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Today October 2020!

went past a wasted bike this morning. and I mean proper wasted. frame broken in two. just zoomed by, but most probably failed at the head tube welds. hope whoever was riding that thing is still alive and (reasonably) well

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looks like a proper tumble. hoping no serious injuries!
Took two falls today in the same place!!!
The other 99.999% of the course I was fine. I am gonna be sore, but neither off resulted in pain. Just got beat up a little and body slammed.

Plan is to hit Yabitsu Sunday, so I better not be too sore!
 
Good to know that you got away without any major injuries.
The pictures are definitly worthy of a dirty bike day.
For some reason I'm always taking a hit on my left shoulder and unfortunately my head/face when I take a spill. I guess it's due to my lack of proper skill, experience and reflexes.
 
After uploading to Strava... on a short segment, I got 4th out of 804.
With the way the trails are - I have no idea where the segment is - but whatever... I guess I had a good run.

This is a video from my next to last run. I am tired and already thinking I am pushing my luck... but with the long drive and tolls, I also feel the urge to get in as many runs as I can. Anyhow - you can see my stretching out my fingers as my hands were the most abused part of my body at this point.

This is the upper half of the intermediate/blue course.

 
Just one word about saddle bags and pumps: they are a must. I have been reminded of that yesterday. I'm currently on a loaner bike, and because I have a Fizik saddle bag and a Fizik saddle on my bike, but the loaner doesn't, I left my saddle bag (with multi tool, spare inner tube, tire levers, etc.) in the shop. Can you see where this is going? I wanted to go out on a quickish 2-hour ride before picking up my daughter (I had a case of writer's block and the fall weather was perfect). So just after the half-way point, I got a puncture. And I had to walk home 18 km. In very stiff road bike shoes. I tried motioning to cars so that I could hitch a ride, but I didn't get lucky. So a stretch I usually barrel down at >40 km/h took me about an hour.

Also, another lesson: when I left, my phone's charge was at 35ish percent. Ok, it is getting old, so the battery isn't fresh, but even though I switched off all connectivity (including cell service), I arrived with, I kid you not, 1 % charge. Kids, learn from my stupidity, take a spare battery with you if your phone isn't fully charged. Fortunately, I did charge my lights, so I was always visible.
 
When your body i still aching from your recent MTB trip... you take a day off and go hiking with you family a little. This equals carrying the little on in a backpack carier and putting more pressure on the legs - but fun nonetheless.
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Then while still sore - you agree with a buddy to meet at the Zushi Red Lobster at 0430 for a "recovery ride"
For reference - Recovery Ride means different things to different people....

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Yesterday late at night I was on my way home from my first randonnée this year, BRM1003 Kintaro 200 km with AJ NishiTokyo when I stopped at a public toilet near the Tamagawa.

Before I could set off again, a police officer on his white police mamachari on his nightly tour arrived. Initially he was wondering if I was part of some kind of safety patrol because of the reflective vest I was wearing. I explained what I'd been doing that day. He asked where I was from and wanted to see my zairyu (residence) card. Then he predictably developed an interest in my bicycle, which I immediately told him was not registered since I bought it from the manufacturer in America, not from a Japanese bicycle shop. He strongly encouraged me to get it registered by taking an invoice and personal ID to any local bike shop, so that its serial number was connected to my name. "There are thieves everywhere."

Lots of questions, mixed in with talk about Germany and its reunification, but friendly and non-confrontational. Once he was satisfied I got the message about registration, he left and I was on my way home soon after.
 
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Went out with the racing club for there fall long run to Shirahama and back one stop was at Heguri Clubhouse which is an old primary school that is rented out for Minamiboso Cycle tourism board bike stands and bathrooms. nice place to stop for a spell.

 
He strongly encouraged me to get it registered by taking an invoice and personal ID to any local bike shop, so that it's serial number was connected to my name. "There are thieves everywhere."
good advice I need to get mine done at some stage
 
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It had been almost 16 months since my last randonnée, but yesterday I rode a 200 km one, the shortest category. Covid-19 wreaked havoc on randonneuring events this year. Starting from April most events either got cancelled or postponed until further notice. AJ NishiTokyo's first event this year in March collided with my travel schedule so I didn't sign up, but then the travel schedule collided with Covid, as I chose not to leave the country for fear of not being able to return...

