Half-Fast Mike
Lanterne Rouge-et-vert
- May 22, 2007
- 4,620
- 3,660
Not that I remember. I was ambling through Tokyo morning traffic and... it just came off in my hand, officer!
Today May 2023
- Thread starter joewein
- Start date
joewein
Maximum Pace
- Oct 25, 2011
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- #42
Weird, there should not be much tension on the outer that could cause this to stress fracture, is there? Is the inner cable sliding smoothly inside the outer or is there friction that could have pulled the outer along repeatedly until something cracked?
joewein
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- Oct 25, 2011
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- #43
Windy.com seems like a really good weather site. I like how local the data is that it forecasts, with precipitation and temperature at a given spot. I used it a lot last week, as I was signed up for BRM513 for Saturday/Sunday, which would have been my first 400 km event since 2018. This is one of my favourite events with Audax Japan Nishitokyo (see this post for a report from 2015 of a training ride of mine for this same course). However, the forecast didn't look good: There was going to be rain or at least a chance of drizzle for most parts of the route around the time when I was going to pass through there.
That included the climb to the tunnel above Doshi at over 1100 m, the Fuji Five Lakes area at over 900 m, the Yamanashi basin to Minami Alps. the road down to the coast at Fuji City and finally the return trip through Izu and the coast of Sagami bay. The most rain was forecast in the evening around Fujinomiya, on the far side of Mt Fuji.
It was bad enough to worry about rain at the elevation of the Fuji 5 lakes where the temperature is always much lower than at sea level due to adiabatic cooling from elevation. But I was even less keen on it at night. It would get dark somewhere along the Minobu railway line in Shizuoka and stay dark until somewhere near Atami.
I had booked a room at ToyokoInn 1 km from the start in Machida. On Friday night I rode out there. It started raining on the way there, but it didn't keep up. The pre-ride briefing was supposed to be at 06:30 so once I checked in, I set my alarm for 05:40. I woke up around 3, started to worry about the rain again and didn't go back to sleep until an hour later.
It was cool when I left the hotel but the road was dry - no new rain. Good!
There were more people at the start than I had expected given the forecast. The signup limit had been 50 people. I saw maybe half as many but that was far more than at the start of the rainy brevet in March in West Izu. I had virtually decided to skip the ride (DNS - Did Not Start) but the fact that it wasn't raining and that so many others were willing to give it a try gave me cause for second thought. "You can do it or not do it - either is just fine!" said one of the staff members. There really was no pressure.
I stood there for maybe one minute, thinking hard. Finally I handed over my signed waiver, signed my name on the list as a starter and accepted the brevet card in a small plastic bag for rain protection.
I met Patrick again, whom I had previously met at the rainy 200 km in West Izu which unlike me he finished. He had also completed the 300 km a few weeks ago.
Then I talked to some of my team mates from the Flèche in April. Soon the briefing started. There was one first time randonneur. 400 km in this weather - quite an introduction to the sport!
After the equipment inspection we were off. For the first 10 km or so we traveled as a group through Sagamihara. Once we got out into the countryside and the hills started, others started passing me. By the time we got to the entrance to Doshi road (Rt413) I was pretty much riding by myself. I briefly stopped at a conbini before Aone.
Raindrops started falling. It was not a lot of rain but also not a mere drizzle. Another randonneur commented, he didn't want to stop to put on his "kappa" (rain gear) but eventually he'd have to. Yes, I replied, you either get wet from rain or from sweat.
Later I saw another cyclist change into his rain gear inside a tunnel. I also put on mine but my jersey and my shoes were already quite wet by then.
After crossing the river between Kanagawa and Yamanashi before the Ryogokuya restaurant I counted down kilometers remaining to Doshi. There's a local summit before Aone village about 19 km before Michi no Eki Doshi, then a descent to the river, then climbing. Despite the effort from climbing I started to feel really cold.
I remembered a viewpoint where I had rested at the training ride a week before. It had a roof that would protect me from the rain. It was at around 500 m elevation, still 200 m below Doshi and 600 m below the tunnel. If the cold rain felt as unpleasant at 500 m, what would it be like at 1100 or at 900 m from Yamanaka-ko to Motosu-ko?
