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Otoge Attack!

Deej

Maximum Pace
Oct 13, 2007
1,018
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It's time to do a sub-hour climb of Otoge. Tomorrow morning, I'm catching the 7:00 Super Azusa No. 1 from Shinjuku, which arrives at Otsuki at 7:55.

From there, it's all about fulfilling my destiny. I'll be sure and take a photo of my cycling computer at the top to quash all doubts about my primacy.

From Otoge, I may ride back along Route 20 and finish up with a climb over Wada and maybe the Onsen Rindo. It depends on how much time I have, as I have to work in the evening.

Anyone interested in coming along with me on the early bird express?

Deej
 
Made a Kunitachi -> Hachioji -> Wada -> Return trip for the first time ever to make the trip an even 90km last week. Tough climb and even tougher on the decents given the number of cars out on the road over golden week. Good luck!
 
Made a Kunitachi -> Hachioji -> Wada -> Return trip for the first time ever to make the trip an even 90km last week.

Nice! Yeah, Wada is no pushover. And it's downright deadly when going for a personal best.

Good luck!

Thanks! It's gonna hurt! It may hurt even worse if I get Radiohead's "Weird Fishes" stuck in my head for the entire ride again.

Deej
 
Thanks Philip! Great to hear from you, man. Are you still in running mode? Let me know when you're ready for the hills!
Deej

Post Tokyo Marathon I have been focusing on preparations for Ironman (IM) Japan (June 21). I need to improve my cycling to improve my IM performance this year.

In addition, I was deeply disappointed with my Hotaka performance and ended the year having to walk up sections of Kazahari and bail out of a TCC ride :mad::mad::mad:

Clearly it is time to start taking cycling seriously. For the past month I have been cycling 6 days a week and included my first 200km ride last weekend. What a difference, my thighs have changed shape and (I believe) I am pushing bigger gears for longer.

So I am looking forward to joining you (to face reality) - but need a few more weeks preparation before taking up my domestique responsibilities :D

Philip
 
I'll be arriving in Tokyo next weekend Deej, if you are up for another ride on sunday the 17th then let me know - I'll be keen to head out.
The only shame is that is that any records you set this weekend will be demolished only a week later...
 
I'll be arriving in Tokyo next weekend Deej, if you are up for another ride on sunday the 17th then let me know - I'll be keen to head out.

It'll be great to have you back, Clay!

As for the 17th, I'll have to check my schedule. The 16th is what I was aiming for, as my sons may have soccer games on the 17th. But I'll let you know.


The only shame is that is that any records you set this weekend will be demolished only a week later...

Impossible. I've already taken hundreds of photos of my cycle computer that will prove that I've beaten any time you put up. In fact, I've written a program that constantly scans the TCC site and will automatically upload a photo showing a faster time as soon as my data-collection 'bots detect a faster time than what I've posted for any given climb.

Deej
 
Just out of idle curiosity ...

but what has been your best time up Otoge to date Deej?

With your new light bike you really seem to be setting new records.
 
but what has been your best time up Otoge to date Deej?

With your new light bike you really seem to be setting new records.

Hey Lee. My best time is 1 hour 4 minutes 50 seconds, which I posted back in April last year. I've done some calculations factoring in what I think my power gains have been since then, and according to these very rough estimates, I can realistically expect to arrive at the top in about 1 hour 1 minute 30 seconds. But who knows.

I have got the mojo flowing this season. I've set new personal bests this year on every climb I've attempted. (Last week did Kazahari rindo in 35:55, besting my previous time of 37:21).

I myself am trying to figure out why. Some guesses: better core strength; lighter bike (by 1kg); shorter cranks (better suited to my spinning style?); improved pedaling style (more efficient?); consistent, very intense interval training on anaerobic trainer (boosting power and lactate threshold?).

I dunno. All I know is that I feel really good on the climbs. Maybe it's the switch to Campy 11? :)

Deej

P.S. Thanks Simo. Your respect is touching.
 
For the past month I have been cycling 6 days a week and included my first 200km ride last weekend. What a difference, my thighs have changed shape and (I believe) I am pushing bigger gears for longer.

Wow! Forget about being my domestique -- if you are training that hard, I daresay it is I who will be carrying bottles to you. Maybe if you are free next weekend, we can hook up for a ride?

Deej
 
Wow! Forget about being my domestique -- if you are training that hard, I daresay it is I who will be carrying bottles to you. Maybe if you are free next weekend, we can hook up for a ride?

Deej

OK - lets do it :) But I am carrying the bottles :D

I re-mapped the Otoge climb in Map My Ride for the elevation. Looks tough - 1 hour at an average speed of 15.8kph on an average gradient of 7-9% plus (if I remember correctly) you need to climb a gate. May the force be with you :cool:

Philip
 
Deej,
As much as I would enjoy showing you a receding view of the back of my Cannondale, I'm going to be flinging my mountainbike down the trails of Bali, so will have to give this one a miss.

Next time....