The only event I was already signed up for was a 24 hour Flèche ride from Aichi prefecture to Yokohama (360+ km), but that also got postponed. It is now set to take place in two weeks. To prepare for it, most of our Flèche team signed up for the 200 km ride and ride it Flèche-style, i.e. not as individual cyclists choosing their own pace and breaks, but as a team that stays together under a ride captain (like the original Audax style of Randonneuring). This would allow us to check out our fitness (or lack thereof) and give us experience with riding and stopping as a team (pace, how many toilet stops, etc).

Fitness was one thing I was worried about. I mean, just about anybody is less fit than they were last year, before the "stay safe, stay home", don't leave your prefecture "not a lockdown". Usually I am one of the latest finishers in each event. The minimum pace of a randonnée up to 600 km is 15 km/h at each control including all breaks for food, sleep, etc that you chose to take. The limit for a 200 km is 13 1/2 hours while my typical weekend ride is more like 170 km in 14-15 hours -- a significantly slower pace (and a lot more time for pictures, sightseeing, etc).

The weather forecast was near perfect, with temperatures mostly in the low 20's and overcast. From leaving the hotel near the start at 06:15 to getting back home at 23:15 I never had to get changed, though I had brought a windbreaker just in case.

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The maximum number of participants had been reduced to 40, everybody had wear a mask at the start and goal and we were asked to bring out own ball point pen to sign the brevet card, so that no writing instruments were shared.

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One of our team couldn't make it, so we set off with only four us amongst the other starters. Our first break was after about 50 km, at the Michi no Eki Doshi. Like in last year's Flèche I found the initial pace challenging, but after the short break at Doshi the ride leader took it easier and I was more comfortable. When riding to Yamanakako, it's always a relief to make it to the tunnel at Yamabushi toge, the pass between Doshi and Yamanakako at over 1100 m which was to be the highest elevation of the ride.

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From there we descended to the lake and then swung around it counterclockwise. Two more cyclists had joined us by the toge and they asked if they could join our lunch plan. After a brief stop at a conbini near the north side of the lake to collect a receipt as a proof of passage (it was an untimed control), we headed to the restaurant. All six of us ordered the same dish to minimize waiting.

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I had never eaten at a restaurant on earlier versions of this event because I can't afford the time loss. I recall at one time I arrived at PC1 (the first timed control) with only 5 minutes spare. Well this time, after a long and fast descent on the Gotemba side of Kagosaka toge we got to the family-run grocery shop that served as PC with only two minutes spare!

From there it was a steep climb up the back of the Ashigara mountains, home to the Kintaro legend. Lots of steep climbing, but I didn't feel I was the weakest of the team. The descent at the opposite side was very steep. I was glad the have hydraulic disc brakes on my Elephant Bikes NFE. There was another untimed control where AJ NishiTokyo staff served us barbecued meat and sausages. Then a descent down to Matsuda, more climbing near Tomei expressway and a descent down to the coastal road. We were now rushing to make the cut-off for PC2. We made it with 9 minutes spare, almost 10 hours into the ride. The sun set as we headed up towards Miyagase-ko. The six of us were climbing in total darkness. Finally the toge, then the lake. We dashed for the third PC.

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After a short break we headed on to Sagamihara and Matsuda, where the goal was. When I collected my final receipt at the 7-11, it was six minutes under 13 hours and 30 minutes, the overall time limit. We enjoyed the food we had bought to get the receipt, then headed to the official goal reception next to the Cherubim bike shop.

It felt great that we had finished within the time limit. We had worked well as a team, including the two randonneurs who had joined us in mid-ride. It was a hard effort, but also a good preparation for the Flèche. The challenge there will be a bit different, less hilly but more hours so we'll all get very sleepy.

On this ride I again tested my two GPS units against my phone. Again, both units lost satellite lock for unknown reasons. I had to shut down and restart the recording. The RWGPS app on the phones had issues that it would not record in the background, drawing only straight lines between places where it was manually awakened, counting only 171 km of the 201 km course length. That's even though I shut down all other apps. I think I will get myself a Wahoo Elemnt Bolt before the Flèche.

This was Century ride (160.9 km / 100 miles) #20 this year, which makes October my 98th consecutive month with at least one Century distance. Veloviewer says I have done 201 such rides so far. Two more months to go until the month count goes into the triple digits!

(on Strava)
 
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