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Silver Week?

Actually if you want to see a great charity ride event take a look at the Tyler Foundation Shine On ride.
Shine On! (dis)organizer and Dictator-in-Chief, here.

To start with, apologies to IkedaWilliams for the extreme threadjack taking place here! (This should all really have gone here or here)

I think in the light of the discussions we've seen it's not really fair to make a direct comparison. The (Half-Fast) Shine On! Cycle Challenge in Norikura (SOCCIN) is only one way to do a charity ride.

We've done SOCCIN three times now, and from the outset we (the steering committee - again a small group of close friends) decided that didn't want to follow the European-style charity/sponsorship model in which participants individually raise sponsorship pledges from their family, friends and colleagues.

Instead we preferred to have a more modest charity goal, and to focus on the personal cycling challenge, affordability, and person-to-person 'extras' such as the Beads of Courage and postcards. Trust me, these extras have a huge positive impact with the kids.

So we never set out to make millions of yen... just a little more than last year. More important to us was to get a friendly group of cyclists together in a non-competitive environment and work together to support a charitable cause at the same time. Those who have the means to contribute more financially are able to do so, and those who cannot can at least spread the word.

The JC2C is very clearly a different model.

As a ride, it looks great. I'd love to do the ride.

I am mostly put off, indeed perplexed, by the goodie bag thing: "Each participant will receive over 30,000 yen worth of goods PLUS the use of a new OGK helment for the ride".* I would have thought that most people contemplating a 280 km bike ride would already own sunglasses, a jersey and whatever. Couldn't we reduce the participation fee by said ¥30,000 and skip all that materialism? I'd be happy with a pair of socks.

Then I'm put off by the fundraising target thing: "Ask your friends and family to support your challenge with a donation to help the people of Tohoku and Africa. We ask that each participant sets themselves a goal of 200,000 yen (approx. $2500) which will be split between famine relief in the Horn of Africa and economic recovery projects in Tohoku."* It's different from the 'sponsored swim' model where one persuades people to pledge a modest amount per length. It's an outright donation, only vaguely linked to the activity or the participant.

And I'm afraid I say "No!" I don't want to hassle everyone I know, Amway-style, just to go on a bike ride. My choice. Too bad. (Ultimately, for me personally, it's about the cycling!)

As I said above, I recognize that there are lots of different ways to set up a charity ride, with different priorities and different personal, business, and long-term agendas.

I respect what JC2C is doing and wish them success. However, with the current event model I personally don't want to participate. If I feel this way then you can be sure that not a few other gaijin cyclists do too.

--Mike--

P.S. I did a C2C (Naoetsu to Tokyo, two nights) and it cost me about 25,000 yen total. That's kinda my baseline. Just saying...
 
So, I've thought of interrupting what's going on here to try to make it back into a silver week thread, and wondered also whether to start a second silver week thread to do the same thing.

Solutions, (from those who drink less beer than I do, or even those who do not), would be appreciated. ;)

Somehow, I think silver week should get its fair due on the forum, in spite of this other discussion.
 
Nice one JDD. I was just satisfied getting some hits on my thread. It was fairly quiet up until the recent drama.

I don't know how Silver Week will play out. If history repeats itself, it will either be raining, I'll have to work, and/or, I will have family commitments. I'd be happy to read about other's plans though. :)

It is only a couple weeks away now. So, what's the plan?
 
Also, I'm not blaming anybody for anything. I'm just saying it'd be nice to have a silver week thread. I guess I could quote a few of the initial posts on page 1, and try to start another, but I'm not sure if that's what I should be doing or if that's the moderator's job.
 
I don't mind about my thread getting jacked. Bring it on. Let's see how many pages we can get on this thread in the next week or so. The title is appropriate and shouldn't be too misleading...
 
Well, the preceding discussion has certainly generated more heat than my silver week probably will...

I will not be able to get that all so critical bridge consisting of the 20th, 21st and 22nd. Two consecutive three day weekends makes one salivate, though.


Have to wait for bronze week for a huge tour.:confused:
 
So here's a refresh of this.

Unfortunately it's looking like the coming week is probably going to be rainy, and I haven't acted on any of my earlier ideas (page 1)--reservations for a Noto loop or anything around Takayama. Some of that is still possible, but we'll have to see what works out.

Depending on conditions, it looks like I'll just be riding locally, squeezing in some riding between whatever raindrops there may be, with a bit of swimming on the side.

***

So, any new silver week plans out there for others?

John D.
 
BTW, didn't you try to do something similar over Obon? I remember you blogged from your ryokan the first night, but then nothing. I got worried something may have happened to you. How did the rides go over the next few days? Very wet?

On the last trip like my upcoming one, I was also at my wife's parents' house. Basically I rode four days and four different routes. What they all had in common was hot, dry climbs followed by cold rainy descents.

Rides:
1) Momijiko (Tatsuno)
2) Norikura
3) Venus Skyline to Nagano-shi
4) Togakushi Loop

I think out of the four days I only had one dry descent. Nonetheless, it was a great trip! I can't wait to get out there again!
 
I am gonna do a loop up North through the mountains starting from Naeba on Monday going to Sado, looping around there and return to Tokyo by Friday. If I can get to it, will post my planned route later.
 
Pete, indeed a very nice route each day. Did you have your wife drive you out and pick you up? Doesn't look like you a successive route.
 
On the Norikura ride and the Venus Skyline to Nagano ride, my wife did indeed drop me off at my respective start points. It's nice to have a support car! :D
 
And the rain from this typhoon--what a way to rain on some days off. Glad I'm not out there in it!
 
Having briefly sidetracked this thread previously, I thought I'd post a quick update. Unfortunately the typhoon and its aftermath have meant that the Tohoku Cycling Festival, planned for this weekend, has been postponed. The Ojika Hanto area is without electricity, landslides are everywhere and roads are blocked and/or flooded. It's an awful situation for people who have already been through so much this year.

Meanwhile the Tohoku Coast to Coast riders were unable to get across the Sasaya Pass (between south of Yamagata City and Sendai) on two attempts, yesterday afternoon and this morning.

Though the typhoon passed through here in Nagoya about 24 hours ago, the weather in the Aichi area is still cloudy and very windy. Hopefully it'll be a bit more cycling friendly by tomorrow and the holiday weekend.
 
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