Race Day - Post #2

As the race start time gets near, the rain slows and the temps rise quickly.  My arm warmers are peeled off before we go.  There are costumes all over... from funny, to bizarre, to wtf...  it is all here.

The attitude from the start is great.  The crowd is here to have a good time and 95% of the group knows they won't win - they are just here to challenge themselves.  We are instructed to drop our bikes in a roped off area and directed to head over to the side for the race start....

My strategy - just enjoy the course, ride what I can, and stay out of the way... MY bike is in the back of this pack.  The "running" start I took way easy and got to my bike in roughly the back 1/3.  I start nice and easy knowing it would be a long race.  Right from the start you could tell it would be a lot of give and take.  Wet conditions and 300 riders starting at the same time...  when the fire road narrowed to single track, we were queued up just trying to get a spot.  Everyone worked together and we all got through, but everyone's time was affected.  Luckily, the group was laughing and joking... none of us were gonna win and we were there for the good time, everyone was focused on the good time.

As we got to the single track, it was extremely slick.  Those who lacked some bike handling skills would bottle everyone up as they made mistake after mistake.  Again... good attitudes prevailed and we soldiered on.

The first part of the first lap was about survival.  Just get through it and the group will thin out.  This happened when we got to the "climb" toward the gondola... we were headed straight up the mountain.  It was a death march of sorts.  I was geared too high to pedal it and it was such a long climb, my calves burned as I pushed the bike.  I would ride to relieve my legs from walking, then walk to relieve my legs from riding.  It was a balance that I was struggling with, but as you looked up and down the mountain, so was everyone else.  But again - great attitudes and smiles made it not only bearable, but oddly fun.

Got a few pictures on the way up...

Some suffered more than others.....

As we reached the Gondola, it was time for "the fun part" - descending.  I took a second to kinda relax, then off I went...

There were two times I laid the bike on its side... not really a crash in that I was on my feet both times - however the conditions were kinda nasty at I started riding more cautiously - at that just made things harder.  I passed a dozen or so racers and got passed by three on the way down.  Everyone was courteous and all passes were non-dramatic.  I just kept the bike moving forward and kept my best attitude I could at the time.

I start the second lap with a water break - and I see some familiar faces.  Cjell lapped me just before the water break and Dylan lapped me shortly there after.  I shout some encouragement and cheered them on.  They were on a mission to do well, I was on a mission to just enjoy the course... and I did.

On the second lap, the course was much less slick? Seems backward to what I was expecting.  The truly sketchy areas from earlier are now tacky and the bike is actually sticking.  I continue on the course with two others - we chat and laugh and continue on.  We stop for a beer break where the second lap split from the route of the first lap.  Cheers - one beer = 1 chug per person and we roll.  Oddly - after a few hours of suffering, this was the best tasting miller lite in history!  We continue...

This section of the course I had pre-ridden the day before.  But in these conditions, things I rode yesterday were just too nasty to clear today.  With my conscious effort to stay out of the way, when I got bogged down, I pushed up the hills as fast as I could or just pulled my bike off the course to let others pass by.

Finally - the last hour or so I leap frog with "Rayden" or Chinaman or whatever his costume was.  We did not speak a common language, but we looked out for each other and made it to the finish together... maybe not the "finish" but the start line, where we were told we missed the cutoff, so ride over.

I felt conflicted - I wanted to finish and I wanted to quit...  but ultimately it was not my decision.  I can live with it.  Mission accomplished - ride somewhere new with new people and have fun.  Aside from the death march to the top of the hill (which oddly was entertaining) I had a blast.

Race Day - Post #1

There was a nice dinner/get together the night before.  I hung out for the first bit, but bailed early to head back and relax at the hotel.  I called and talked to Megan and Emily and then just laid down.  While the party was probably a blast, I needed sleep.  I woke up in the morning to RAIN!

Not a hard driving rain, but a steady dose of water.  The ground was saturated and I could only imagine how bad the course was going to be.  I sat and ate a bagel with some coffee and just watched the rain fall.  It was still a couple hours from the race, so I sat there hoping it would stop.

As the others we getting up, we all a bit excited, but worried about conditions.

