What's new

Ride 7/20 SOTO (South of 20) Ride (Idea)

GSAstuto

Maximum Pace
Oct 11, 2009
974
253
Well, somewhat recovered so I'll be out again this Sunday ..

Here's an idea to warm up more fully to the Full Yabistu Monty which will be coming later.


Ideas? Comments? edits? tweaks?

Same Rules, etc.
Zone 3 Riding at 3-4w/kg
 
Looks like a good course. Would like to join, but will be going up to Ishikawa to support the team. Maybe in 2 weeks.
 
I'm going to pre-ride some chunks of this tomorrow and Sat to vett the course a little more. If anyone knows better through routes or interesting portions please feel free to copy and edit accordingly!

@Doug3 Great! we'll see you then - maybe in time for the full Yabistu version.
 
@GSAstuto : I now live in the area and have some route change suggestions.

I see on the return leg you are using Tama New Town Dori. This road has high vehicle traffic traveling at speeds of 60km/h+. I suggest instead of turning left near kilometer 88, keep going 3 more kilometers in turn left on route 503 / 158. While traffic moves at fast clip here, the shoulders are wide and distances between traffic lights long.

You can then then return to Tama New Town Dori by turning left on route 18 Northbound near the Kokushikan University. Route 18 also has a wide shoulder and is a bit of downhill.
 
I'm intrigued by the section over Henmuroyama (42 - 55 km). It checks out on Strava Heatmaps so someone has ridden it on a bicycle, but I would expect to see more heat if it were suitable for 23 mm tyres.

I would prefer to cut across the ridge (nearly a straight line between km 32 and 44 rather than go around the reservoir. I don't like those tunnels. (But it's your ride!)

Not much to be done about Hashimoto. It's a drudge with a lot of lights.
 
I'm intrigued by the section over Henmuroyama (42 - 55 km). It checks out on Strava Heatmaps so someone has ridden it on a bicycle, but I would expect to see more heat if it were suitable for 23 mm tyres.

There is some debris on Henmuroyama but it's fine on 23 mm, I did the first climb (bigger one) in December last year and there are Strava segments for that whole section. You can find them using Segment Explore on Strava.

I had to scale a gate to get onto the rindo, though it may have been because snow blocked the pass. Great views btw.
 
Thanks! I've done that route just fine on 23mm tires (and fixed gear) but that was a couple years ago.
 
What I would do...

Avoid the reservoir tunnels
Gain an extra rindo.
Come back via Onékan/Renkoji (why mess with what works?)

Total distance and total vertigal gain seem to be the same. Let's see what you think after your recce.

Depending on the time I'd also be tempted to ride up to Yabitsu and back down; an extra 350 m climbing and then it's downhill all the way home.

But I don't know about all this 'Zone' stuff. I just enjoy riding in the mountains. I noticed yesterday that when I'm riding solo my HR and Watts were much lower than last Sunday when I was trying to keep up or overtake others, even though in my head I'm still trying my best.

 
Great! I'll recon / review this and we'll shoot for this ride on Sunday. If any particpants wish to use a PowerTap wheel pls come by the shop today to grab one - or possibly tomorrow.
 
These segments are nice to know and we can use to add in the mix. But, yes, the SOTO ride I'm trying to keep the pace moving and hazards at a minimum. Rindos can be nice in the summer due the greater shade cover, so as long as they are passable and '23mm approved' , I'm game.
 
Turned out to be a great ride! Nicer route to the first rindo, then short transit to the second. Road condition was fine, some small patches of gravel, loose rock, etc - but nothing un-rideable. I followed the same route back as going - so will leave the lake circuit for the next time (and a few more riders) to enjoy. Since the second rindo empties about halfway up Yabistsu, it's only natural to add that into the mix next time.
 
Oh damn - that hurt. I went on most of @GSAstuto's SOTO ride.

Edit: it seems I completed more of @GSAstuto's SOTO ride than @GSAstuto did.


I see that @GSAstuto and @trad started together and rode as far as Hanbara-goé together, and then parted to attack the north prelude of Yabitsu from different directions. Deviant behaviour indeed. How do I know this…?

http://labs.strava.com/flyby/viewer/#168270836,uaMHCg==

Sorry I couldn't join you guys but excuses. I left home at 13:44 instead of 07.00, and (by my standards) I went out hard - my great hope was to get back to where there are streetlights before dark!

I agree - this is a great ride.

The 28 km suburban trudge out to the Sagamigawa was meh. Onékan is much nicer but a bit out of my way. Hanbara-goé was as sweet as I remember - love the fast plateau section halfway up. Then Henmuro-yama which was new for me. Posting my bike and myself through the barrier was a bit fussy - it would be easier with two or more people.

The rindo itself was fanfuckingtastic - I particularly enjoyed the central section between the two short tunnels.

After exiting on r70 I turned left and went right up Yabitsu (1) for free water from the fountain and (2) because I wanted a coffee at the top. The latter was denied me; the vending machines were already shuttered when I summited at 17.30. Filled up with water again on the way down at the fountain and then full pelt for 18 km down the hill to the lake.

I then took @GrantT's suggested route around the west arm of Miyagase reservoir. Exquisite! There were warning signs about bears but I saw only monkeys and bats! By the time I emerged, beaming, from the rindo it was getting dark so I skipped @GrantT's second suggested rindo although I clocked the gated entrance and it looked very inviting. Something to look forward to another day!

Then I saw what was happening in the sky to the east. No way to avoid a drowning. 40 km to go… I lasted 10 km before the thunderstorm got me. By that time it was dark but I was back across the Sagami-gawa (i.e. civilisation). At the top of Yabitsu is had been 20ºC - I would really have suffered if the rain had got me there. There followed 30 km of rim-deep torrential cycling. Gotta laugh.

Garmin tried to take me home along a road that doesn't exist yet. I guess the map compilers got a little ahead of themselves. One day r510 going west across the Sagamigawa will link up to the Ken-O expenseway with a shiny new concrete bypass that will mysteriously terminate in a rice field 2 km further into the countryside. But it is not this day!

Total 133.5 km as I did Yabitsu as well. 10/10 will do again.
 
Last edited:
Great going, Mike! After Trad abandoned (seeping tire) , I finished the rindo then had to decide to get home or continue the prescribed route. You did the version that I feel is the best overall experience of this route (including the Yabitsu 'cherry' summit). Let's put this on the calendar for next week? I'm game for a repeat (or several) of this route.
 

Attachments

  • DSC_0947.JPG
    DSC_0947.JPG
    2.5 MB · Views: 14
  • DSC_0944.JPG
    DSC_0944.JPG
    2.9 MB · Views: 12
  • DSC_0945.JPG
    DSC_0945.JPG
    3.6 MB · Views: 12
  • DSC_0946.JPG
    DSC_0946.JPG
    4.3 MB · Views: 12
Back
Top Bottom