengyo" fish.

Already looking forward to next year's TOITO!

restday...

2011-05-15T08:53:00.000+09:00

TCC Penis Race

2011-05-14T17:34:00.017+09:00

With 6 more days left to TOITO, I joined TCC's "Battle Royale" aka TCC Real Life Penis Competition, thinking it would be a great final tune-up opportunity which -fortunately- it turned out to be!

This battle race was supposed to pitch two of TCC's more flamboyant members against each other and many members were full of anticipation. A bit of an anti-climax though to learn yesterday that James had to file DNS but nevertheless, everybody and especially Deej was very much enthused about this race.

Many people - mostly old buddies but also a few new faces - gathered in front of Itsukaichi Station. Splendid weather conditions - a bit windy but not too hot or humid, very pleasant. There were only 6 finishers as some people had different ride plans and others had to be home early.

I finished the ride in about 3 hours and 40 minutes, just behind a mechanically-troubled Deej. Deej and Clay (today's winner - as expected) dictated a strong pace almost from the beginning and I had to let them go midway the Kazahari-rindo turnoff. I was in third position for quite a while until Serguey powercranked his way up the steepest section and overtook me in front of the Kinoko mushroom center.

After I crested Kazahari alone, I kept chasing an imaginary Serguey not knowing he had turned left and back to Itsukaichi at the top. With Itoigawa in mind, I was careful not to go to excess, trying to find a comfortable rhythm instead. It is not easy to find the right cadence on the lake-up "Ura-Kazahari" approach - a bit like the TOITO Fujimi-toge climb...that one can be a killer too!

When I swept around the last turn before the Motoshuku Penis Finish Line, suddenly I saw a familiar blue jersey...Deej! Poor Deej had been experiencing some -what must have been very annoying and even scary - noises caused by the bearings in his back hub forcing him to pedal like a fixie on all the downhills!

Down at the familiar 7/11, we all loaded up on well-deserved carbs.

The start line and finish line of this race is at the well-known T-junction near Hinoharamura Yakuba, known by most people as Honjuku or Honshuku. Right at this Motoshuku (official name) T-junction, is a tiny little shrine - practically unnoticeable - housing this tiny little phallus...the name of this race couldn't have been more appropriate! Looking forward to more future editions!

Quick loop around Lake Naguri

2011-05-08T18:46:00.007+09:00

Amamezasu-toge Loop

2011-05-06T18:36:00.007+09:00

Mini Yakyu-toge Loop

2011-05-04T18:56:00.004+09:00

I knew she liked tulips, Lady d'Arbanville! Left home latish at 8:15 but still managed to ride 230km and get home well before sunset. Chichibu 299 was terrible with Golden Week vacationers. Very powerful ride, lots of "hikiashi" (stopped twice to adjust saddle height).

270km+ TOITO shitami ride

2011-05-02T18:21:00.003+09:00

No pictures today...黄砂 yellow sand totally obscured views of Minami-Alps! Rode as far as the edge of Nirasaki and then doubled back. Only stopped twice...stamina is almost at max now with 3 weeks to go to TOITO!

Lake Naguri Loop

2011-04-30T13:40:00.006+09:00

Super Saitama Ridge Ride

2011-04-29T20:06:00.030+09:00

What a way to start Golden Week! Initial plan was to do a Itoigawa recognition ride up to the Junction of Doom but I quickly changed my mind realizing today's the first GW day...Koshu Kaido must have been terrible. Instead, I went on my Lady D'arbanville route (missed her for the second time in a row) and this time I took the right turn (last week I turned left) on top of Yakyu-toge towards Tsuchisaka-toge and continued along the ridge direction Jomine-yama (famous for the Ryusei Hillclimb). I went much further - always going up and down at around 720m height...wonderful views all over (ride map here).

Didn't want to ride back to Chichibu so I headed direction Higashi-Chichibu-Mura instead over Nagatoro where tourists were getting a taste of "rafting". First time to climb Nihongi-toge from the opposite (north) side - tough but pleasant. At the bokujo farm, I treated myself to the super-delicious 300-yen soft cream...

