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Training hills for the newbies

rommelgc

Maximum Pace
Sep 3, 2009
364
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I think I'm already getting bored of the Tamagawa bike route. So I spent most of my Saturday afternoon checking the forums and other sites (bikely, mapmyride, etc) for information about small hills within the vicinity. I want to build up my stamina and endurance first before I go big toge riding.

The bike is capable (compact up front and 12-25T at the back, can change to 12-27T) but I think I am not (all 75kg of me :( ).

I've been to the Takao-area but for hiking only so I relatively don't know the bike routes in the area. Maybe I can ride there, but I'm afraid of the elevation numbers that I'm seeing. It's my first time riding hills, I only rode flats for most of my saddle time so I'd rather find an easy (long, small hills) route first, than stop in the middle of the route and start cursing myself.

So can anyone recommend a good route/s?
The coming weekend is a good time for me to start practicing.
 
You could check out Kanagawa for this kind of riding. Area around rt. 246 in Kawasaki and Yokohama is full of small hills.
Yokosuka and Miura Peninsula are also quite good for a hilly training (the route planned by AlanW - http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/japan/tokyo/386348323736)
Also check out Yomiuri Land - it's close to Tokyo and is on a high hill, very good for off-season climbing training, it's possible to make a short loop there for a number of climbing sessions.
There's also a good ride around Tama-ko, just north of Tachikawa. Cycling road around the lake is a bit old and bumpy, but it's a pretty and quiet area
 
There's also a good ride around Tama-ko, just north of Tachikawa. Cycling road around the lake is a bit old and bumpy, but it's a pretty and quiet area

Thanks for the pointers. Any other inputs are very much welcome!

I need to check my maps later.
 
The first proper hill I did was Tomin no Mori and it's still a favourite. TCC did it recently for the Tour de Westside.

It's pretty long (about 11km) to a peak of about 1100m and it's pretty tough. I'm still useless at climbing but the first time I did it I stopped about 6 or 7 times (I couldn't believe what I was doing). At the top there's a car park and little shop that serves udon, curry etc.

For the first 2 or 3 times I just used to do this. Get to the top, have a cup of tea and udon, then descend back to where I started. After a while I started venturing to the other side of the hill (which is a really nice cycling area with lots of other climbs).

Here's the map. Tomin is the first green at the top of the route.
 
Wolfman, thanks for the information.
Deej, wasn't able to find these threads last weekend, thanks for pointing it to me.

I guess the long weekend won't be so boring now. I hope my body will forgive me.
 
Deej, wasn't able to find these threads last weekend, thanks for pointing it to me.

Even armed with some keywords, it can be tough to find what you're looking for here. It took me a while to find my own post! We probably should have a sticky with links to and descriptions of various routes.

I guess the long weekend won't be so boring now. I hope my body will forgive me.

Good luck this weekend. Let us know how it goes!

Deej
 
Even armed with some keywords, it can be tough to find what you're looking for here. It took me a while to find my own post! We probably should have a sticky with links to and descriptions of various routes.

Sorry for chiming in, but we have a global search form at the top right of each page that's based on Google custom search and works pretty efficiently. :)
 
Sorry for chiming in, but we have a global search form at the top right of each page that's based on Google custom search and works pretty efficiently. :)

Sorry, Thomas, the search function is stupendously awesome! :) After all, I found my initial post by typing in "ramen" because I remembered mentioning the ramen shop when I wrote it.

I wasn't critiquing the search function. I guess I meant that even if you know what you are looking for, it can sometimes be tough to find the exact answer to a query. Say you are looking for a good hill to climb as a new cyclist, it might take some searching to find a post that addresses your specific needs. Or maybe not. Who knows? Forget it. The search function is amazing! :warau:

Deej
 
Deej, thanks for your heartening words! I did not feel criticized at all, I was just wondering whether the search form was visible enough. :D

The real issue is semantics and using appropriate keywords, as the number of search results can be overwhelming indeed. Anyhow Rommel, I hope you were able to find a few good suggestions for your first climb! :)

Sorry, Thomas, the search function is stupendously awesome! After all, I found my initial post by typing in "ramen" because I remembered mentioning the ramen shop when I wrote it.

I wasn't critiquing the search function. I guess I meant that even if you know what you are looking for, it can sometimes be tough to find the exact answer to a query. Say you are looking for a good hill to climb as a new cyclist, it might take some searching to find a post that addresses your specific needs. Or maybe not. Who knows? Forget it. The search function is amazing!
 
Thanks Deej and Thomas.

The Search is visible and working. I guess I put incorrect keywords, and I was generally looking at the rides section. Will check out the links, map the routes, and give it a go this looong weekend.

Again thank you everyone.
 
Good Training Hills

A very good route to start hill climbing is the Odarumi pass, not to be mixed up with the bump in road 20 at Takao which is only for the faint of heart.

The road starts at Enzan station (app elv. 500m) and eventually leads you to the highest asphalted public road in Japan at elevation 2.300 meters above sea level after 30 km. You will perhaps only do 2 or 3 km up in the beginning, but after many years you will finally make it to the top and every time yopu do it you can see how much better you got compared to the last time.

Enjoy.

PS Another nice hill is "Jerome's hill" which is only a 10 minute climb close to Itsukaichi station.
 
Sigh

Silver week has come and gone and I wasn't able to ride any one of the routes mentioned above. Wasn't feeling well so I stayed within the confines of Tokyo (ie Tamagawa cycling road).

When I was feeling well, a friend invited me to Kamakura, so I did a Fujisawa -> Kamakura -> Enoshima bike run instead. Traffic was a mess (stop and go, or stop and we were whizzing by stopped cars, truck, buses). Was riding a foot from the gutter (re uneven asphalt, rain covers, etc) all throughout. All I can say is that it was not a stress free ride.

Looking forward for another long weekend (or I can file for one, I need to consume as much as possible). Maybe Miura or Izu Oshima.
 
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