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Today Today January 2017

bloaker

Sincerely A Dick
Nov 14, 2011
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I decided to start out the new year by testing out my ankle off road.
I ditched the SPDs and went to flat pedals to keep the strain off the ankle while unclipping.

I did the ride in two parts. I tested the ankle out solo on some fun single track, then met up with my buddies and a buddy's son to ride a chill ride.

Nothing gets a kid going like letting him take point on a group ride!

Jaxon shredding!




Good start to the year!

Happy New Years!
 
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Did my hatsumode potter up the Tama river today and over to Takahata Fudo to get a new supply of Kotsu Anzen Mamori (road safety charms)
to get me through an accident-free 2017. Not sure they work, but my wife thinks they do. Very crowded at the temple. Broke into quite a sweat
coming up Renkoji-zaka on the way back. Not sure if that was due to the warm weather or my advancing years.....

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Did my hatsumode potter up the Tama river today and over to Takahata Fudo to get a new supply of Kotsu Anzen Mamori (road safety charms)
to get me through an accident-free 2017. Not sure they work, but my wife thinks they do. Very crowded at the temple. Broke into quite a sweat
coming up Renkoji-zaka on the way back. Not sure if that was due to the warm weather or my advancing years.....

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I walked past there at about noon today, the line stretched back a couple of hundred meters, nice day for a ride though. I went for a short spin through the Hino/Tama hills.
 
Because I could, I snuck out today and did a lunchtime ride on the neighborhood trails with a buddy.
The ankle is doing fine as long as I keep my feet on the pedals. It is when I need to step out to support the bike things go bad.

@saibot - Chest mount - only used the camera stabilization, no software tweaks.

 
I thought you were gonna go up that slanted wall towards the end @bloaker ! You're gonna make me love MTBing with these posts (nowhere to ride it near me, nor can house - or afford - another one anytime soon in reality though).

The camera stabilization looks great. Which one is it? I'm thinking of getting a new one, mainly to be my commute safety camera, facing backwards mounted on my back. I guess the chest mount could be put the other way around? One of my concerns apart from good stabilization is can it catch car's license plate numbers at speed? Also at night? If that is possible, I'm game...
 
Regarding the wall... you would be amazed the amount of stuff going through my head... the leaves are slick, will the wall stick, am I going fast enough etc...
It certainly is an option and I have thought about it... but with a busted up ankle, I am trying to keep the crash probability low. - However my wife thinks the best way to do that is to keep the bike on the rack.

The camera is a GoPro Hero5 Session. I have not used it at night yet, so I am not sure if it will pick up tags or if the lights of the car will bleed it out.
I just tried on the harness backward... it works. Luckily the Hero5 has voice commands to start and stop recording. There is also an optional remote and I think phone control if paired.
 
Happy 2017 everyone!
Been enjoying a bit summer for the last few weeks in Aus, such lovely riding in the warmth again!

Anyway wishing everyone a happy 2017 And looking forward to riding with you all throughout 2017 on many new roads and fun rides!

Here's where I am now...

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Dawn patrol!

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New glasses!

Cheerio!
 
Rode to tachikawa and saw my first Keirin races live..... great except for everyone smoking... the organization and quietness of the crowd had me a little stunned.

ex smoker.... don't want that sh#t




s
 
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@bloaker So you were considering the wall! It certainly seemed so... Thanks for the info on the cam. It can be stripped to one's back, voice commands, good stabilization. Deserves further consideration for sure.
 
Happy 2017 everyone!
Been enjoying a bit summer for the last few weeks in Aus, such lovely riding in the warmth again!

Anyway wishing everyone a happy 2017 And looking forward to riding with you all throughout 2017 on many new roads and fun rides!

Here's where I am now...

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Dawn patrol!

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New glasses!

Cheerio!
You look like a cross between John Lennon and Jimmy Saville in your new glasses ;)
 


Yesterday's ride.... @luka - I am doing my best to tempt you!
I lost the front end on some slick rocks near Jimmuji temple and rolled the ankle, so I cut the ride short there.
I was still able to carry some speed and have fun, but my head wasn't totally into it. I was looking for the green snot/moss on rocks from there to the end.
Got home and took some Tylenol and just tried to stay off it a bit. Woke up this morning and it feels just like yesterday, so no damage.
I need to go back out today to test it.... I tell my wife it is Physical Therapy.... :)
 
Caption for this pic:
Reuters / Wednesday, January 04, 2017
French cyclist Robert Marchand, aged 105, reacts after he rode 22.528 km (14.08 miles) in one hour to set a new record at the indoor Velodrome National in Montigny-les-Bretonneux, southwest of Paris, France.

r


more info on edit:
Robert Marchand (born 26 November 1911) is a French centenarian cyclist.

