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Today April 2021

"Hail" is my PED!
I did my normal Saturday morning ride, but managed to pull a 4th overall on the poopiest of climbs.
What I didn't expect proir to the ride, was the hail I was riding in during the climb. My best guess.... it was a distraction that pleasantly kept me from getting mentally winded.

 
got to take it easy man
 
I returned to Ome and the Greenline, in a variation on Deej's classic Ome Temple Loop. Even without Shōmaru toge, Yamabushi Toge or the Takedera temple climb I ended up with 2173 m of climbing for the day and 170 km (on Strava):


I left home at 05:50 and rode up the Tamagawa to the start. About 15 km from Ome station @microcord and I happened to meet up. We made a quick photo stop at Haijimadaishi temple, where I changed from my winter trousers (6 deg C ride start) into shorts in a public toilet.

I was surprised at the big turnout at Ome. 6 of the 9 participants rode to Ome and back from their homes, some over 200 km in a day. With Ome rides as soon as you climb the first hill you're right in the countryside. This time of the year there is fresh green and colourful blossoms everywhere. It's sheer bliss, when you're not pedalling your legs off on one of many super steep long climbs ;)

The hardest without a question was the Takayama Fudoson temple climb and its concrete doughnuts at the top of a steep forest climb. The straps of my helmet where white with salt from my sweat. But once you're at the top you know you've done the hardest climb of the day and anything else you face will seem not quite as intimidating, but of course you will get more tired over time.

View from the steep Takayama Fudoson temple climb:
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The two landslides on the Greenline from typhoon #19 (Hagibis) in October 2019 have both been repaired, but the more recently repaired former construction site towards Kabasaka toge is still surrounded by barriers as it has not been officially reopened. On a bicycle on a Sunday, no problem!

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We rested at Kabasaka toge and took the obligatory selfies in front of the elevation marker of the highest point of the ride. Then we put on all our jackets and windbreakers for the 6 km descent down to Rt299. After a few km we turned off Rt299 to head up Rt395. Before that we took off our jackets again. First we cycled up a river valley, then the proper 3 km Nenogongen temple climb began. It's mostly 6-10% but with all the previous climbs already in the legs it's never easy.

At Ne-no-gongen (子ノ権現天龍寺), aka the "shoe temple"
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The "shoe temple" is dedicated to lower body health, especially feet and legs and features a collection of oversized sandals and shoes. Even the little prayer boards that you can buy to write down a prayer or wish and hang them there have a little straw sandal attached to the board. The cherry tree in the yard was in full bloom.

Again we put on our jackets and started the descent on the concrete road next to the two ancient trees at the temple entrance. This was the steepest descent of the ride, especially the first couple of curves. Again, kilometers and kilometers of fast descending. We partly retraced the route we came on, then headed towards Rt53 for more climbing and descending.

At the station we saw each other off. Todd and Nicolas joined me for an early dinner at Sherpa, the Nepalese in Ome. From there I rode back to Setagaya while they made their way to the north of Tokyo. I again passed Haijimadaishi on the way home. 3 km from home I met one of my team mates from the 401 km Flèche ride the weekend before who was also on her way home. Right at the traffic light where we met we headed off in different directions again! :)

Haijimadaishi (拝島大師)
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Once I got home and had taken my bath I got very sleepy very soon. I have to say I physically felt better the next day after the Flèche than after the Nenogongen loop. It's probably dehydration. I did sweat a lot and drank a lot less than the week before (not many conbini in the mountains!). Now that the winter is over I will start riding with two water bottles always full.
 
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nice trip
 
In the market for a Wahoo Kickr or the Core. I have a conventional trainer but I mostly run it on the concrete balcony to avoid vibration and noise issues with my downstairs neighbor. Was thinking if I had the Wahoo Kickr/Core it would be much more quieter and less vibe-y (sp) and I could do my spinning indoors? Anybody had a similar experience of switching to a smart trainer and being able to do it inside a wooden floor apartment without any noise/vibration issues? Thanks!
 
In the market for a Wahoo Kickr or the Core. I have a conventional trainer but I mostly run it on the concrete balcony to avoid vibration and noise issues with my downstairs neighbor. Was thinking if I had the Wahoo Kickr/Core it would be much more quieter and less vibe-y (sp) and I could do my spinning indoors? Anybody had a similar experience of switching to a smart trainer and being able to do it inside a wooden floor apartment without any noise/vibration issues? Thanks!
I use a kickr core in my house on a wood floor (with a thick training mat).
My kids sleep in the room directly above me and they never hear it.
My chain is louder than the trainer.
 
I use a kickr core in my house on a wood floor (with a thick training mat).
My kids sleep in the room directly above me and they never hear it.
My chain is louder than the trainer.
is this training mat the usual mat for trainers? or do i have to get a special one? thanks
 
Cycled out to a brewery for lunch today with a friend and inadvertently hit my longest ride today (130km) in anticipation for an even longer one this Saturday.
  1. Cycling along 146 and Fuji pops here head out.
  2. Keisei Handmade Beer Garapago Racing. Yes we did sit upstairs on the deck
  3. Fantastic view.
  4. Beer and chips, My partial fuel for the day.
  5. A final stop at Hilo Handmade Hawaiian Icecream in Enoshima. This was the yuzu and honey and it hit the spot.
 

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nice
 
is this training mat the usual mat for trainers? or do i have to get a special one? thanks
I am using a generic crap one I bought on amazon.
It wss more to protect my wood floors from sweat than anything.
Turns out it does a decent job keeping things quiet too - but it is nothing fancy.
 
I would still use a mat. I have also bought rubber tiles and carpet tiles to further dampen vibrations. I have never had complaints from my neighbors.
 
wow
 
Tho long sleeves would be nice, I think I need one of these:
That makes one of us. A couple of years ago I was plagued on FB by ads for T-shirts saying "Never underestimate an old man" plus relative clause. (FB has since put me on a diet of ads for Kickstarter projects that are totally incredible and will change my life, not.) After the fourth, perhaps only the third, of these T-shirt ads, I was in a mood to underestimate any old man and particularly any who'd wear any such T-shirt he'd received as a present. (I assumed that none would buy it for himself.)

Sez a frequently overestimated old man.

I rather like used jerseys. Unsurprisingly, they're cheap. They also tend to be ... strange. (But unfortunately, many have irritatingly short zip(per)s.) Recently the gigantickest branches of Book Off (the "Super Bazaars", etc) have been selling them.

Now, if only some kind company would make one-off jerseys cheaply to the customer's specifications, I might order a "Team Tourney" jersey.
 
@jdd , not being on FB is a sign of good mental health. (But I find it convenient for arranging rides.)

Here, lemme google it for you:

underestimation.jpg
The "exact" number doesn't matter: let's just take "867,000" to mean "a hell of a lot". Your jersey would get polite comments, because of course people are polite; but quite a few of those who see it will be thinking "Uhh ... not again...."

Of course I may be in an insignificant minority. Perhaps to most people it's jolly, and lastingly so.
 
  • Wow
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