WhiteGiant
Maximum Pace
- Nov 4, 2006
- 1,233
- 395
TCC's first wedding!
First of all, I'd like to introduce myself to the members of TCC that I haven't yet met.
My name is Travis Jackson (Australian – born in Canberra; grew up in Newcastle & Sydney), and I've been riding a road-bike for about 5 years. This November, I'll have been in Japan for 9 years; and I've never ridden a bike in Australia.
I bought my very first bicycle for $150 (15,000 yen) from Cost-Co near Kaihin-Makuhari in April 2003. One of my best friends, "Simon" was into bikes, and first started talking to me about the Tour de France. I also had a student at the same time, "Mr. Sammori", who always liked to start his lessons by opening a cycling magazine.
With the pair of them (persistently) in my ear twice a week, it wasn't long before I made that initial purchase… "Buy a bike!", "Buy a bike!", "Buy a bike!", "Buy a bike!" That's what I had to deal with.
After spending over $500 (50,000 yen) streamlining my $150 piece-of-sh#t, I realized I should have bought a decent bike right from the start.
I still remember my first "long" ride with Simon; we rode a whole 25km to Odaiba… and my legs were fried!!! The final 13km limp home from Ryogoku took over 2 hours – on a route that now only takes 30 minutes.
Within 6 months of first purchasing that $150 MTB (unceremoniously christened "The Mule"), I'd upgraded to SPD clip-pedals, slick tyres, and had finally passed the "100km" milestone… I thought my thighs would spontaneously combust as I lay down on the grass beside the Edogawa Cycling Road, and I swore to myself that I would never "touch foot to pedal" ever again. (I learned a very big lesson about the wind that day!)
It was around then that my two "friends" – Simon & Mr. Sammori – began hounding me again… "Now, you have to buy a road-bike!" Mr. Sammori was even kind enough to call all his various (numerous) friends / owners of bike-shops to find me a frame in my size:
A 61cm "Mobius" steel frame, hand-built by Mr. Kurita, himself – The guy who built all the bikes for the Japanese Olympic Cycling Team in the early 80's.
I did several touring trips on that bike:
Tokyo – Kyoto; May 1st – May 5th, 2005 (560km in 4 ½ days)
Kyoto – Kyushu; April 26th – April 29th, 2006 (580km in 4 days).
Not long after I got back from that second trip though, "The Mobe" steel frame fractured along the seat-tube (just above the front-derailleur) due to metal fatigue – the frame was 15 years old by then.
I had no choice but to buy a new frame – a "Giant" that my current user-name stems from: "YellowGiant" – The bike isn't even yellow, but "Gun-Metal-Grey-Giant" just wouldn't work.
However, there are still enough "yellow bits" on the bike frame's paint scheme to get away with it, so…
I went on my very first TCC ride on November 3rd, 2006. The "Tour de Unagi II" ride.
https://tokyocycle.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=176&highlight=unagi&page=6
It was "Ash" who first invited me – He's also a good friend of Simon (the guy who first introduced me to cycling).
It was on that ride that I first met Thomas & Sora-san – the creators of this "Tokyo Cycling Club" web-site.
It was also the day that I first met Nobuko. It was her first time on a TCC ride as well – Sora-san had invited her.
And now, a year and a half later, she is my "wife to be"!
WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!!!
The date is set for the 8th of August 2008 (or for analogically-challenged, 08/08/08).
It is the Friday before the Japanese national "Summer Vacation".
WEDDING INVITATION
During our time as members of TCC, both Nobu-chan & I have had the opportunity to meet a great many wonderful people; as well as conversing via this site with other members who haven't been able to make it on the rides.
Our wedding will be held at the Tokyo Baptist Church at 11:00am.
www.tokyobaptist.org
This will be the wedding church service only. But EVERYBODY is invited.
From 11:00 – 12:00: Full Christian Church Wedding Service.