Once were we all ready, we slow rolled to the race start...

Yup conditions were perfect.

SSWC 2014 Weekend.

Saturday morning rolled around and we headed to Iwatake to preride sections of the course.

The weather was great and everyone was in good spirits.  Chris broke out his camera and captured some action shots...

The trails we fun but a bit tough.  I was feeling my 33x22 combo might be a bit steep, but figured race day adrenaline would get me by.

Chuck and I took a break to 'refresh' and heckle other riders... overall a great pre-ride.

We headed back to the hotel after some social time and most seemed confident in the race set up....



Than came the rain.

Picked up some "out of towners" and showed them around...

Being the week of SSWC - Chris and Shanna flew in and crashed at my place.
After a day or so to adjust - it was time to give a trail tour of the area.
Ben came along and we rode Morito, did a little hike-a-bike and then headed back through the fun section of Ghost Town.

Of course we took a pit stop -

A nice little tune up and a chance to show off some of the local offerings.

Tune up ride - and some site seeing...

My buddy Alex came down from Tokyo yesterday to meet up and play on some trails that I have only ridden once before.  There trails are much less technical than what I normally ride, however there are some moments of flow and some that require you to point the bike and close your eyes.  I kid - but in a serious way...
The trail head if roughly 4 miles from my house and had just enough uphill for the legs to get worked in before the first second on dirt.

Once in the woods - all is better.  Just being in the middle of nowhere is good for the soul.  Alex is especially appreciating being out of Tokyo.  We just cruise along checking out the scenery as we go.

In the haze, you can see Fuji-san.  Always a great site.  3/4 of the year you can not see Fuji due to humidity.  As Winter comes along, the air dries out and the views get to be amazing.

After a quick breather, we roll out and head toward Takatoriyama.
In this area, the rocks were chiseled away to build the moat for the imperial palace in Tokyo.

It is now a recreational area that people come to hike, run, rock climb, etc... The view is not bad either...

Some of the fun of riding in this area is the hidden treasures and you approach the area.

Overall the ride was fun.  We got to get out and have some views of the area.
I rarely thought about being on a Singlespeed.  Overall - I was able to navigate everything on this trail - Up & Down with the 33x22 ratio.  Just hope that is the case next week.

A little over a week away...

I have a ride planned for Saturday and hope to get some miles in on the Soma.
I just replaced the saddle this week as the old one was leather and falling apart from the wet rides and my lack of taking care of it.  So I need that sorted out.  Bled the brakes and still not 100% satisfied but they are working well... it is just a feel thing, I want less free play.

Next week Shanna and Chris will be here as we get in the SS spirit...

On Facebook, seeing friends and random people getting prepared to travel has me pretty stoked.

Looking forward to hitting a trail on Saturday.

175km of Road Riding this week in two very different fashions....

It is Silver Week in Japan so many of my friends had Wednesday off.

A group of buddies headed down from Tokyo and I met them in Kamakura for a tour of my local roads.  The point of the ride was about miles, not speed.  Get everyone out and have fun while checking out the local scenery.

We did just that - hit up all the side roads we could find and spend  lot of time on the coast or finding our way to the top of a bluff or two for a view of the coast.  The Miura peninsula is beautiful and at times, while trying to get in the miles, it is easy to forget to look around.... not this ride!

Ira took a million photos you can check out here if you like.... Linky-Poo

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Ride #2 was a different experience.
We headed out this morning and the pace was brisk...  Usually we average a nice manageable 21mph - but today we were rolling between 24 & 26.  I personally feel I ride a nomal ride at 80% effort - not today.  80% would have had me dropped in the first 10 minutes.  Today was catch and wheel and hang on.  Jump out front to do your part when need be and recover in the draft...

On strava, I set 22PRs on this route.  The weather was much cooler than normal and everyone was amped.

Luckily - we got one picture of the group at the turn around point in Odawara and one picture of Fuji-san.

Mountain Bike Gaijin - First "organized ride"

9/19/2015 - The first ride of the "Every other week" series with Mountain Bike Gaijin.

I took over the reigns of the group just a few weeks ago with the goal of getting more riders out together and getting the group a tad more social.  If this weeks ride is any indicator, it is going to work.