Then I tried a new approach to Shiraishi-toge (Ludwig may be the Toge Prodigy but I like to think of myself as the Toge Hunter!). After a while, the road ended in a private chained-off property dead-end. ALthough I was forced to double back, I was so happy having witnessed for the first time in all those years in this country such a wonderful harmony of momiji and ume (picture somewhere down below).

Once I crested Shirashi-toge, I rode home over Tokigawa-machi. After my Edge 800 "froze" for about 10km, it completely died on me with more than 30km left...in spite of (or because of?) the latest update. What a useless gadget! Reminds me of this wonderful passage in Alan Watts "The Wisdom of Insecurity".

Written way back in 1951 (!)..."More and more we try to effect an adaptation to life by means of external gadgets, and attempt to solve our problems by conscious thinking rather than unconscious "know-how". This is much less to our advantage than we like to suppose. ....Already man uses innumerable gadgets to displace the work done by bodily organs in the animals....handing over the government of life to electo-magnetic monsters."

Enough philosophy for today. Luckily my Edge 500 stayed alive until I reached my place...260km and more than 4,000m of climbing (yes, it "kinda" felt that much).

Shortened Chain = Lengthened Loop

2011-04-24T18:39:00.026+09:00

Managed to shorten my chain by two links thanks to the TCC experts (Alan, etc.)...and what a difference this produced! Rode solo to Yakyu-toge and turned left on top towards Shigasaka-toge "adding a link" to my favorite Gunma Loop. Splendid views again with more than 250km almost non-stop...feeling even better than last week. "Itoigawa here we come!" (x2)

Lady D'arbanville

2011-04-17T17:52:00.018+09:00

Four warriors left Koremasa Bridge a little after 6:15...last year's Norikura's Champ Class No. 2 finisher Nagashi-san, triathlon specialist Ichiro-san and special guest Ludwig who gladly (?) accepted a last-minute invitation late last evening to join. Vlaams Guru Saruto-san unfortunately will not be joining the V練 sessions in the foreseeable future...his gaishikei company moved the HQ to a presumably safer region. Saruto-san, you're being missed dearly!

When the four of us reached Itsukaichi, my Garmin revealed an average speed of 31.0km/h...new record (when solo, I can only manage 27.6 at the most)! This is I believe the sweet thing about not riding solo once in a while. Taking turns up front - for some longer and for some shorter - really does wonders!

Dimunitive Nagashi-san showed his excellent form (this year likely to reach peak earlier than usual) on Umechan and Ozawa-toge...he also cleared Yamabushi-toge first. He was simply too fast and I gave up hanging onto his wheel.

Down at 299, it was Ludwig and me again and we sped into Chichibu with a wheelsucker behind (happens so often on this stretch I don't care anymore - this breed will never die out/go up front - genuine suckers). Riding through Chichibu onto 299, it was Ludwig leading me along his favorite itinerary. We took the approach over the tunnel turning right direction Kakkaku Dam and Tsuchisaka-toge...splendid views always guaranteed here (see first pic below)!

At Bishamonsui we refilled our bottles. The sign over Ludwig's head reads : "since this Bishamon water is sourced underground and is not exposed to the air up to this spot, we believe there is no concern about radioactivity" (!!) With our minds put fully at ease we drank and drank the blessed Bishamon water.

A little further up, we passed "Little Keukenhof"...irises, azalea, sakura, ume...splendid flowers of all kinds adorning some graves up the mountain flank (strangely enough this year - everything seems to be blooming at the same time...)

This is where the rindo becomes narrower and much further up higher, I started telling Ludwig how I met this "charming" lady with her "heartful" smile and dog. Sure enough, a minute later I called out "Is that her again?". It was! 「また会いましたね！」Here we meet again! She instantly recognized me (I happened to be wearing the same VLAAMS maillot) and like last week cheered us on, "ganbatte!!" Where does she live? There are no houses or anything so high up Yakyu-toge? Mysterious lady...in my mind she's simply "My Lady D'arbanville" (will take a "two-shot" on our next encounter for sure!)

Ludwig as usual was very fast on the descent and down in Gunma, we parted ways, Ludwig destination Karuizawa (!!) and me looping back via Tsuchisaka-toge (repeat of last week).

