Today - Sept 2012

[jdd]

To start the September thread, here's my garmin chart up thru today:

Maybe light for most TCC-folks, but not too shabby for a 60-year old?

Unfortunately, the pool is closed this coming week for emptying/cleaning. I'll try to add some km on a bike to make up for that.

 

[JackTheCommuter]

Today, I led a group of beginner cyclists from Sagamiko Station to Futako Tamagawa. The route was planned as: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1584754 . Actual was: http://app.strava.com/rides/20426359

Day started with checking the weather forecast and finding the scattered rain was forecasted. We decided to go as planned anyways. Quick shower, breakfast, and taking the rack off the bicycle. My cheap Tenn jersey came in I can get everything I needed into the rear pockets.

Took off for the first meeting point under the Futokatamagawa bridge to meet Bloaker when I got an SMS stating he's broken down. Quick conversation on the phone and he can't make the necessary field repairs to continue. One down and the tour hasn't even started.

Made my way to Daitabashi Station to meet with the rest of the riders and to board the train. This portion of the ride went fine with only one minor issue. We took a slow train by mistake and pushed out the schedule back by 30 minutes.

Uneventful exit at Sagamiko, followed the route, one member slid out on a damp section but was able to continue until we hit a barrier. We were unsure what to do until we found a Positivo Espresso sticker. Taking (misinterpreting) it as a sign that we should press on, we bypassed the barrier and kept going.

The road was strewn with leaves, fallen branches, and washed out by landslides in many areas. One of our members was on a mountain bicycle and was in his element. He quickly took revenge where he kept falling behind on the tarmac section. Where passable, we road the bicycle until one of our members put his front wheel into a crevice, got caught, and threw him head over the bicycle. The wheel remained embedded in the crevice. He had a few scrapes of course and one scary looking hole in his jersey. The wheel lost a spoke but emergency repairs was sufficient to cautiously continue.

And finally on the urban section to the Tamagawa, the skies opened. We hid in an 7-11 for about an hour, having a sad connbini lunch. The rain lightened up somewhat and we continued where the rest of ride went back to being warm, humid, and thankfully uneventful.

This wasn't really a beginners bicycle ride. It was some sort of weird trekking trip sandwiched by riding on bicycles. But I would do this again.

 

[JackTheCommuter]

Oh, one more thing... Taking off the rack was an eye opener. With no luggage or rack, the bicycle surprised me with its liveliness. When standing to climb up hills, I had a hard time controlling the side to side motion. Took a while to get used to it.

Now I'm left to wonder what happens on an even lighter bicycle...

 

[doubletrouble]

NIce ride today along the Arakawa though very wet on the way back. Got drenched but it felt good to see some rain at long last.

 

[kiwisimon]

Now I'm left to wonder what happens on an even lighter bicycle...

Your bank balance goes down is one thing.

 

[jdd]

Out for a couple hours this a.m.

The wx here for the last few days has been great in the morning(s), but then somewhere between 1 and 4 in the afternoon it has heated up and totally dumps a huge amount of rain. The rice farmers are unhappy, walking the dog I've seen some with 2-3m long sticks knocking accumulated rain off their rice in the morning.

 

[theBlob]

Nice effort John in August!

All my weekend riding plans went out the window waking up to heavy rain this morning. And everytime I said I'm going riding it would start raining again.

Managed to grab a quick 37km on my local. Was feeling good, timed the first hour at 33.6km, but still some niggling knee issues.

Made a few investments over the weekend with new cleats, chain, and gloves. The stink of my old ones has just got too much.

On with Autumn!

 

[joewein]

Cycled to Sangenjaya to get an International Driver's License for for my US business trip next week, as I need to get a rental car over there (though Jayves suggested I should pack my Bike Friday). Many states accept foreign DLs provided they're in a language that uses the Roman alphabet, which Japanese DLs unfortunately are not (and my German DL is not from my current place of residence), hence the need to spend 2400 yen + 700 yen for a photograph.

While I was waiting for my application to be processed at the DL place on the back side of the police station, I noticed one lady in there who seemed to be renewing her license. What caught my attention was a continuous nervous twitch of both of her legs. It was extremely noticeable. She simply couldn't stand still, with one of her legs always wiggling or jumping.

When she walked across the room, she either walked on her heels or on the outside edge of her feet, but never the flat side down. I have no idea what condition she suffers from, but it was so noticeable and consistent, I couldn't help wondering how she could possibly operate an accelerator pedal of a car, which requires a great deal of control. Nobody else in the office seemed to be taking any notice of it.

I mentioned it to my wife afterwards and she commented that people who have difficulties walking will be even more reluctant to give up driving... I hope I won't find that lady driving behind me one day.


EDIT: As someone pointed out to me in a PM she could have been driving a hand-operated vehicle. That possibility hadn't occurred to me.

