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August 1 (Saturday)

Philip

Speeding Up
Feb 15, 2007
765
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Tamasuidobashi (07:00) > Itsukaichi (08:30) > Kazahari rindo > Matsuhime > Suzugane > 35 > 517 > Hashimoto > 1-kan > Tamasuidobashi (225km)

Would welcome the company . . .

Philip
 
Hey Philip,
I was planning a bit different route tomorrow - similar to yours, except there is Tsuru instead of Kazahari (not quite eager to repeat this madness every week).

Might see you at Itsukaichi tomorrow, anyway
 
Thanks for posting, Philip.

I should be good to go. If I don't contact you about canceling tonight, I'll see you at Tamasuidobashi at 7:00.

Deej

p.s. I'm a little afraid of the heat. I went for a jaunt in the mountains yesterday, and it was pretty punishing. Gotta remember to eat and drink lots to keep the energy levels up.
 
Deej,

I will meet you where the rough path ends a little up river from the bridge (so that I can take our short cut from Setagaya dori).

Cheers,

Philip
 
I will meet you where the rough path ends a little up river from the bridge (so that I can take our short cut from Setagaya dori).

I will probably join - unless the skies look too threatening already in the early morning. See you at that very place.

Ludwig
 
Oh, the pain!
It's a pity we could not meet, but hope you enjoyed your adventure, gentlemen. I for one returned home wasted after (only) 5 hours of riding - there were so many bloody climbs I lost count to them! :warau:

Respect to those who can complete such rides on a weekly basis...now where's my beer..
 
Philip and Ludwig, thanks for the great ride yesterday. It was a fantastic day on the bike. I'm curious how many meters we climbed, because it sure felt like a lot!

I really enjoyed climbing Matsuhime and Suzugane from the north side, a first for me. And I agree with Tom, Suzugane is special -- love it there.

I was surprised at how relatively fresh my legs remained throughout the ride. I don't think I've ever felt that good at the end of a longer ride. I think part of it had to do with the sheer volume of food and liquid I consumed throughout the day.

At the end, my computer read 202km, with an average speed of 25kph. But it conked out on me a couple times, so I'm curious what the real reading would have been.

Philip, special thanks for showing me a fast route home from Hashimoto -- the blessed 尾根幹 (One-kan). Big shoulders, smooth roads, relatively few lights.

Until next time, gentlemen!

Deej

P.S. Sergey, too bad we couldn't hook up. But it sounds like you had a good, if painful, ride. See you soon!
 
Deej and Ludwig,

A great days riding. Thank you :)

Ludwig got us off to a fast start leading up the Tamagawa at 35kph which Deej raised to 40kph when he spotted a lone cyclist who "had to be crushed" :D

We were joined by another cyclist doing TT repeats (on his fifth) on the climb up to the base of the Kazahari rindo. Huge legs. Deej beat him too. Deej stopped at the drinks machines and I took the opportunity to get a head start on Kazahari rindo. We climbed through a thick mist that deadened the sounds like snow and made you feel at one with the mountain. Of course Deej caught and beat me to the top.

A nice roll down Kazahari and took the steep "short cut" to Matsuhime. Deej headed out fast and was soon out of sight. For the second week in a row on the same climb I found a good rhythm and had some hope I might catch a tiring Deej. It was just a dream as Deej was already at the top.

Another fine roll down Matsuhime for lunch at Tom's supermarket before climbing Suzugane. You climb a narrow road through grass fields and forest glades for a really special experience. This time I lost the fight for second place to Ludwig.

Next the climb over Hinozuru through the tunnel on R35. I decided to throw everything at it. Standing in the big gear I waited for Deej to pass. Through the final switch back and still Deej was sitting in behind me. Deej gifted me the climb which just goes to prove Black Thunder does have a heart :D Thanks Deej.

A great roll down R35. I gunned it all the way to the R517 junction under blue skies. Great! Deej and Ludwig got held up by a slow moving bus :p:p:p

We then "undulated" along the R517 roller coaster. The scenery is so beautiful along the south shore of Sagamiko. I always feel a little sad when the road sweeps you back to civilization and you must say goodbye to the mountains for another week.

Chocolate ice cream at 7/11 Hashimoto is now a tradition. Deej and I said goodbye to Ludwig before traversing east to Tokyo along one-kan. This a great cycling road with broad shoulders and long uninterrupted sections of road. One-kan delivers you back to the Tamagawa and the turn-off to Setagaya-dori.