Until now my Plan B had been to continue only as far as Yamanakako, then descend via Kagosaka toge (籠坂峠) towards Gotemba and Odawara and return via the coast. Cancel Plan A and Plan B, I'm turning back (after a rest)! I took off my shoes and stretched on on the bench under the roof to take a nap while letting the socks and shoes dry a bit.
The rain continued on and off on the return ride. It got warmer once I crossed back into Kanagawa. I let my wife know I had abandoned the ride.
I got back home in the late afternoon and texted one of the organizers in the evening to let them know I had DNF'ed (Did Not Finish) and got home safely. 114 km with 1400 m of climbing was only about 2/3 of last weekend's training ride, but given the weather I seriously would not have enjoyed anything beyond that.
That included the climb to the tunnel above Doshi at over 1100 m, the Fuji Five Lakes area at over 900 m, the Yamanashi basin to Minami Alps. the road down to the coast at Fuji City and finally the return trip through Izu and the coast of Sagami bay. The most rain was forecast in the evening around Fujinomiya, on the far side of Mt Fuji.
It was bad enough to worry about rain at the elevation of the Fuji 5 lakes where the temperature is always much lower than at sea level due to adiabatic cooling from elevation. But I was even less keen on it at night. It would get dark somewhere along the Minobu railway line in Shizuoka and stay dark until somewhere near Atami.
I had booked a room at ToyokoInn 1 km from the start in Machida. On Friday night I rode out there. It started raining on the way there, but it didn't keep up. The pre-ride briefing was supposed to be at 06:30 so once I checked in, I set my alarm for 05:40. I woke up around 3, started to worry about the rain again and didn't go back to sleep until an hour later.
It was cool when I left the hotel but the road was dry - no new rain. Good!
There were more people at the start than I had expected given the forecast. The signup limit had been 50 people. I saw maybe half as many but that was far more than at the start of the rainy brevet in March in West Izu. I had virtually decided to skip the ride (DNS - Did Not Start) but the fact that it wasn't raining and that so many others were willing to give it a try gave me cause for second thought. "You can do it or not do it - either is just fine!" said one of the staff members. There really was no pressure.
I stood there for maybe one minute, thinking hard. Finally I handed over my signed waiver, signed my name on the list as a starter and accepted the brevet card in a small plastic bag for rain protection.
I met Patrick again, whom I had previously met at the rainy 200 km in West Izu which unlike me he finished. He had also completed the 300 km a few weeks ago.
Then I talked to some of my team mates from the Flèche in April. Soon the briefing started. There was one first time randonneur. 400 km in this weather - quite an introduction to the sport!
After the equipment inspection we were off. For the first 10 km or so we traveled as a group through Sagamihara. Once we got out into the countryside and the hills started, others started passing me. By the time we got to the entrance to Doshi road (Rt413) I was pretty much riding by myself. I briefly stopped at a conbini before Aone.
Raindrops started falling. It was not a lot of rain but also not a mere drizzle. Another randonneur commented, he didn't want to stop to put on his "kappa" (rain gear) but eventually he'd have to. Yes, I replied, you either get wet from rain or from sweat.
Later I saw another cyclist change into his rain gear inside a tunnel. I also put on mine but my jersey and my shoes were already quite wet by then.
After crossing the river between Kanagawa and Yamanashi before the Ryogokuya restaurant I counted down kilometers remaining to Doshi. There's a local summit before Aone village about 19 km before Michi no Eki Doshi, then a descent to the river, then climbing. Despite the effort from climbing I started to feel really cold.
I remembered a viewpoint where I had rested at the training ride a week before. It had a roof that would protect me from the rain. It was at around 500 m elevation, still 200 m below Doshi and 600 m below the tunnel. If the cold rain felt as unpleasant at 500 m, what would it be like at 1100 or at 900 m from Yamanaka-ko to Motosu-ko?
Until now my Plan B had been to continue only as far as Yamanakako, then descend via Kagosaka toge (籠坂峠) towards Gotemba and Odawara and return via the coast. Cancel Plan A and Plan B, I'm turning back (after a rest)! I took off my shoes and stretched on on the bench under the roof to take a nap while letting the socks and shoes dry a bit.
The rain continued on and off on the return ride. It got warmer once I crossed back into Kanagawa. I let my wife know I had abandoned the ride.
