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Outside Tokyo: I was introduced

Hokuto

Warming-Up
Sep 27, 2014
18
7
Or rather, your site was introduced to me by one of your more laconic riders. I've lived in Japan for more than half my life, and used to own a Giant "cross bike," aka hybrid. It got trashed by the elements several years ago, and I'm picking up another new Giant (Escape RX-3) this week in Hachioji, thus setting the scene for my first ride in 4 years, 24km from Hachioji on Nat'l Highway 20 (Kohshuu Kaidoh) over the sagging shoulder of Mt. Takao at Ohtarumi tohge, and down into Sagamiko and Fujino, where I live. I did the same interesting trek with my first bike some 15 years ago, but since I now have early stage 2 Parkinson's, it may turn out to be interesting in the sense of the Chinese curse ("may you live in interesting times") as well.
If it works out, I'll try to provide commentary later.

Best wishes!
 
Welcome, and good luck on your ride. Let us know how it went and don't forget to include pictures of possible as everyone loves a good selfie or five ;)
 
@Hokuto, welcome to the forum. Good luck with cycling - it has helped many people keep up their spirits in challenging times.
 
Welcome indeed.
I am glad you use the term "hybrid" this "cross" stuff is confusing me in casual conversation.
Good luck on your ride and hope you manage to enjoy all of it.
 
Thanks to all for the welcome words and encouragement. Fortunately, (?) I've also received some sensible advice--for the sake of my prostate, in particular--not to start out my cycling reacquaintance with a ride of that length, given my age, PD, and lack of cycling preparation in the last several years. I did suffer several days of moderate pain the last time (enough to influence me to buy a split saddle), and with that in mind, I guess it is safer to bring the cycle home first and become reacquainted in a bit more leisurely a fashion.
I'll be back.
 
You could map a route along train routes as well.
When riding "new to me" places or riding slightly injured, I try to stay near a line that I can jump on and head home.
I have only had to take a train once for health reasons (37+ degree day) - but it is a relief to know the option is there.
 
  1. Thanks, bloaker. It's a good idea, but there are simply no bicyclable roads near to the tracks of JR's Chuo Honsen (the only line going to where I need to go), at least for most of the way. The real obstacle is that pesky Mt. Takao (or the entire range of which Takao is a part), because it requires very twisty roads (Hwg 20) that stretch out the distance between stations, and involve climbing. In fact, the train trip from Takao station to my own station has only one station in between, Sagamiko. But it's a full 9 minutes of train before you get to that first station stop.
  2. On the other hand, if I were riding from Takao in to Tokyo, it would be an entirely different story: Highway 20 (Kohshuu Kaido) is practically flat going that way, and much of it indeed parallels the Chuo Line.
 
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