AW.
 
DEEJ yo!

Good luck...I admire that fighting spirit of yours :cool:. You can do it! I'd love to join you but am in a different training mode this month (Tokyo-Itoigawa Fast Run).

It's time to do a sub-hour climb of Otoge. Tomorrow morning, I'm catching the 7:00 Super Azusa No. 1 from Shinjuku, which arrives at Otsuki at 7:55.

From there, it's all about fulfilling my destiny. I'll be sure and take a photo of my cycling computer at the top to quash all doubts about my primacy.

From Otoge, I may ride back along Route 20 and finish up with a climb over Wada and maybe the Onsen Rindo. It depends on how much time I have, as I have to work in the evening.

Anyone interested in coming along with me on the early bird express?

Deej
 
OK then

As much as I would enjoy showing you a receding view of the back of my Cannondale, I'm going to be flinging my mountainbike down the trails of Bali, so will have to give this one a miss.

Sweet! (The Bali part, not the you-showing-me-a-receding-view-of-the-back-of-your-Cannondale part) Hope you have a grand time in Bali!

Good luck...I admire that fighting spirit of yours . You can do it! I'd love to join you but am in a different training mode this month (Tokyo-Itoigawa Fast Run).

Thanks Tom! As for my fighting spirit -- you probably know that while I am indeed competitive, the bombast I spew here should be taken with a grain of salt. It's my alter ego -- Ironsword -- talking, not the office dweeb that is Deej. Hope the training is going well!

So, it's now the evening of my big "attack." I'm at the office and slightly sunburned. My quads are slowly rebuilding after being shredded on the slopes of two climbs -- Otoge and Wada-toge.

I'll cut to the chase. My prediction of a 1:01:30 climb proved spookily accurate. I arrived at the top in 1:01:28. Close, but not sub-60 minutes. I really don't know if I'll be able to do that climb in under an hour. I pushed it hard the whole way but couldn't quite reach my target. It's possible that if I try again next weekend I could manage it, but I'm not sure if I want to go through the pain again so soon!

A couple notes: The gate was open, meaning I did not have to dismount. This saved me a few seconds, but that was probably offset by the two times I had to stop behind a bus on the lower slopes of the climb.

From Otoge, I rode back toward Tokyo on Route 20 and, masochistically, did a Wada TT (western approach). That hurt. My time was 25:44. Well off my best pace, but not bad after the leg-frying experience on Otoge.

Oh, here's my photo "proof" of my time. The clock says 1'01"49, but that's because the blasted Cat Eye timer keeps counting when I move the bike, which I did before taking the photo. I really want to get a Polar so I can stop the time with the push of a button.
3514256367_7d33c88974.jpg


The famous Wada-toge bus stop area:
3515064900_afff1a12a9.jpg


Deej
 
Lacerations

I notice that you have a laceration on the second joint of the forefinger there.....was that the intravenous drip of Red Bull of a self-imposed flagellation from the mighty Ironsword ?

I think we should be told.....

chazzer
 
Hey Deej,

You may not have gone under the hour but you did take 3:30 minutes off your previous best & the TCC record. Congratulations. I think that is a very impressive performance.

I am confident you will find the last 1:30 minutes in the near future.

Philip
 
I notice that you have a laceration on the second joint of the forefinger there.....was that the intravenous drip of Red Bull of a self-imposed flagellation from the mighty Ironsword ?

I think we should be told.....

Chazzer! Long time no see. Sorry to hear your knee has been giving you trouble. I know how frustrating that is. I hope you mend soon.

Funny you should mention Red Bull -- I guzzled one at Otsuki Station before the climb today. Some call it doping. I prefer to think of it as dopage. As for the laceration, it's now an angry red and quite tender. I think I was riding so fast that the wind cut me.

I also used, for the first time ever, a performance-enhacing nasal strip on the bridge of my honker to improve the airflow. I gotta say, I think I'll be slapping one on for every ride going forward. It had a menthol scent and really did seem to open up the nasal passages.

Deej
 
You may not have gone under the hour but you did take 3:30 minutes off your previous best & the TCC record. Congratulations. I think that is a very impressive performance.

I am confident you will find the last 1:30 minutes in the near future.

Cheers, Philip. It's true, I did shave a fair amount of time off my previous attempt, but it's hard for me to imagine being faster than I was today. Then again, I never thought I'd go sub-25 minutes on Wada. Then it was sub-24, then sub-23, then sub-22. So if the stars align, then perhaps I can crack the old 60-minute barrier.

Part of me wants to shake this time-trial fixation and just enjoy the ride. Thing is, the sense of accomplishment is part of the enjoyment for me. Being stuck behind a bank of computers 5-6 days a week makes me crave deeply physical activity. You know, tap into the "primal beast" and all that. And I grew up playing a lot of sports, so this is my way of recapturing that sense of competition. I mean, I got the butterflies before my ride this morning, just like I used to before soccer and baseball games when I was a kid. It felt great!

Deej
 
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