From 12:00 – 1:00: There will be a short celebration outside of the church – The throwing of the bouquet, and photo opportunities etc.
From 1:30 – 3:30: We will have a lunch-time wedding reception
* The reception is limited to family, relatives and very close friends only. Unfortunately, all 60 seats are booked.
EVENING PARTY:
This is for those who can't make it to the 11:00 morning church wedding service;
A party for everybody who would like to celebrate with us!
* From 7pm – until the next morning (if necessary):
We will have the use of a weekly mansion (3LDK) around the "Shinagawa" area, with enough space to accommodate up to 100 people.
We will provide food & beverages for about those numbers – 2 kegs of beer, and food catering for a large group.
I imagine that a large number of guests will be cyclists, and I urge all those who are able to ride their bikes to the venue to DO SO! I will be on my bike as well (after the family-reception).
There will not only be guests from TCC, but some friends from the "Alpen-Marker" team as well. It's possible that the cyclists will outnumber the rest of the revellers.
WEDDING RACE
I don't think this has ever been done before, but I reckon it'll be fun…
Not far from the "weekly-mansion" is the "Shinagawa-futo" man-made island.
It's an even 4km loop, with very few traffic-lights and almost no traffic after a certain time of night.
http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/japan/tokyo-(tokyo)-shinagawa/666345479916
If we assume that only 1/3 of the guests are cyclists (about 30 riders), and the remaining 2/3rds are just there to watch, we'll have our own spectator squad.
A 20km race – 5 laps of 4km – at an average of over 30km/h should all be over and done with in about 40 minutes. Short enough that the non-riders don't get bored, but long enough for the riders to feel they "deserve a beer" afterwards!
There will be prizes for 1st, 2nd & 3rd place, as well as some "random" prizes drawn by lottery for the middle and rear riders!
It's very difficult for me list all of you that I've ever ridden with:
Do I make the list starting from "most kilometers together"? That would Thomas!
Do I make the list starting from "most influential"? That would be Sora & Simon!
……
I suppose we'd best go in alphabetical order:
Aaron (Pucci)
AlanW
Arai-san
Ash
Ben (baustin)
Charles (Chazzer)
Christoph (cinelli)
Daan
Dave (Deej)
David (TrufflesEater)
Duncan
Elvis
Gilles
Greg (gmason)
Gus Duncan
Imai-san
Ken (Kwill)
Kunio (fatty athlete)
Lee (Richy152)
Marek (livestrong)
Mike
Milin (Alcyone)
Naoko (SHIBAGON)
Naomi
Newton
Nobu-chan – my fiancée
Okey-san
Pete
Peter (Edogawakikkoman)
Phil
Philip
Phil Harris
Sergey (kpykc)
Sarah
Sha (Freeride39)
Shinobu
Simon (kiwisimon)
Sora-san
SteveT
Taro-san
Thierry (Terry)
Thomas
Todor (Trad)
TOM
Walter
Yasuhiro
Yoko-san (queenbee)
I'd never really thought about the numbers until I finished making this list…
But that's over 40 people from the simple act of riding a bicycle – and meeting those with the same hobby.
As much as I'd like everyone listed above to take part in our wedding celebrations, some of the people above will be unable to attend – due to the simple fact that they are no longer in the country:
AlanW & Naomi: Your presence will be greatly missed by all!
Alcyone & Sarah: We only rode together once; Hope all is well where you are!
Greg (gmason): How's that British weather treating you? Big THANKS for still keeping in touch, and reading the reports!
Newton: I hope the "Felt" is still rolling well in the humidity of Brazil!
Rubber down, buddy! T
SO…
This is an open invitation to everyone!
If you are free on the morning of Friday August 8, 2008, please come to see the wedding service at Tokyo Baptist Church.
And if you are free that evening, please come (ride your bikes) to Shinagawa, and join in the "Wedding Race" and enjoy the festivities afterwards – Remember: The next day is a Saturday, so you have no excuse!