 

[Edogawakikkoman]

Nice two hours of commuting today with most of it on the Go-Pro. When and how to edit that is another problem. Was nice to have a chaser on the first leg this morning. Slightly fatter than me...passed him at the 1km mark and then watched him in my little ninja mirror try and catch me...played catch and release for about 12km. Then turned off into the traffic.

53km. Hope to do again tomorrow...

 

[joewein]

I'm not getting much distance these days (my last 100+ km ride was in mid-July!), but my speed is improving. I went for a 2 hour ride (drinking 2.5 l of water) along the Tamagawa on my favourite exercise route and set two new PRs. I'll be away from the bike all of next week.

Sometimes the wind blows up the river, sometimes down the river and so it's not surprising that my first PRs either way were set with a tailwind of a few km/h. In June I set a PR going up where I was 4 km/h faster than coming down again. So it came as a nice surprise today that I not only set two PRs on the way up (short and long segment), but was also 0.2 km/h faster on the way down, which was my second best in that direction!

 

[jdd]

Up for an hour or so already due to some thunderstorms moving thru. A huge amount of lightning and of course thunder along with it. Stuff that probably registered on seismographs. I'll skip this morning's ride, but over the previous six days I clocked 230km.

 

[m o b]

T
Uneventful exit at Sagamiko, followed the route, one member slid out on a damp section but was able to continue until we hit a barrier. We were unsure what to do until we found a Positivo Espresso sticker. Taking (misinterpreting) it as a sign that we should press on, we bypassed the barrier and kept going.

The road was strewn with leaves, fallen branches, and washed out by landslides in many areas. One of our members was on a mountain bicycle and was in his element. ....

This wasn't really a beginners bicycle ride. It was some sort of weird trekking trip sandwiched by riding on bicycles. But I would do this again.

Oh yes, Ludwig (Kanzler) and me put the sticker there in March 2010.

At this time the road was in perfect conditions as you can see in the photo.
Well other guys rode up the Tourmalet and recommended it to be included in the TdF long before Carbon frames.

In any case: Sorry. But the road isn't that long and you probably had quite some nice and undisturbed views on the lake.

 

[Half-Fast Mike]

Oh yeah - been there, found that.

https://picasaweb.google.com/halffastcycling/20110108OnekanShiroyama#5559772904653972626

 

[Gunjira]

When I was about to enter in spring, a strolling oji-san warned me that only real professional riders who know what they were doing, were using the path now. Strangely, I turned around. If only that guy had been around those other times I foolishly pushed on...

 

[kubatyszko]

Oh yes, Ludwig (Kanzler) and me put the sticker there in March 2010.

In any case: Sorry. But the road isn't that long and you probably had quite some nice and undisturbed views on the lake.

No problems, I had the most damage (due to my wheel caught in the crevice):
front hub (replaced the whole wheelset - already on - rolling smoother than the old one)
derailleur stuff (sram 9.0) (hanger, socket where the housing ends, and the housing)
left shifter

All fixed or replaced except the shifter (only the window is cracked so I'll keep it until I get new one).

Overall, the trip was fun and that 5km walk was also a good experience, I would totally do it again - but need to keep in mind that every year that road will keep getting worse and worse and even now there are unsafe portions of it ( falling or loose rocks, and who knows when the cliff starts to separate...)

Cheers

 

[FarEast]

recovery day today - spent a little time making a custom Aluminium frame protector from a beer can.

 

[stanc]

recovery day today - spent a little time making a custom Aluminium frame protector from a beer can.

I hope you had to empty the can first. Surely that would count as recovery

 

[onm]

He kept messing it up, and had to use about 8 cans.

Always happens to me too.

Today, my commute was amazing; the first part of my ride is a long straight line from my place, finishing at a right turn onto a freight truck speedway from hell.

Well, the fun has always been taken out of this first 3km by no less than 5 traffic lights, a train crossing that always seems to be closed when I get to it, and then another traffic light.

Horrid.

Well, this morning, for the first time ever, EVERYTHING WAS GO.

All the lights were green, there were hardly any cars on the road, the air was cool and the wind was behind me.

I always promise myself when leaving the house not to give it any power, as I invariably end up at work, powering sweat out of my whole body, have to spend 30 minutes cooling down, get changed, and then still carry on sweating all day. It is inhumane.

This morning, however, I thought sod it, and just went for it.

Was amazing.

And yeah, work was blatantly a disgusting sweat-fest, so I sacked it off and went home at lunch.

 

[theBlob]

quick 50km this morning on Arakawa. No stopping (except for a few traffic lights getting to and from) 89.36 minutes.

Feeling good, tried to pace myself to a consistant 35km/hr hard work into the wind, easy with the wind....as it goes!

Ride on boys!:bike::bike:

 

[theBlob]

Took my daughter for a first ride on my wifes new electric mama chari.
Very nice. Still can't straighten my legs and have to ride bow legged and with my feet splayed to avoid the various baby seats, but the electric part made it all good. The only time I'm on it is when my legs are hammered from real riding so it's perfect!!

Oh also it's pink