What's new

any spot where you can practice crit type of riding? tokyo area

6kmanu

Warming-Up
Feb 14, 2022
3
5
Crit racing newbie here. Started cycling a year and a half ago. I just raced my first crit few days ago and oh boy it didnt go as planned. I trained so bad aka on my trainer working on my engine but got dropped the moment we hit the corners. I did not know how to take those corners at high speed with people around me. So frustrating that I worked hard but couldnt even hang with the group. I just need a place where I can play with my homies and practice cornering safely
 
Last edited:
the best training for crits is weekly crit racing. Do you have a team you ride with?

failing that find an industrial estate and race on it with your "homies"
early Sunday mornings aren't too congested. Four left turns around a block and you have a race course.
 
Find a race team local to you. I would hope they have some planned rudes for practice. We used to ride a loop in Honmoku Yokohama on sunday mornings. It is an industrial area and deserted early on Sundays. We would run onestop sign, but great visibility to see oncoming cars. If you come down that way, i can shoot you a pin
 
There is a place called 大井埠頭 (ooifuto) where there is very little traffic on Sundays and people go to train fast on empty flat roads.
The last time I went was a few years ago, but if things haven't changed, people tend to meet up at 丘埠頭公園 and trace a circuit of around 9 kilometres from there. Speeds can be 40 km/hr plus around 90 and I think 180 degree corners, so it can be good for cornering practice and paceline practice.
The loop itself should be easy enough to figure out once you are there by following other riders. If you get confident enough, you may even be able to join a train of riders.
Best time I found was in the morning (Sundays only) when it is busiest with cyclists.
A link showing the loop on Strava: https://www.strava.com/routes/36332?hl=ja-JP
 
There is a place called 大井埠頭 (ooifuto) where there is very little traffic on Sundays and people go to train fast on empty flat roads.
The last time I went was a few years ago, but if things haven't changed, people tend to meet up at 丘埠頭公園 and trace a circuit of around 9 kilometres from there. Speeds can be 40 km/hr plus around 90 and I think 180 degree corners, so it can be good for cornering practice and paceline practice.
The loop itself should be easy enough to figure out once you are there by following other riders. If you get confident enough, you may even be able to join a train of riders.
Best time I found was in the morning (Sundays only) when it is busiest with cyclists.
A link showing the loop on Strava: https://www.strava.com/routes/36332?hl=ja-JP

If you follow Fast Fred on Strava he often goes there on weekends and does Palace laps early weekday mornings.

Andy

Screenshot_20220215-201449_Strava.jpg
 
@GrantT Thank you!! I wonder if there are also other newbies joining their rides?

@andywood Oh I know fred!! he's got all the KOMs in my area lol. Would you know if he take new guys/not strong guys in his rides?

He's a really nice guy as is his mate Charlie Brown so I don't see why not, especially if you are just doing laps.

Andy
 
It's not really one group of people there in an organised way, but all different groups of people there at different times when they feel like it. The area just happens to be a convenient place to go riding. Newbies and experienced riders alike go there.
 
Sorry for hijacking the post, does anyone know any group/team training around Yokohama, Yokosuka or surroundings?
I was invited once to join the monokusa team once, but from where I live it's impossible to be at their meeting point on time.
 
Sorry for hijacking the post, does anyone know any group/team training around Yokohama, Yokosuka or surroundings?
I was invited once to join the monokusa team once, but from where I live it's impossible to be at their meeting point on time.
We, @jonmanjiro and I are often in and around Yokohama/Yokosuka riding. As well as a few others.
Let's get a ride going if we can!
We're both on Strava as well.
brent #SAB134
Jon M
 
Just please be careful out at Oifuto.
Along with the occasional police presence for cyclists running red lights, there are quite a number of crashes....At least back when I would ride there.

Get to know the course/corners very well before ramping things up.

As for crit practice, well Oifuto corners are all pretty wide open but first step is getting used to pedaling through corners, and getting used to the occasional pedal strike when you are really laying it down.

I grew up racing crits in the USA, still have some nice scars. Don`t miss the night time crits like Boise Twilight and holding on for dear life...
 
Huge fan of L39ION. I got into cycling because I saw his leadout practice with Justin in an old video. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Legion makes cycling cool (at least for me).

You can practice with friends at low speeds and as you get comfortable, gradually increase the pace and get closer their rear wheel. I still get nervous specially when going through corners with someone infront of me.

I may have heard about NorCal Cycling. I will check it out.Thanks for the recommendation!
 
I may have heard about NorCal Cycling. I will check it out.Thanks for the recommendation!
By far the best resource online if you want to learn about (crit) racing strategy. He focusses mostly on sprinters, since that fits his power profile, but you learn a lot.
 
Old-ish thread, I know, but I am also curious about crits and fast group rides in Tokyo. Will hopefully be moving to Tokyo in the next month or two.

Previously, I did most of my training rides up and down the Arakawa. Lake Sai was not a bad circuit, but sometimes the number of walkers and picnickers makes it unsafe:


Also, I used to do laps around the Tokyo Detention Centre on occasion. It'd be a fantastic crit course, but there is one part where you have to be very careful of traffic, and I don't know if training there regularly, let alone training with a group, would be viewed favourably. Here it is anyway:

 
Back
Top Bottom