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Route 17 northwest Izu

Aron B

Maximum Pace
Mar 24, 2012
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We're going to Izu this weekend, and I'm looking for a nice cycling program. This is the current plan: day 1, day 2. Does anyone know whether the coastal road in northwest Izu (route 17) is good for cycling? I've seen many routes along the 136, but most of them turn inland towards the Skyline.

I'm talking about the section between 66km and 111km on the second route.
 
Looks great! The west side is much quieter than the east, it will be fine for cycling although it is golden week. Where possible if you take the headland routes and avoid the direct path you will probably have a better time of it.

However...The changes I would make are..

Day 2 Skip the 414 altogether. It will be jammed with cars and not much fun, you would be much better finding a white road route through the middle or west.
Day 2 From km 9 to 16 you are missing a great coast road, with some great scenes by bypassing the coast route there. I would recommend adding that.

If you are staying in Shimoda I really recommend the south cafe, it has really nice western food, burgers, pasta, and smoothies. Cyclist sized portions too!
http://www.tabitabiizu.com/Angela-s-Blog/Entry/south-cafe-shimoda.html
 
Hey, thanks a lot.

I thought riding west of the 414 would take much longer, but it seems fine. Here are the updated routes: day 1, day 2.
 
The coastal road in the NW corner of Izu (km 66-111 mentioned above) is fine. I cycled there the last two years on the AJ NishiTokyo "Shiokatsuo" 200 km west Izu brevet. It has beautiful views of Mt Fuji.

IMG_7119.JPG


It's sparsely populated with few shops, etc. and lots of climbing (but you would know that from the route profile).

Just make sure you top up on water and food before you leave Toi.
 
Looks great mate! Have a great time, Keep your ears open for motorcyclists particularly. There are lots of fast riders who regularly go to izu to blast around. Anyway they generally stay on the izu and nishi izu skyline and connecting roads.

I'm pretty jealous of this trip I must say, I might have to save those routes for a later date!
 
Thanks guys. Will post back here next week about our experiences.
 
So we had a very good weekend. The weather was gorgeous, especially Sunday, as was the peninsula itself. This is such a good season for cycling, not just the temperature but also the nice smells of spring, in particular the azaleas.

The first day of Golden Week had all of Tokyo trying to cram through the coastal road to Atami and Ito, and we were glad to take first a side road (740) and after Atami to head inland to Yamabushi toge. The first part of that climb on route 80 is quite steep, but then it levels off, and there's a splendid view off a bridge not far from the top. In Shuzenji I made a mistake navigating, which we corrected by taking a tiny forest road, the last 500m of which were however unpaved. After this we continued to the West Izu Skyline, which was majestic, but the wind was very strong. The highlight of the day for me was the descent on route 59: outstanding road surface and very little traffic. Refueling in Nishiizu gave us enough boost to do the last stretch to Shimoda, where a nice onsen minshuku lay waiting; they even let us launder our kits.

The second was easy navigation wise, not so easy cycling. Especially the first part up to Toi is really all up and down, in good Flemish: geen meter vlak (not a single meter flat). It is extremely pretty though, the sea and coastline immediately changing into a mountainous landscape, with lovely villages all along the way. The extra loop on route 16 is definitely worthwhile. The stretch between Matsuzaki and Toi is easier, but/because there are many tunnels. After Toi on route 17 it get much quieter again which beautiful views of the sea and of Mount Fuji. We ended up in Mishima with two times 135km on the clock, which however felt like at least 40km more; the continuous climbs and drops do start to wear on you.

Strava tracks: Saturday and Sunday (first half)

Thanks @theBlob and @joewein for the tips above, and @WhiteGiant for the suggestion to go to Izu.
 
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