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Fat-Bastard Rinko Routes

StuInTokyo

Maximum Pace
Dec 3, 2010
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After a very enjoyable, ride, while sampling a small IPA beer at the brew pub across the street from the ride starting point, I was discussing this problem I have with the other riders. I'm a Fat-Bastard, :eek: (I'm working on that, I've gone from 126Kg in January to 121 today) I need to get down under 100Kg this year, with a goal of around 85 Kg over the next couple of years. The honest truth is that I can go along on the flats OK, but the hills just kill me. I'd challenge any of you to put on a backpack with 40Kgs in it and see how much you like hills :D

I want to do rides are are fairly long in duration, I don't mind the time in the saddle, but not a bunch of huge climbs. I also wish to do rides that are outside of Tokyo, I don't mind doing the Rinko bag and train for 45 min or more to get the heck out of Tokyo. As many of you know I ride my bike with trailer combo in downtown Tokyo daily and fight traffic daily, the last thing I really want to do is ride though said traffic on the way out and then on the way back in.

So I'm looking for routes of say 60 to 120 Km that are while not exactly flat, do not have huge climbs in them. I can go up hills, but I do them slowly.

I know a lot of very fast guys hang out here, but I wonder if there are also some not so fast guys/gals who want a nice enjoyable ride, outside of Tokyo traffic, and without the mega hill climbs?

I'd really like to hear some suggested routes and anyone who would be interested in coming along for such a ride. Meet up at a certain time at a train station outside of Tokyo, spend the better part of the day riding nice uncrowded country roads, and then rinko bag it back to Tokyo while enjoying a cold one on the train.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Cheers!
 
I find the river runs great.

Arakawa is good. Can get a bit crowded. I like the start from the Family Mart and head out away from town. Has a few turns to figure out to stay on the 'course', mostly just follow other cyclists if you aren't sure and hope it works out.

Edogawa: I like this one. I usually go to Ishikawa and head to Sekiyado castle, which is _amost_ 100km round trip. Can extend onto Edogawa for more miles if you like.



Happy to join on one of these when snowboarding season slows down..... :)
 
Mate, good to see you posting again. If your goal is weight loss look at your diet, first and foremost this will affect your weight way more than any exercise regime. THen after you lose the weight you'll find hills less painful, they will still suck but you'll be able to beat the bastards back.

Not trying to be discouraging but look at what goes in your mouth. I gotta rush but will post more on this later.
 
I second the Seikiyado Route. Also- there are some beautiful routes around Chichibu that while having some hills, also have nice circumvention routes. And I recall a ride up to Nikko that was outstanding - many thanks to the HFC'ers on this one. Plus the route out to Tsukuba Mountain is good - you don't really 'have' to do the climb. And aside from the Otarumi 'pimple' - the ride around Okutama is great.

I like the rinko routes that don't require multiple transfers, have frequent rapids and take about 1hr or less. More than that and I start to get annoyed by the whole thing. More than 2hr on the train , lugging the bike, etc especially if it's packed is a real hassle. I'd prefer to save that for longer rinkos out into a more desireable location that I spend a couple days riding.

Good rule of thumb - ride at least 3x your rinko time. So if you have a 1hr rinko (2hr total) then try to get in 6hrs of riding. Rinko for 2hrs then riding for 2hrs will not cut the 'train lag'.

Don't freat the hills too much - aside from very few routes in Japan, they are mainly 5km or so 'bumps'. Even the slowest rider to the fastest is not a big time difference. (Do the math of 5km @20kph vs 5km @ 10kph only 15min difference!)

I find the river runs great.

Arakawa is good. Can get a bit crowded. I like the start from the Family Mart and head out away from town. Has a few turns to figure out to stay on the 'course', mostly just follow other cyclists if you aren't sure and hope it works out.

Edogawa: I like this one. I usually go to Ishikawa and head to Sekiyado castle, which is _amost_ 100km round trip. Can extend onto Edogawa for more miles if you like.



Happy to join on one of these when snowboarding season slows down..... :)
 
As everybody has already suggested, river runs are great just to get the sweat running a bit.

I'd be interested in joining a few of these rides as I'm not fast rider myself.

Cheers
 
Great replies everyone!

I hate the river routes, I just HATE them, I've been on more than a few and I've had too many heart stopping moments when that kid/dog whatever jumps into your path, and you have to slam on the brakes, and steer around them. A couple I really cannot tell you how I did not make contact, I just thank whatever angel was looking over my shoulder at that moment!

So aside from the river rides, something outside of Tokyo, some great routes have been suggested, now I'll just have to do some map searches and try to figure some stuff out.

kiwisimon, you are absolutely correct, and I'm doing that, right now I'm sticking to the Slow Carb kind of intake, or as Tim Smith more succinctly put it "Avoid the White" :D No bread, no white rice, no processed foods. It is working very well for me, I don't eat much meat either, and when I do it is usually skinless chicken thighs.