5 riders (including me) showed up and got in 10+ miles of single track.
With the rain over the past few weeks, the conditions were better than anticipated, however the clay sections of trail were still horribly slick.

Some had to stop for glamour shots... the trail this morning started off with some beautiful scenery.  I never stop to capture these moments so I am glad my company did.

We continued on this trail for a bit, dealt with a mechanical, but continued on.  We headed over to single track and that was where some things got hairy...

Gravity wins!

In the end, no one got hurt, we have a good time and a few laughs.  My SS hardtail played nicely with the FS rigs with gears and out climbed others a few times.   Today's ride was a win!

Snuck out for another lunch ride...

After Monday's flat and walk, I decided I would try and get back out.
Since the Soma is waiting on the new tire, I jumped on the Niner.
I shifted it into a familiar gear that felt similar to my 33-22 and kept it there for the ride... I am spoiling my body with a full suspension ride, I might as well make my legs do the same amount of work they are used to.

The trail was horribly slick in all the clay areas.  Unfortunately, that is a lot of the areas.  My mindset is that of leading a ride, so I am looking for pitfalls I would need to let a group know of... overall - the pre-ride speech...  be careful.  Too much to list, so everyone is just responsible for staying safe and keeping a safe distance from one another so there is room to stop in the event of a crash.

Sections were cut back nicely, other sections were overgrown.  With all the rain we have had, there are washouts and other little hazards... but overall, I managed to get the bike home in 1 piece.

Rides, Crashes & tire slashes....

So yesterday I went out to pre-ride the route I intended to take on Saturday morning.
I headed out to 7-11 and clicked on the GPS to start recording.  As I headed into the Morito River area, I ran into Shigeru and his riding partner.  We chatted for a bit and he warned me the trail was super slick ahead.  After a few minutes, we headed our opposite ways.

It took a little while, but I finally got to the slick stuff he was referring to.  It was not horrible, however if you were not expecting it, I could see where it would catch you off guard.  I get up to where the trail meets a river crossing and decide this is the turn around spot.  I head back incident free.

I head back to 7-11 and make my turn to go to the other trail.  It is just a road ride at this point for maybe a km so I just spin away, however the last 500 meters are maybe 5%.  So that part is not very enjoyable.

I get to thew park and push the bike up 10% grades on a jeep trail.  Once past the initial steep part (800m), I get back in the saddle and pedal. Not too far up is the trail I am going to use as a cut-over.  I drop the seat and jump in... I clear some roots I normally get stuck on, but due to the wet/slick conditions, I took it with more speed than normal... lesson learned in that part.  The trail is fairly fun with some quick drops and climbs - but eventually I get to another section that just can't be ridden.  Maybe 100m or so - then back in the saddle.  Sadly - the slick conditions are getting worse.  I decide walking a section is the safest route... but it is so slick, even that is sketchy.

I finally get to the trail I wanted and away we go!
I am able to get over mast obstacles and only walked the bike one small rooty uphill section.
Things are feeling good until I get to the "clay chutes" - they are super slick and I went down.  Not a biggie, I put myself up and start to slide a little... didn['t even pick up the bike yet... it is snot slick...

I continue on for a little bit and then I hit the slickest section of trail.  In less than 100m, I went down 4 times.  Walking was near impossible and riding was sketchy.  BUT - I was too far down the hill to go back up... so I keep heading down to Rt 16.

I get to the section that is maybe 70 steps.  They are wood and oddly spaced.  I have ridden it a few times without issue... but today, the foliage is all overgrown.  I more or less give up on look to see the steps and just concentrate on keeping the vines from catching my bars...  I continue down without incident - until....  SPLOOSH!

On one of the last three steps I get a flat.  That sucks... but I prop the bike up, clean off the bead and attempt to reset it...  in vain.  The mosquitoes are buzzing all around, so I opt to walk my bike out of the woods and take a look again in a clearing.

Then I see it.  The 1.5cm slash in the sidewall....  Time to walk home.

The amusing part to me.. I was not even frustrated.  I just started walking.  When I got to a convenience store, I bought a beer and kept walking.  I took off my shoes because they were rubbing my heel raw, but over all - it was a beautiful day out and i was just happy to be outside.