I will post details of the Shinagawa-night-party-race as arrangements become clearer!
Travis & Nobu
First of all, I'd like to introduce myself to the members of TCC that I haven't yet met.
My name is Travis Jackson (Australian – born in Canberra; grew up in Newcastle & Sydney), and I've been riding a road-bike for about 5 years. This November, I'll have been in Japan for 9 years; and I've never ridden a bike in Australia.
I bought my very first bicycle for $150 (15,000 yen) from Cost-Co near Kaihin-Makuhari in April 2003. One of my best friends, "Simon" was into bikes, and first started talking to me about the Tour de France. I also had a student at the same time, "Mr. Sammori", who always liked to start his lessons by opening a cycling magazine.
With the pair of them (persistently) in my ear twice a week, it wasn't long before I made that initial purchase… "Buy a bike!", "Buy a bike!", "Buy a bike!", "Buy a bike!" That's what I had to deal with.
After spending over $500 (50,000 yen) streamlining my $150 piece-of-sh#t, I realized I should have bought a decent bike right from the start.
I still remember my first "long" ride with Simon; we rode a whole 25km to Odaiba… and my legs were fried!!! The final 13km limp home from Ryogoku took over 2 hours – on a route that now only takes 30 minutes.
Within 6 months of first purchasing that $150 MTB (unceremoniously christened "The Mule"), I'd upgraded to SPD clip-pedals, slick tyres, and had finally passed the "100km" milestone… I thought my thighs would spontaneously combust as I lay down on the grass beside the Edogawa Cycling Road, and I swore to myself that I would never "touch foot to pedal" ever again. (I learned a very big lesson about the wind that day!)
It was around then that my two "friends" – Simon & Mr. Sammori – began hounding me again… "Now, you have to buy a road-bike!" Mr. Sammori was even kind enough to call all his various (numerous) friends / owners of bike-shops to find me a frame in my size:
A 61cm "Mobius" steel frame, hand-built by Mr. Kurita, himself – The guy who built all the bikes for the Japanese Olympic Cycling Team in the early 80's.
I did several touring trips on that bike:
Tokyo – Kyoto; May 1st – May 5th, 2005 (560km in 4 ½ days)
Kyoto – Kyushu; April 26th – April 29th, 2006 (580km in 4 days).
Not long after I got back from that second trip though, "The Mobe" steel frame fractured along the seat-tube (just above the front-derailleur) due to metal fatigue – the frame was 15 years old by then.
I had no choice but to buy a new frame – a "Giant" that my current user-name stems from: "YellowGiant" – The bike isn't even yellow, but "Gun-Metal-Grey-Giant" just wouldn't work.
However, there are still enough "yellow bits" on the bike frame's paint scheme to get away with it, so…
I went on my very first TCC ride on November 3rd, 2006. The "Tour de Unagi II" ride.
https://tokyocycle.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=176&highlight=unagi&page=6
It was "Ash" who first invited me – He's also a good friend of Simon (the guy who first introduced me to cycling).
It was on that ride that I first met Thomas & Sora-san – the creators of this "Tokyo Cycling Club" web-site.
It was also the day that I first met Nobuko. It was her first time on a TCC ride as well – Sora-san had invited her.
And now, a year and a half later, she is my "wife to be"!
WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!!!
The date is set for the 8th of August 2008 (or for analogically-challenged, 08/08/08).
It is the Friday before the Japanese national "Summer Vacation".
WEDDING INVITATION
During our time as members of TCC, both Nobu-chan & I have had the opportunity to meet a great many wonderful people; as well as conversing via this site with other members who haven't been able to make it on the rides.
Our wedding will be held at the Tokyo Baptist Church at 11:00am.
www.tokyobaptist.org
This will be the wedding church service only. But EVERYBODY is invited.
From 11:00 – 12:00: Full Christian Church Wedding Service.
From 12:00 – 1:00: There will be a short celebration outside of the church – The throwing of the bouquet, and photo opportunities etc.
