What's new

Today - August 2010

Half-Fast Mike

Lanterne Rouge-et-vert
May 22, 2007
4,644
3,700
Plenty of cloud this morning and a nice breeze made my ride much nicer than of late.

Yesterday I felt like I could hear the skin cells on my arms mutating in the extra-strong UV. Ouch!

The Bicycle Usage Promotion Study Group are holding a presentation on research into cycling in Denmark, Netherlands and the UK tonight in Gotanda. The announcement is in Japanese so I'm presuming that the proceedings will be too. Info below, with apologies to the hard-of-kanji.

--HF Mike--

2010年度第2回自転車活用研究会
「自転車先進国(デンマーク及びオランダ)と新興国
(イギリス)における自転車利用研究」
・・・行って見なければわからない自転車政策
講師:(独)都市再生機構 佐藤宜秀氏
■2010年8月6日(金)18時から
■NCD 日本コンピュータ・ダイナミクス株式会社・会議室
141-0031 東京都品川区西五反田4-32-1
「不動前」(東急目黒線/地下鉄都営三田線/東京メト
ロ南北線)下車、目黒方向に高架線路沿い戻る徒歩3分。
東京日産西五反田ビル2階
■会費:3,000円(NPO自活研・会員は無料です)
■閉会後の懇親会(同会場):参加費1,000円
まだ席に余裕があります。参加希望者はメールください。
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
特定非営利活動法人自転車活用推進研究会
Bicycle Usage Promotion Study Group
事務局長兼理事長
http://cyclists.jp
小 林 成 基/Kobayashi Shigeki
[email protected]
166-0011 東京都杉並区梅里2-6-3
080-3918-2932【小林携帯】
FAX03-6316-9170
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
 
Did my first PR event with Fuji yesterday out on Odaiba, Rode out there to the Cyclingtime.com shop very nice store with very freindly and knowledgable staff (although a bit inconvient to reach for most Tokyo riders) to do a safe cycling and group cycling introduction course.

Took about 20 riders out on the roads with the 6 other squad riders and had a nice ride around the Island.... not sure where we ended up but a very nice park near a golf course.

Then the two groups split up and we took the faster group back to the store. Had some good fun doing some sprints and the guys got to see me power off the back of one of the Continetal squad riders to 63km/h.

Just don't seem to be able to get higher than that and I will be focusing my training on building up the speed to at least 65km/h on the flats for standing sprints.

Then back to the shop for debrief and chats with the riders. Rode back to Shinagawa with Matt one of the other riders and thought I might have passed the HalfFast crew on a bridge off Odaiba.

Great day and nice to see teams doing this kind of PR, grass roots work with stores. Reminds me of shop rides in the UK.
 
Much better Nairiki recon today. Mikio and I rode out from Takao - peeked into the window of our fav shop at the junction close to Ome, then up to Nairiki. We suffered up the hill , but at least didn't heat stroke or require AED assistance. I think my target will be 35-40min combined (lower section + upper) The larger gear is best for the lower, but even making up 4min I lose at least 2-3min in a change. So - maybe not worth the effort. Add some more heat - and I really need to drop another tooth or 2 - then the gear swap becomes reasonable. Going fully anaerobic for more than 10min is a killer. We also ran the last km a few times to get good gist of the finish - and where we should set pace. I'm a firm believer of the 'first corner , last corner' method of recon. Our last km interval times hovered around 5min. So, do I bet the boat on dropping into the spin range and sacrifice the first section speed? Or - keep up the mash and hope that other guys in my group fail from the heat?
 
Did my first PR event with Fuji yesterday out on Odaiba, Rode out there to the Cyclingtime.com shop very nice store with very freindly and knowledgable staff (although a bit inconvient to reach for most Tokyo riders) to do a safe cycling and group cycling introduction course.

Found the shop by accident three weeks ago. Well-stuffed and very friendly indeed. :)
 
Thomas, I found out that most of the FUJI squad work in the shop, mostly the ER & BR riders while the TR and continental work part time either in the shop or the office.
 
First serious ride in over two weeks. And first ride with my sparring partner Kitano san in almost 2 months. Had zero hours sleep before due to a baby with jet lag. Took 20 mins or so just to get back in the rhythm of things.