Career[edit]
Marchand was a firefighter in Paris in the 1930s. After World War II he moved to Venezuela and then in the 1950s to Canada, where he had a job as a lumberjack. He returned to France in 1960 and worked as a gardener and wine dealer until 1987.[1][2]

Aged 35 he finished seventh in the Grand Prix des Nations in 1946.[3] He returned to cycling in 1978[2] and continues training after his 100th birthday. In February 2012, he set a world record in one-hour track cycling in the over-100 age group at 24.250 km. He improved this record to 26.927 km in January 2014.[4][5]

He is a member of the French communist Party and the CGT Trade Union, the longest serving member alive to this day with 90 years of membership in the Trade Union.

He took an active part during the strikes of 1936 in France that gave birth to the modern era foundations of French labor legislation.

On 4 January 2017, he set a world record in one-hour track cycling in the over-105 age group at 22.547 km in one hour and the 105 years old centenarian declared: "I could had made better, if I had seen the record card, otherwise I would have pedaled slightly faster".[6][7]
 
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The new year here in Berlin, Germany, didn't start very promising for getting lots of riding done for the time being.
But that's what I actually need to get rid of my little extra weight from all the good food I had since Christmas.
Anyway, -6 degrees and snowy roads are not the best for riding. At least I'm sticking to my bike for my daily commute, shopping and so on. The only downside is maintenancing the bike. Btw, please ignore the saddle cover and the strange position of the fender.
I'm for sure missing Japanese winters on Miura peninsula and general the Kanagawa and Tokyo area.
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Ps. It's good to see that you're back on the bike @bloaker
 

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I took the tank to get groceries today.
When I lived in Chinatown, it was great. The Grocery store was uphill, so riding home with groceries was helped with gravity.
In Hayama, it is the opposite. Thank goodness for granny gears. With the today's haul, the bike was probably close to 35kg. That made the 8% climb home fun......

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Touch wood, not wanting to tempt the mockers' gods, but spring has arrived in Kanagawa. Well the daffodils are already out and some nice new tarmac on today's river route.
 
Touch wood, not wanting to tempt the mockers' gods, but spring has arrived in Kanagawa. Well the daffodils are already out and some nice new tarmac on today's river route.
I noticed that the daffodils were out where I live as well.
I've also noticed the freshly laid tarmac along my local river too.
Never seen so much fiscal waste,lol.
 
Having had a very lazy Xmas and New Year, I decided I need to get fit. I started running last week but managed to pull my calf muscle on Saturday. Yesterday I decided to change my routine quite a lot. Now the plan is to wake up earlyish (6:30) throw on my cycling clothes, eat a banana and get on the bike by 7:00. Home by 8:25. Tried it this morning and really liked it. No faffing about in the morning and gives me plenty of time after the ride to walk my dog who had endless energy and has a VO2 max that would put Froome to shame ;)

Think I'm going to enjoy this routine even though I though my nose was going to fall off just after hitting the river.
 
As some of you know I quietly moved back to London at the beginning of the year, after 5 years in Japan.

Stuck in temporary accommodation at the moment and no bike as yet, but joined the Athlete Lab here (http://athlete-lab.co.uk/). Power based training. However combination of losing too many cycling days to packing/moving in last 8 weeks and the Lab power being measured at the tyre meant the FTP test last week was very disappointing. Down 12% on last summer.
The work starts now! Four sessions under my belt since the test and intend to keep to a minimum of three a week (excluding the weekend).

My goal for this year will be set at the end of January. The Lab are closely aligned with Haute Route through some common personnel. So I will either target (unlikely) the full Haute Route in the Dolomites Or (more likely) the Three Day Ventoux Haute Route event for 2017

Also, once my Sea Shipment arrives at the end of March I will also post up some stuff on my new Gravel Bike Build....
 
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