If you hate long goodbyes, how about a short, fast one?
That’s what it was; short and fast.
https://www.strava.com/activities/895297646/ I headed down to Zushi on the train, as I’ve been doing for the last few years now. And while I was on the train, I got several messages - last minute cancellations - from people who couldn’t make it. It might just be me & Mike, I thought…
The train arrived at 9am, and I set my bike up. The first familiar face was
@SteveT, and then Jens (not Voight), a German guy that Mike & I had ridden with before, turned up too.
@Mike was the last to arrive, and the 4 of us set out towards Yokosuka at about 9:30.
We rolled through Yokosuka at a moderate pace, slowed a bit by traffic, and we finally hit the long straight road by the bay where we could up the pace a bit. Steve & Mike were busy catching up, as it was their first ride together in about 6 years. Jens & I led the way around the winding coastline, and we enjoyed a nice tailwind as we headed south.
We passed a few of the “Half-Fast” guys & gals who were also out in Miura that day. Now that we were all warmed up, the pace increased too. The Miura climbs are short, but they can hurt you if you try to hit them too hard. But we didn’t want to waste that tailwind, so even the uphill sections were climbed at close to full-tilt.
About halfway down the east coast of Miura, Jens had to say goodbye as he had family obligations. That left just Steve, Mike and myself to complete the journey.
This is a course which Mike & I have ridden dozens of times over the last few years, and there are 4 short climbs on which we always race each other to the top. The first is at the 39km-mark, on a Strava segment called 「亜美ちゃん坂」。I can usually beat Mike up this one if I get out of the saddle and dance all the way to the top, but for some reason I stayed seated this time and ran out of steam about ¾ of the way up… Mike, 1 : Travis, 0
Steve took it easy, watching our rivalry with some amusement, and we all came back together as we headed for round 2, at the 43km-mark - Strava segment「毘沙門 bisyamon hill」。This one is quite a bit longer, and I started out of the saddle for this one… but this time, went out too hard and ran out of gas well before the top - Mike came around and took another easy victory, all under the watchful eyes of Steve, who was beginning to think I was a slow-poke loser… as was I. Mike had been doing some extra training, apparently.
After 47km, we arrived in Misaki at about 11:15, where we stopped for lunch - more like a quick snack - and more friendly banter. From there, it’s only 30km back to Zushi, where we started from, so we wouldn’t need to stop again.
We set off at a relaxed pace after eating, and made our way to the third “sprint-hill”. This one is at the 57km-mark, called 「ソレイユの丘HC」。There is also a longer segment that includes a 1km run-up to the climb as well as the climb itself - That one is called 「ソレイユの丘入り口からの田舎道」、and that was my target… I picked up the pace before the turn-off, and as soon as I was around the bend, I started pounding the pedals - 38km/h on the first flat section and then a 90° bend to the left… 40km/h on the next stretch, and then hit the climb, standing up all the way. I got to the top and Mike was nowhere to be seen (I checked Strava after I got home - 5th overall - Yay).
Mike, 2 : Travis, 1
From there, the 3 of us rode conservatively to the 4th and final “sprint/climb” stage - At the 65km-mark, a short uphill through a tunnel, called 「Nuke Hill」。This one is where Mike’s sprinting prowess usually shows, and I was getting a bit nervous. Riding along the main road, Rte.134, we were jostling for position to see who would be in the lead as we turned left onto Rte.213. I came past Mike just before the turn off, and made the turn faster than I have in the past. As soon as I was around the bend, I gave it everything I had… It climbs up to the tunnel, and gets gradually steeper as it goes. Heart-rate on the upper limit, but I clicked up again and jumped out the saddle. Halfway through the tunnel, I expected Mike to come flying past me…
I emerged from the tunnel, still in front, but too scared to look behind me just yet, and finally was at the top.
Mike, 2 : Travis, 2 (And another 5th place overall on Strava)
We kind of took it easy the rest of the way, and we stopped for some “nostalgia” pics.
SteveT continued riding towards Kamakura, and then all the way home from there.
Miura really is a great place to ride!