First up was 1 lap of next week's 100k road race. Kitano san was keen to show the form that would have given him second at Yunotani HC if not for a snapped chain. We hurt each other on the climbs hitting 190 HR and gasping for breath. I noticed he was in the wrong gear and jumped him for the sprint at the end. Sunday with Murayama san and Tazaki san may be a little tougher....

Second up was Isonobe, 7km at over 10%. He's never beaten me here. We rode shoulder to shoulder trying to hide our pain. He was taking the steep inner parts of the hairpins while I was going as wide as possible. He was shifting up occasionally while I was stuck in the bottom gear. He attacked 2 km from the top in the same place I was hoping to attack if only I had the legs to do so....

We rode the 30km flat back to the bike shop as hard as possible rotating at 45kmph. In the sprint for the line I thought my head was going to explode!

Back home before 10 and in bed till 5. Despite the heat and the tiredness, days like this make me remember why I love cycling....

Andy

www.jyonnobitime.com/time
 
Nice write up Andy. It must've been a shock in the heat after your trip back home. Would you mind telling me more about this 100km race? It's too late I know but maybe I can do it next year.
 
Mike,

Yes the heat is a killer. Just got up for training now to heavy rain - think I'll give it a miss!

The race on Sunday is just a local race organised by the bike shop here in Kashiwazaki. However, the standard is always high as Murayama san comes out of hiding and there are always a few strong riders. The course is very demanding but not too technical with a few sharp climbs spaced by some fast sweeping descents.

Afterwards we have a BBQ booze up.

http://www.jyonnobitime.com/time/2008/08/summer-training.html

http://www.jyonnobitime.com/time/2009/08/-marathonreport.html

As you say, maybe it's too late this year but if you have the time.... and there's alays next year!

Andy
 
Not as exciting as I hoped

Friday up to hachinohe by Shinkansen. (and a funny feeling I might be losing my voice) A big thanks to kiwisimon and his beautiful family for putting me up.

Saturday a lazy 95km up rt 45 to oirase gorge and around towadako to the little camp ground near the 102/454 north west corner of the lake (free). (but what's with this cough and total laziness- could it be the heat?)

Sunday - first up to 御鼻都山 for the high point over the lake then down rt 102 to kuroishi. Feeling frustratingly exhausted and like this sudden cough may actually be a real cold. But not to be put off, over rt 394 ( drinking 4 liters of water ) to rt 103 to Aomori. After getting drenched in an afternoon thundershower and feeling increasing stuffed up, decided a hotel would be a better choice than camping out. A slow 95km for the day.

And today , doing nothing than watching the downpour and lightning from the hotel, drinking lots of tea, and napping.

Here's hoping the weather and my cold clear quickly and the adventures get back under way.
 
Hey Kori - if you need to crash out at my inlaws place in Hirosaki jus let me know.
 
So sorry to hear of your (cold) cough? Better to take a good day off and recover than to be a slave to the trip. Take it easy and garlic ramen does wonders for sore throats.
 
Andy, thanks as always for the info. You guys always seem to have races, practice races etc and great hills and mountains almost free of cars to ride. I'm so jealous. I think we should have a TCC training camp in your neck of the woods next year, that is of course if you don't mind us joining you on your rides:confused:
 
Significantly slower than usual, and lung capacity kinda pathetic but 160 beautiful beautiful kilometers today. About 600 m of climbing and a crazy beautiful descent ... A full report later:D
 
Interval training followed by a 30km TT....... sweated out so much.
 
Mike,

Would be happy to have anyone over. We are lucky here with the sea and the hills and few cars or traffic lights. The only downside is the harsh winter but it kind of forces you to be a bit more focussed in your training.

Just let me know when you want to come. We can organise an event I'm sure!

Andy
 
Would that be on the new Look 747
 
186 km. Esconced in a strange Akita hostel prepared to watch the typhoon roll in tomorrow.

After two consecutive days of centuries, exhausted but quite happy. And with 8 hours of " in motion time" it's not just my leegs looking forward to a rest.

Question: you know when your hands swell up from excersizing in the heat? What do you drink to make them more normal again-- sports drink is my guess or something salty. I ended up riding a lot with out gloves because they were so tight that my fingers were getting numb, but my hands are beat up now. :eek:uch:Nothing 10 hours of sleep won't fix;)
 
Back
Top Bottom