Just when the pace had settled down and I was beginning to relax into the final kilometers of the day Deej picks-up the pace. In the distance is an orange shirt on a bicycle. Like a red rag to a bull for Deej :D After chasing the orange shirt down the wearer turned out to be Todor!

Another memorable ride,

Philip
 
Suzugane-toge

Enjoyed reading the reports:cool:. Count me in for next time...I'll do my best to reduce the wait at the top down to an absolute minimum!
 
Thanks, Philip, for organizing, and to both of you for showing patience on what wasn't my strongest day.:eek: The Thursday ride with MOB was still in my body (less so in my legs).

Here is the GPS trail of the ride:

http://www.mapmyride.com/route/jp/kanto/843124918474215641

Mapmyride cuts many corners :( - the real distance until Hashimoto station was 185km, so I think until home you guys should have achieved something like 220-225km.:cool: The altitude reading is relatively accurate, minus the peak on top of tunnels (of which we had only one). So I think we did something like 2,400-2,500m of climbing.:D

Till next time soon, Ludwig
 
Hi Sergey,

Sorry we did not see you along the way. There sure was a lot climbing :D Still, got up this morning for a 20km jog. You gotta toughen up Sergey :p:p:p

Philip


Oh, the pain!
It's a pity we could not meet, but hope you enjoyed your adventure, gentlemen. I for one returned home wasted after (only) 5 hours of riding - there were so many bloody climbs I lost count to them! :warau:

Respect to those who can complete such rides on a weekly basis...now where's my beer..
 
Thanks for the report, Philip. Wow, a 20k run today, eh? I'm feeling pretty good today, but not 20k-run good.

As for the mist and wet on Kazahari -- yeah, that made for some quiet, meditative climbing. By the way, despite spending the first section of the climb (until the turnoff) spinning easy and chatting away with Ludwig, I was only 31 seconds off my best time of 35:07. The cooler temperatures must have been a huge help. (Note to all competitive TT geeks: the official TCC starting point for the Kazahari climb is at the junction just past the vending machines. I believe our Positivo Espresso compadres start the clock at the turnoff farther up the road).

On a rather random note -- As I told you, Philip, last week I lowered my saddle a tad and moved my brake levers back toward me a few millimeters, and wow, the difference in comfort is significant. With the current setup, I feel like I'm putting more power into the pedals. I wonder if those changes played a role in why I remained relatively fresh yesterday.

Glad you mentioned that we met Todor. It was good seeing you, man! Hopefully we can ride together soon.

Ludwig, thanks for the map data!

Deej

p.s. All y'all (Philip, Ludwig, Todor) gotta shave your legs! Are you true cyclists or not? And Philip, it's time you ditched your cranky Dura-Ace and switched over to Campy. You should not have to put up with all that noise and fuss! ;)
 
Philip, it's time you ditched your cranky Dura-Ace and switched over to Campy. You should not have to put up with all that noise and fuss! ;) (and you) gotta shave your legs! Are you a true cyclist or not?

I thought riding 225km with 2,500 meters of climbing would go some way to qualifying me as a cyclist :confused: Now you are telling me I need Campy and must shave my legs so that other cyclists will take me seriously as a cyclist?

If you want to be taken seriously, lose your 90mm stem Cowboy :D
 
I thought riding 225km with 2,500 meters of climbing would go some way to qualifying me as a cyclist :confused: Now you are telling me I need Campy and must shave my legs so that other cyclists will take me seriously as a cyclist?

But the fetishistic aspect of the cycling asthetic is half the appeal! Dude, thanks to this hobby, I get to ride trains in tight lycra and with shaved legs (and, sometimes, waxed chest). Don't tell me your deep-profile wheels are for enhanced aerodynamics -- it's all about lookin' good. And lookin' good is feelin' good!

If you want to be taken seriously, lose your 90mm stem Cowboy :D

Okay, this is where the joking stops. My stem is a full 100mm, alright?

Deej

P.S. So what's on tap for next weekend? Okumusashi Madness?
 
Lost Potency

OK! Will do it tonight. :)

I'm in too for some Okumusashi Madness this coming WE.

BTW, my stem (the French use the word "potence" when they talk about road bike stems...) measures 130mm. The longer is not the better of course...:D
 
sounds good to me also...... need to see if I can get someone to look after my daughter, any offers?
 
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