Cheers!
 
Stu: Edogawa, man. It's the way forward. Some congestion around Matsudo, after that pretty empty!


Great replies everyone!

I hate the river routes, I just HATE them, I've been on more than a few and I've had too many heart stopping moments when that kid/dog whatever jumps into your path, and you have to slam on the brakes, and steer around them. A couple I really cannot tell you how I did not make contact, I just thank whatever angel was looking over my shoulder at that moment!

So aside from the river rides, something outside of Tokyo, some great routes have been suggested, now I'll just have to do some map searches and try to figure some stuff out.

kiwisimon, you are absolutely correct, and I'm doing that, right now I'm sticking to the Slow Carb kind of intake, or as Tim Smith more succinctly put it "Avoid the White" :D No bread, no white rice, no processed foods. It is working very well for me, I don't eat much meat either, and when I do it is usually skinless chicken thighs.

Cheers!
 
Yeah - the rivers we ride don't have kids and dogs. FWWI I hate the Tamagawa 'Trail' and despise ever riding on it due those things you mention. Edogawa, Tonegawa and even Arakawa are completely different. Except for the baseball players - but once they've been knocked down a few times they remember - at least for a week.
 
Head out around Narita airport or Miura Peninsula.

Miura is very nice and I'd not thought about Narita, it is kind of rolling countryside out there isn't it :D

GSAstuto said:
Good rule of thumb - ride at least 3x your rinko time. So if you have a 1hr rinko (2hr total) then try to get in 6hrs of riding. Rinko for 2hrs then riding for 2hrs will not cut the 'train lag'.

Don't freat the hills too much - aside from very few routes in Japan, they are mainly 5km or so 'bumps'. Even the slowest rider to the fastest is not a big time difference. (Do the math of 5km @20kph vs 5km @ 10kph only 15min difference!)

I totally agree with you Tim on the length of the ride, I really only have the occasional Sunday to do these rides, so I want a whole day affair :bike:

The problem with the time thing is that I'm always, ALWAYS the last guy in the line, and I hate making everyone wait for me at the top, so when I do these rides, it will be understood that a high pace is not the point, a long steady ride is the point. Yesterday I was well above my max HR a lot and constantly bumping up against it most of the time, I know I will become fitter, but I just want some enjoyable long rides to do, not flog the dog all day long killer rides, maybe next year:rolleyes:

Again, thanks everyone!
 
Stu: Edogawa, man. It's the way forward. Some congestion around Matsudo, after that pretty empty!

I'll have to check that out then, I'll trust what you say is true :D
 
Tokyo to Utsunomiya. 160 km. Dead flat. We extended this up to Nikko one time, as Tim mentioned, when we went to watch the bike racing.

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Half-Fast-Ride-Tokyo-to-Utsunomiya

I'll be doing this again as a Half-Fast ride, but probably not before mid-March.

Stu, I know you have more than enough situational awareness to avoid demolishing kids on the riverside cycleways by keeping your speed appropriate to the surroundings.

The far side (left bank) of the Arakawa is much less crowded than the near side. Edogawa and Tonegawa even less. (Just gotta read the wind right!)
 
Miura is very nice and I'd not thought about Narita, it is kind of rolling countryside out there isn't it :D

Mostly rolling, though I've heard there are some good cycle path runs out that way. Some lake or something? (i forget, too lazy to check google maps just now).....
 
Tokyo to Utsunomiya. 160 km. Dead flat. We extended this up to Nikko one time, as Tim mentioned, when we went to watch the bike racing.

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Half-Fast-Ride-Tokyo-to-Utsunomiya

I'll be doing this again as a Half-Fast ride, but probably not before mid-March.

Stu, I know you have more than enough situational awareness to avoid demolishing kids on the riverside cycleways by keeping your speed appropriate to the surroundings.

The far side (left bank) of the Arakawa is much less crowded than the near side. Edogawa and Tonegawa even less. (Just gotta read the wind right!)

Mike trust me I don't ride fast, really I'm not even half-fast :D Yes I do keep my eyes peeled when on those river runs, that is also what I hate, I feel like I'm stressed out, having to keep my eyes peeled so much, so it really takes the shine of the whole ride thing.

The route you show would be great, but I would want to maybe start around the 40Km mark or so, past the majority of the crap that is Tokyo, so rinko to the starting point, then rinko home from the end point.

These are great suggestions everyone, thanks!
 
Oh yeah, Mike, end of March would be perfect, our eldest daughter is coming home to Japan from Canada for spring break, from March 9th to March 23rd, so I'll be busy those weekends for sure.
 
Stu - you know we can go out anytime! I'll just hit the rollers for 30min and then my 'sufferfest' urges will be sated. Most HFC rides don't start until 11.00am, more than enough time for the hard guys (and girls) to get in a set of intervals and use the HFC ride as 'active recovery'.
 
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