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Monday 22nd - Itsukaichi,Tominomori,Tsuru,Wada touge

andy_w

Warming-Up
Feb 4, 2009
143
4
Yes, its vernal equinox day on Sunday, so as we all want to celebrate this event so much we have all been given a substitute holiday on Monday.

As its feeling more and more like spring each day I'd like to head up the higher hills which must be snow free by now.

http://www.mapmyride.com/route/jp/itsukaichi -> tsuru -> wada -> takao/285126889396480195

The mileage will be greater than stated on mapmyride, I dont use the "follow roads" function as the browser tends to grind to a halt.

Hope to start 9.30am.
 
Hi Andy,

What's the pace going to be like? Is it "back in the saddle" compatible? (thinking about it, most of my rides these days are BITS - basically I haven't ridden for a month).

Lee
 
Its a holiday ride, noone will be left behind.

But at the same time, I want to do a decent pace to attract some KT10 trainees, as its only 4 weeks to KT10 / Miyakojima tri. Not that there are any hills on Miyakojima.

Easy on the flats, but can you ask Deej, Mike or Alan to take it easy up hill? Its like King Canute trying to keep the tide at bay.
 
Andy,

I'm in ! Need to see some mountains. Possibly cycle up them.

-- Steve
 
I'd been there this Saturday and it was really fantastic. But, tomorrow's forecast is 12 degree(-9 from nowadays) at the most, so well prepare for the cold weather. ;)
 
I would really like to give this a go, but because Mt. Mikuni ate my rear wheel, I have to sit out until I found a replacement.
 
Thanks to all who turned up at Musashi Itsukaichi. Lots of other groups meeting up here at the same time, many Japanese cyclists and triathletes from Namban rengo, it felt like the start of a mini sportive.
TCC members present were Lee, David, Steve, Todor, Keith and a guest appearance of Sergey before he sprinted ahead and turned right up kazahari rindo. I assume you made it to the top long before us Sergey, we didnt see you again after the T junction.

It was a cooler day than Saturday, but great to be free of the swirling gale force winds and instead focus on the road ahead. Which was up up and up Tomin no mori. I saw the new signs saying no motor bikes, but it seems the motorbikers have not seen them yet, or else the rule is not strictly policed.
This is still my favourite climb in the Tokyo area, its a massive climb and you're rewarded with the massive descent with wide vistas over Okutamako. Normally, the touge are deep in the forest, only rarely do you get the wide open views.
5 degrees at the top, and it was chilly on the way down but the rate of windchill was just about negated by the increase in temperature down the valley.
Todor was sporting his super lightweight gilet to keep warm on the descents, you would have thought it was just a plastic bag it was so small...

The soba shop was a nice place to warm up again, and we warmed Lee up enough to persuade him to climb up Tsuru touge as well. Must have been good soba.

On the trip around Steves "unabomber" deviation from route 18, the rocks and debris strewn across the road took out Keiths front tyre like a police stinger - a large bang, I thought it was a rim or spoke breaking but the tyre was torn. As we had no spare tyres, Keith had to limp down to Uenohara with a wounded tyre that looked like it was about to burst again at any moment. Except he was hardly limping, still going full speed if a bit more careful of sharp rocks.

The group split shortly after this point, and Steve David and I continued along route 522 over to Fujino. Its the first time Ive been along this road in this direction, and it was a lot more pleasant than I had feared.
Wada would have been too much at this point, just pure pain, so David and I continued on to Odarumi where we picked up Todor who had crank problems, and finished the day at Takao. Around 108km, and 2000m climbing so it was a great day in the hills!

And being able to power home along the Tamagawa after all this, Im really loving the year 1AD* so far!


*anno Dedacciai
 
Great ride yesterday! Except I have a feeling that someone has put a hit on me.
:eek:uch:
First a crazed BMW driver tried to take me out, then "someone" tampered with my headset and finally one of the wild boar hunters shoots my front tire!:eek:
A big thanks to Lee for the boot and JR for getting me home!
 
Andy,

Thanks for the trip report and organising this so-called "back-in-the-saddle" ride (TCC Dictionary, not Oxford Dictionary). Fantastic day. That's certainly one flash looking bike you have there and has obviously done wonders for your climbing. That must be the secret then: maybe I should do the same, and buy one similar to replace my slow, heavy er, titanium one...:eek:uch:

Good to see everyone again, and nice to meet "zenbiker" Keith for the first time. Sorry about that ripped tire you got on my favourite "Unabomber" or (as Todor's now named it) "Deliverance" turn-off.

And very glad to have made one of your last rides here, Dave... well, for the time-being anyway! Hope you have a chance to get back here in due course but give us plenty of warning so we can be trained in advance. In the meantime, good luck on your move and all the best for Oslo, and the UK.

Cheers
Steve
 
Another great day out yesterday, just like saturday.

Thanks to all for making it so much fun and providing me with more memories to store away for when i am back in Europe and looking at a snow whilst munching on a piece of dried fish. I am already thinking about how to wangle a trip back to Tokyo and to coincide with a ride.

Andy - thanks for organising and leading the ride. Good luck with the 150km crit next weekend, please post as to how you get on.

Cheers

Dave
 
Thanks for a great ride guys, - and thanks for waiting on the climbs (ever tell anyone I hate climbs?)

Andy - thanks for organizing. Nice ride.. Amazing bling bike, btw

Keith/zenbiker - glad you made it home safely. Amazed how well the park tool patch gizmo worked - even at reasonable speeds.

Dave - safe journeys and best of luck back home. Enjoy mtn biking.
 
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