This WE was good for over 450km and 6500m elevation gain...167.5 crank-powered hikiashi working wonderful; Itoigawa, here we come!

more pictures by Ludwig...

2011-04-17T17:51:00.002+09:00

G@DVERD@MME = HEARTFULTOMU ?

2011-04-16T18:00:00.020+09:00

Many years ago, when I used to enjoy a lot more "flow" in my work environment than now, a junior Japanese colleague's nickname for me was "Heartful Tom". When I asked him how I had earned that cognomen, he replied that whenever I was swearing in Flemish it always sounded like ハートフルトム to him. I really liked that! So today, with cherry and other blossoms fluttering down everywhere I cycled, I put on a blossom and heart-themed jersey I found at the bike shop near my office. Starshot fashion apparently is a German brand striving for "beautification of bike apparel" (a bit a-la-Rapha I guess). One of the jerseys I got and the one I was wearing today (the TRIKOT PRINCESS), actually is a size 38 WOMAN jersey ... always wanted to try cross-dressing in drag (perfect fit too - if only I could find that matching push-up sports bra now)!

New toge discovered !

2011-04-10T18:18:00.042+09:00

Always thrilling to discover new rindos and toges! Today, the skies were largely overcast in spite of the big sunny mark flashed by all weather forecast agencies last evening. Many times it even threatened to rain with mist hanging low in the mountains. I thought of cutting my ride short and double back at Yamabushi-toge but somehow my Super Six in top condition wanted me to keep going...

I rode through Chichibu and took the left turn for the Muse Park approach to R71. Instead of climbing up straight to Tsuchisaka-toge, I turned left where the sign reads 800m to Kakkaku Dam　合角ダム...everytime I passed this I've been tempted to take a look. I crossed the little artificial lake after circling around it on the left border and continued to ride on R282 direction Bishamonsui　毘沙門水. Many people with all kinds of containers were taking turns gettting water from Lady Bishamon. I also filled up my bottle. One nice elderly couple looked very surprised to see me and asked "How did you manage to get here in such short time? We passed you at the dam...." 「自転車の魔法」 I smiled back.

I soon found myself alone on a rindo called 二子山線 (...probably the most common name for a rindo - there are aplenty) and the incline became increasingly steeper until I crested Yakyu-toge　矢久峠. After this pass, the name of the rindo changed into Takahagi-sen 高萩線 and Sakamaru-sen　坂丸線, I also saw signs reading Aonashi　青梨 Green Pear...

Before I knew it, I was in Gunma Prefecture heading down to 462! Today's new togemichi is very difficult to find on the map and runs precisely in the middle of Shigasaka 299 and Tsuchisaka 71...very nice alternative route...I encountered nobody! I rode back through Mamba (Kanna) village and via R71...more than 3,000m elevation gain in all.

RVV @ average speed of 29km/h

2011-04-08T15:38:00.014+09:00

My younger brother completed the full amateur version of the RVV 258km in all and good for 3300m of vertical gain! This clearly shows one should never underestimate all those little “berg” hills in Flanders.

This year’s edition went a lot smoother for my brother, Hans, who has been training all winter for this event. According to Hans, “it was good until about 30K to go and then unicorns started jumping fences and it got a bit weird, but apart from that and a few mechanicals (pump and bottle falling off – dropped chain once) , it was good*”.

Hans cleared all of the berg hills without unclipping except once when a somebody crashed right in front of him on the Koppenberg.

Many Italians, Spaniards, Dutch, Americans and even a few Japanese were participating along with my brother.

Will I ever be able to join him in one of the future editions of this spectacular event ? (* this was actually said by Australian pro rider Simon Clarke)

Three-hour Neocot

2011-04-03T14:00:00.004+09:00

Brief ride today on my steel bike after a lazy morning. Neocot feels so heavy when lifted up compared to my Super Six but - very strangely - once on the road, the frame becomes very light and nimble. Today I recaptured my "Brown Belt" on Wielertoerist.be ! This is of course thanks to the daily commutes to and from work these past two weeks. From tomorrow on, however and very regrettably, I am no longer allowed to do so due to strict company regulations and insurance issues...my employer is clearly out of step with the times!