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Today - January 2011

Half-Fast Mike

Lanterne Rouge-et-vert
May 22, 2007
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Happy New Year, everyone!

Unfortunately I wasn't able to ride in the HF New Year Yamanote Loop that I advertised; 'er indoors came down with another debilitating bout of BPPV (J) and I've been converted into househusband. No worries - I'm sure that the ride leader, Brian, will have looked after any of the TCC who joined in.

For me, the year can only get better! (It will be better still when Wikipedia stops bugging me with its begging bowl. I donated already.)

I'll be advertising some more Half Fast rides here in the coming months, as an alternative for those who can't or don't want to race uphill at 30 kph and who like the idea of beer stops with their cycling.

And I'm very much looking forward to my Titanium frame arriving - thanks in advance for making this possible, Tim.

L8R, guys and gals. Keep the rubber side down!
 
Started the new year with a 90km ride in Tokyo which included the HFC's Yamanote loop... and Mike wasn't there after inviting everyone for it! Brian is an awesome leader and knows such beautiful secret roads and parks, enjoyed every kilometer of the ride!
 
cleaned the dismantled parts of a trek 4900 bought of craigslist japan. learning how to do it by using the park tool big blue book and youtube videos :) i wish i had a "cave" or a workshop but living in japan, i had to make do using our building's veranda. couldn't feel my fingers after washing all of the stuff!

tomorrow will be devoted to degreasing the headset, chain and then lubrication.

happy new year!
 
Swapped the break pulls over on the FUJI Altamira as the sponsor had set them up the oppersite way around.

Started rebuilding the Pinarello, was going to go full Campy but decided that was silly and she is now getting a full DA build.
 
Today

Drove to Atsugi - bought a six pack-a-Guiness - returned home - gotta good buzz-on.
 
Annual Team Hatsumode ride. This year a new temple in Nakayama. (actually a very very old temple).
Met the crew at the usual Misato start...down the river to Kasairinkai Kouen, across the bridge, one lap of Disneyland, (the cars were lined up to get in there), back across the river to the temple. Lunch. Headwind home.
I realized today that I'm the most unfit and fattest I've been in the last 7 years. :warau:

100.3km
 
4 Jan

:D Nice quick 20km commute this morning; far fewer cars on the road than normal. Guns were complaining on the (very modest) uphills, which I put down to too much vegetating and houseboundness over the holidays.

:( Nasty headwind, though. Hope it stays in the same direction for my return home this evening.

:warau: Goal for 2001 (edit: I mean 2011 :eek:) - to consistently beat that skinny Japanese guy up the climb from Ohashi to Shinsencho.

oohashi2.jpg


oohashi1.jpg
 
:D Nice quick 20km commute this morning; far fewer cars on the road than normal. Guns were complaining on the (very modest) uphills, which I put down to too much vegetating and houseboundness over the holidays.

:( Nasty headwind, though. Hope it stays in the same direction for my return home this evening.

:warau: Goal for 2001 - to consistently beat that skinny Japanese guy up the climb from Ohashi to Shinsencho.

Being 2001, you may have to borrow Far east's flux capacitor...:cool:
 
Today;

Went from my place to Ageo - fixed my mates computer, then went across to Kawagoe, down the Arakawa to Akabane, met another mate for a sandwich, then back up the Arakawa, then to Omiya.

On the way back home from Omiya, got honked from behind for no reason by some fat **** in a blacked out peice of crap Toyota. There was loads of traffic and no way he could pass even if I wasn't in his way (hence me taking the chance to ride in the middle of the road).

Let him pass, flicking him some V's. He wanted to play bad-boys, so slowed down and said something at me out the window. Whatever.

Then he burned up the road and pulled in at the next lay-by, with his hazards on. 'Here we go', I thought. Went past him and he basically tried to cut into me as I passed. What a nob.

I stopped and confronted him. He said something else out the window, then drove off. I rode a couple of cars behind him until he drove off home to beat his wife, then stare into the mirror, crying at the fact that his penis is SO MINUSCULE.

What is wrong with these people?
 
80km up to, along, and then back from the Arakawa today. My shoe covers have been awesome in the rain, but today showed their limits, as my toes absolutely froze on the ride. I seriously need to find warmer booties.
 
I stopped and confronted him. He said something else out the window, then drove off...
Oh dear. Sorry you had a bad experience, mate. There are cycle-haters everywhere. Get off my road! I had a stand-off a while back with the same prat, but that day he was driving a red Bentley and wearing an overpaid-and-overweight-gaijin suit.
I seriously need to find warmer booties.
Could do. Or those winter shoes like FarEast etc. just bought. Or this...

warmers.jpg


Activated charcoal toe warmers. I get cold toes relatively quickly, rapidly becoming an unhappy bunny*. 4,000 yen for a box of these from Rakuten gets me right through the winter and well into spring. I put them on in the morning before riding to work and they're still toasty when I get home again. I've found that the key is to keep them warm, i.e., wear them all day. If I take them off while I'm at work, they're stone cold by lunchtime, but if I keep them on all day, they work all day.

Seriously - for me these things make cycling possible in winter. Without them I wouldn't/couldn't do it. Bugger Rule 5 when it comes to my tootsies.

* GSAstuto can probably provide an entropy equation for precisely how cold and miserable I get, factoring in the planetary alignments and what color knickers Paris Hilton is wearing (don't say it!) on a given day.
 
I love those 'hot-ees' as well! And combined with my patented Satan's Toe Jam, you're sure to keep Jack Frost at bay.
 
195km for the day (currently 1019km for the tour but will need another 40 or so to coast to the ferry and then get from the ferry home)
Kochi over the mountains through Iya valley to Tokushima. Roads all clear-ish today. Chillin' at an allnight restaurant until the ferry in the morning. Will have no problem sleeping all 18 hours.

Full report coming soonish. :D
 
Spent today earning "Pink Tickets" (Riding, drinking or Bachelor Days) The wife is very happy and I think I may have just earned enough to disappear for 2 weeks racing in France! :D

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s n o w

A dusting of snow on the local rindo made me turn round this afternoon, I was not in the mood to portage. No Kojiri toge for me. I guess that's a rule 5 infraction.:bike:

The road did look stunningly beautiful in white, though.
 
17km to my mates house, where I donated and fitted my old (less than a year old) 105 kit. Hung out with his daughter who is 4; she showed me her skipping prowess (which was awesome!), and spoke to me in both English and Japanese.

She also really enjoyed her new role as junior-engineer. Pushing the valves in to let the air out before I swapped daddy's tyres for him was her personal favourite.

Basically, it was amazing.

Then I rode home and shouted at adults for being c##nts.

Yin and Yang.
 
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