From 1:30 – 3:30: We will have a lunch-time wedding reception
* The reception is limited to family, relatives and very close friends only. Unfortunately, all 60 seats are booked.
EVENING PARTY:
This is for those who can't make it to the 11:00 morning church wedding service;
A party for everybody who would like to celebrate with us!
* From 7pm – until the next morning (if necessary):
We will have the use of a weekly mansion (3LDK) around the "Shinagawa" area, with enough space to accommodate up to 100 people.
We will provide food & beverages for about those numbers – 2 kegs of beer, and food catering for a large group.
I imagine that a large number of guests will be cyclists, and I urge all those who are able to ride their bikes to the venue to DO SO! I will be on my bike as well (after the family-reception).
There will not only be guests from TCC, but some friends from the "Alpen-Marker" team as well. It's possible that the cyclists will outnumber the rest of the revellers.
WEDDING RACE
I don't think this has ever been done before, but I reckon it'll be fun…
Not far from the "weekly-mansion" is the "Shinagawa-futo" man-made island.
It's an even 4km loop, with very few traffic-lights and almost no traffic after a certain time of night.
http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/japan/tokyo-(tokyo)-shinagawa/666345479916
If we assume that only 1/3 of the guests are cyclists (about 30 riders), and the remaining 2/3rds are just there to watch, we'll have our own spectator squad.
A 20km race – 5 laps of 4km – at an average of over 30km/h should all be over and done with in about 40 minutes. Short enough that the non-riders don't get bored, but long enough for the riders to feel they "deserve a beer" afterwards!
There will be prizes for 1st, 2nd & 3rd place, as well as some "random" prizes drawn by lottery for the middle and rear riders!
It's very difficult for me list all of you that I've ever ridden with:
Do I make the list starting from "most kilometers together"? That would Thomas!
Do I make the list starting from "most influential"? That would be Sora & Simon!
……
I suppose we'd best go in alphabetical order:
Aaron (Pucci)
AlanW
Arai-san
Ash
Ben (baustin)
Charles (Chazzer)
Christoph (cinelli)
Daan
Dave (Deej)
David (TrufflesEater)
Duncan
Elvis
Gilles
Greg (gmason)
Gus Duncan
Imai-san
Ken (Kwill)
Kunio (fatty athlete)
Lee (Richy152)
Marek (livestrong)
Mike
Milin (Alcyone)
Naoko (SHIBAGON)
Naomi
Newton
Nobu-chan – my fiancée
Okey-san
Pete
Peter (Edogawakikkoman)
Phil
Philip
Phil Harris
Sergey (kpykc)
Sarah
Sha (Freeride39)
Shinobu
Simon (kiwisimon)
Sora-san
SteveT
Taro-san
Thierry (Terry)
Thomas
Todor (Trad)
TOM
Walter
Yasuhiro
Yoko-san (queenbee)
I'd never really thought about the numbers until I finished making this list…
But that's over 40 people from the simple act of riding a bicycle – and meeting those with the same hobby.
As much as I'd like everyone listed above to take part in our wedding celebrations, some of the people above will be unable to attend – due to the simple fact that they are no longer in the country:
AlanW & Naomi: Your presence will be greatly missed by all!
Alcyone & Sarah: We only rode together once; Hope all is well where you are!
Greg (gmason): How's that British weather treating you? Big THANKS for still keeping in touch, and reading the reports!
Newton: I hope the "Felt" is still rolling well in the humidity of Brazil!
Rubber down, buddy! T
SO…
This is an open invitation to everyone!
If you are free on the morning of Friday August 8, 2008, please come to see the wedding service at Tokyo Baptist Church.
And if you are free that evening, please come (ride your bikes) to Shinagawa, and join in the "Wedding Race" and enjoy the festivities afterwards – Remember: The next day is a Saturday, so you have no excuse!
I will post details of the Shinagawa-night-party-race as arrangements become clearer!
Travis & Nobu