SteveT
Maximum Pace
- Nov 11, 2007
- 241
- 40
I did my proper ride of 2010 today - in fact my first real ride for a long time. After a month back home in the UK with no exercise, followed immediately by an abysmal jet-lagged semi-ride last weekend (aborted a little after Ome) I ventured out this morning with a certain trepidation, and a hope that I wouldn't meet any other cyclists so I could safely humiliate myself in private.
And if privacy was what I wanted, privacy was what I got - Kazahari Toge ! I'd read that motorcycles had thankfully been banned recently from this road, and on top of that I guess the cold weather had kept away the car day-trippers as well - approaching from Itsukaichi I had the whole road practically to myself, and once on the climb proper I saw three cars in total and one other cyclist. I've never known this road to be anywhere near so peaceful.
I'd heard from the 7-11 staff in Itsukaichi that there had been snow two days before and the road was closed beyond Tomin-no-Mori, but when I got there it was fine - snow on the verges but the actual road was clear - only a few small patches of ice, easily avoided - and some amazing views. The temperature display just after the top of the pass showed 0 degrees - not too extreme, but certainly pretty chilly once in the shade and especially on the downhill. I had to thaw out my fingers on the Soba shop's gas heater for 15 minutes before I was able to handle a pair of chopsticks...
Anyway, it's a bit chilly up there, but I definitely recommend trying Kazahari toge in winter --
Cheers
Steve
And if privacy was what I wanted, privacy was what I got - Kazahari Toge ! I'd read that motorcycles had thankfully been banned recently from this road, and on top of that I guess the cold weather had kept away the car day-trippers as well - approaching from Itsukaichi I had the whole road practically to myself, and once on the climb proper I saw three cars in total and one other cyclist. I've never known this road to be anywhere near so peaceful.
I'd heard from the 7-11 staff in Itsukaichi that there had been snow two days before and the road was closed beyond Tomin-no-Mori, but when I got there it was fine - snow on the verges but the actual road was clear - only a few small patches of ice, easily avoided - and some amazing views. The temperature display just after the top of the pass showed 0 degrees - not too extreme, but certainly pretty chilly once in the shade and especially on the downhill. I had to thaw out my fingers on the Soba shop's gas heater for 15 minutes before I was able to handle a pair of chopsticks...
Anyway, it's a bit chilly up there, but I definitely recommend trying Kazahari toge in winter --
Cheers
Steve