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Ride Sat Oct 3rd- Ogamiyama, Sadamine, Minano

leicaman

Maximum Pace
Sep 20, 2012
2,878
2,698
Hi all

Heading out for a ride on Saturday. I've not done this ride for a long time so I can't really remember it. RidewithGPS has it at about 4200m of climbing which means it will be just under 4000m, so a nice healthy chunk of climbing.

Pace will be reasonable, but not excessive. Climbs are WATT within reason. Might be a good idea to bring a light if you plan to ride home. No plans for lunch yet. Might do the usual pizza place or possibly a conbini stop instead to save some time.

Meeting point - Spaceship
Meeting time - 7am
Distance - 223km return to the spaceship
Climbing - Just under 4000m
Pace - Reasonable

Sorry, no poster for this one. Poster boy was busy wondering whether socks should be worn over or under winter bib tights.

Route

 
Hi. I quite fancy joining this although I probably won't be on for the full distance. I assume there will be some trains available for early bailing.

I have not yet navigated out to the Spaceship, so what is the best way there coming from Minato (preferbly without putting too many more kms in my legs....)

Tor
 
Hi. I quite fancy joining this although I probably won't be on for the full distance. I assume there will be some trains available for early bailing.

I have not yet navigated out to the Spaceship, so what is the best way there coming from Minato (preferbly without putting too many more kms in my legs....)

Tor
Hi Tor
The more the merrier. Not sure of the best way to get to the spaceship from Minato to be honest. @Andy in Tokyo works somewhere near there I think so perhaps he can shed some light on it, or Tokyo route master @GrantT .
Regarding bailing, the best bet would either be Ogawamachi or Sakado on the Tobu line which would drop you off at Ikebukuro or you could then get the fukutoshin line which starts on the Tobu line.
 
@TorC I haven't gone to the spaceship from Minato-ku but you can get to Suidobashi station via the 301 (past the Imperial Palace), then turn off for Hakusan station and follow the 458 past Tabata station and straight onto the Arakawa. From there it's just a case of following the cycling road straight up to the spaceship. It's not the most direct route but fairly quiet. @GrantT will probably have a better route though.
 
Thanks very much. I will just leave plenty of time to work it out in the morning. Hopefully see you there!
 
I don't know much about mid-Tokyo routes, but if it were me Route 17 looks like the most direct and easy-to-follow route to the river. Turn off before the river here, then get on the cycle road (this side of the river) and follow it up to the Spaceship.
 
I'll be there, at least until you lose me on the first climb. I guess you might want to go up the west bank, so I'll meet you on that side of the bridge on the 463 just after 7.
 
Great day in the saddle yesterday. Weather was pretty much perfect, not too hot that you boiled on the climbs, but not to cold on the descents as night crept towards us.
It was nice meeting @TorC . Always nice to have new faces. Boy, can that girl ride. The usual guys were riding , @Andy in Tokyo , @Aron B , @Chrisisism . Good to see @dazzy.b pushing himself further and further each week. Too bad you took the wrong turn before the pizza place. Catch you next time mate.

We were one Swede down though which meant I was on full time selfies duty. The other Swede is getting faster and faster as he slims down, from an already svelte weight.

The ride was certainly eventful. @Chrisisism ran over a policeman, sleeping in the middle of the road and got a puncture. He was very relaxed about the whole episode though ;) . @TorC managed to do one better by hitting a humongous rock in the middle of the road on a descent, puncturing both front and rear, simultaneously.

With all the bike trouble and also stopping for a sit down meal at the pizza place, we were rather pushed for time. @Aron B left us early as he had to see a man about a dog. @Andy in Tokyo and @TorC decided to ride down from the dairy farm to Ogawamachi and take the train home. @Chrisisism and myself decided to ride back home although on the final climb up Sadamine, I was wishing I had taken the train. Having so much fun on the climb up Nihongi Toge and then the descent, I had forgotten to eat anything substantial so I was running on fumes. There was nothing in the tank and I was struggling. I ate the last of my homemade energy bar but I knew it wouldn't kick in for quite some time. On the descent of Shiraishi, I could feel my body getting some energy from the bar.

We made it back to the Family mart where there was a rather nice Cannondale bike parked outside. The bike looked familiar. I turned around to see a barrage of neon hitting my eyes. It turns out that @saibot had decided to do a ride by himself later in the day and was making his way home. I scoffed down a few scraps of food and headed out in my Swedish sandwich. Night riding along the ride in a TT line is fun yet a little scary as it is very difficult to see where you are going. The food had kicked in by now and I was feeling great. Legs felt strong and we managed a reasonable pace all the way back towards the spaceship. I peeled off before @Chrisisism and @saibot and headed home. @Chrisisism had to ride back to Tokyo and ended up with around 260km and 3600m of climbing.

Although I was disappointed with myself for forgetting to eat, I was pretty happy with my riding. It's slowly getting back to where it once was, but with this marathon training coming up, I don't think I'll have to time to put enough time in on the bike. Great day out, nonetheless

Anyway, now it's time for the selfie video

 
Great ride and nice to meet you all. I think I bailed at the right point for maximising enjoyment factor as opposed to suffering factor, although I am sure this will cause lots of you to think I am entirely missing the point.... ;)
 
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