I got back home in the late afternoon and texted one of the organizers in the evening to let them know I had DNF'ed (Did Not Finish) and got home safely. 114 km with 1400 m of climbing was only about 2/3 of last weekend's training ride, but given the weather I seriously would not have enjoyed anything beyond that.
Last edited:
microcord
Maximum Pace
- Aug 28, 2012
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Are we perhaps all in such awe of @joewein 's exploits (see immediately above for a ferinstance) that we feel a bit embarrassed about our own unremarkable rides? Because this here "May 2023" thread seems to be deadsville.
I'm not sure that I've done even one "imperial century" this month. So I for one am a bit embarrassed. But anyway on Tuesday I took My Bike That Doesn't Have DT Swiss Rims up to
and down the other side; and yesterday I took it up to
and down the other side.
And I have to say: If you, dear reader, live somewhere in the Tokyo, Kanagawa or eastern Yamanashi area and don't immediately recognize the backdrop to each of these stunningly formulaic scenes, thenyou should be ashamed of [sorry!] you have some great discoveries ahead of you.
The question you want to ask is "Why do you always carry so much crap with you?" Dunno, really. But of course the greater the total weight, the greater the exercise for my legs and carburetion while ascending and for my hands while descending. It only hurts when I carry the bike through a station.
I'm not sure that I've done even one "imperial century" this month. So I for one am a bit embarrassed. But anyway on Tuesday I took My Bike That Doesn't Have DT Swiss Rims up to
and down the other side; and yesterday I took it up to
and down the other side.
And I have to say: If you, dear reader, live somewhere in the Tokyo, Kanagawa or eastern Yamanashi area and don't immediately recognize the backdrop to each of these stunningly formulaic scenes, then
The question you want to ask is "Why do you always carry so much crap with you?" Dunno, really. But of course the greater the total weight, the greater the exercise for my legs and carburetion while ascending and for my hands while descending. It only hurts when I carry the bike through a station.
Last edited:
- Jul 26, 2008
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@microcord Curious--why one pic/day with the pump, the other without?
May started off okay for me, then late the week before developed some skin abrasion on my butt, so last week off. Rode sunday, seemed okay, yesterday off, today is rainy (tho stopping soon?).
May started off okay for me, then late the week before developed some skin abrasion on my butt, so last week off. Rode sunday, seemed okay, yesterday off, today is rainy (tho stopping soon?).
microcord
Maximum Pace
- Aug 28, 2012
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@jdd The evening before the first ride I realized that although the pump did a good job up to around 3.5 bar, additional pumping was ineffective, simply losing the air somewhere around the hose area. Knowing that I'd be by myself (and very likely a long way from any other cyclist), I tossed a minipump into an (otherwise empty) little backpack and depended on that. For the second ride, I expected that I'd be with others and so thought that the bike's regular (Lapize) pump plus perhaps a borrowed pump would be OK. (I do have a couple of other hoses and really ought to test them and find which is best.)
If you haven't already shelled out for some exotic unguent for your nether parts, have you tried plain old Nivea Creme? Seems to work for me ... usually.
If you haven't already shelled out for some exotic unguent for your nether parts, have you tried plain old Nivea Creme? Seems to work for me ... usually.
- Jul 26, 2008
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@microcord I'm an oronine user, for quite a long time.
- Jul 26, 2008
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The typhoon down south is weakening a lot, but it was biggie. The coming few rainy days may be some effect from that--there's a stationary front (similar to the rainy season front) that's seems like it'll get pulled south from where it is now.
Anyway, out three days straight, a couple off would be fine.
Anyway, out three days straight, a couple off would be fine.
joewein
Maximum Pace
- Oct 25, 2011
- 3,452
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- Thread starter
- #50
I rode to Nippara on Sunday. I didn't become a century because I had a lengthy lunch break at my friend Ian's place in Mitake. He is renovating a traditional Japanese house there.
At the limestone caves I ventured a little beyond the chain across the road and then the gate on foot to pick up a Veloviewer tile that was just a couple of hundred meters away.
I didn't visit the caves, I've done that at least three times already.
On the way back I stopped at Sherpa for dinner. It was dark on the way back from One. It started raining towards the end but not too much. I was ok with just the windbreaker on top.