Another 75km road ride in the books...

My weekly routine is about to change.  Probably a hair too late for the SSWC, but whatever.. it all helps.

This week is my last organizing and leading my Saturday road rides.  The ride will continue, but it has been passed off to another to keep it going.  I recently took over "Mountain Bike Gaijin" here in Japan.  It is a group of mountain bikers - mostly in the Yokosuka area (near me, yay) that used to ride together semi regularly, but since its founder moved to California has been lost without direction. Having spoken to Mark (founder) about it, he thought turning over the reigns to me made sense - and starting next week - we will have planned and organized rides to get the group moving in the same direction again.

So... this was my last road ride as the organizer.

Thoughts?
I enjoyed it more than usual.  Oddly, there is just a little bit of stress on your shoulders when you organize a road ride.  You worry a little about everyone's safety, you don't want anyone to get lost, etc...  So you spend time at the front, fall to the back, back to the front, etc...  You don't really consciously think about it as you are doing it, but you realize you are more drained after a ride than usual.  This is not any requirement put on me by the group, but rather a self imposed requirement to make sure everyone has a good time and wants to come back next week.

This week I let most know I was done organizing and would be joining the ride as a participant sporadically in the future.  Everyone was cool with it and asked a bit about the MTB thing.  I expect maybe to have two join off road, the rest are die hard roadies.

So during this ride, I just relaxed and pedaled.  I did not concern myself too much with the front or back, I just sat where ever my legs felt I should be at the time.  I looked around more than normal and the weather was pretty much perfect for the ride.  All in all - good times.

78km of Miura Peninsula is a good morning.

Starting next Saturday - I will alternate between MTB and Road every week.  Hoping to keep fitness on the road bike and keep bike handling skills on the MTB.  Hopefully this plan is a win/win!

Maybe I am starting to "get it" - Give less fucks, have more fun...

The rain continues....  Rain Rain Rain...

So on Labor day, I had the opportunity to get two rides in... one at 0600 and one at 1300.
I asked on the local MTB facebook group if anyone wanted to join in the wet fun...

For the afternoon ride... I had a taker!

Maybe it is my lack of derailleurs, my inexpensive chain, my lack of desire to be 'fast' anymore when on the Soma or maybe a combo?  But on this day, I just didn't care.  I would have fun and that was the only goal.  Never mind the rain.  Never mind this is not a trail I usually look forward to riding, but one I know won't be destroyed from riding in the rain.  90% of the trail is some variation of crushed rock.  Very little top soil for majority of the ride.  And to the cream on top - this trail has the least amount of spiders!


Ride #1
I rolled out around 5:45.  Super early for most, but a late start for me.  I would have been working for over an hour at this point if it weren't a holiday.  I rolled out and the rain let up.  It went from "rain" to a drizzle and general nastiness.  I hit the trail and the tree cover made it super dark.  The humidity and temps were fogging my glasses to the point of them being a safety issue.  Roughly a mile in, I took them off.  I rode in slick conditions and watched the river's fury like I have never seen.  This is usually a slow moving and quiet river... but today there was a rage to it.  You could hear it all through the woods...

Rolling without glasses and in the dark... I had a moment or two.  I got a branch or something right in the corner of my right eye at speed.  I took a moment to make sure all was well and to rinse out any crap that may have gotten in my eye.  I continued on to barely see some washed out areas that were not washed out a few days prior.   After a couple other close calls and realizing I was solo, I chose to turn back and head home.

*intermission - Enoshima Aquarium with the family...

Ride #2
Headed back out to the trail, but this time expecting to meet someone at the nearest 7-11 prior.
Ben shows up with a fat bike....  well hell, I am on a single speed - to each their own...  We have one goal - ride in less than optimal weather and have fun.  So we head off.  This is Ben's first time on this particular trail so we enter fairly chill and I point out the random stuff that has caught me off guard in the past.

Anyhow... easier to show than to explain....

And today we ride.... sorta...

So I made the wheel swap and the bike just looks too awesome to not ride.

BUT....

Last night I was woken up several times by rain and wind pounding my house.  Add that to the rain we have had this past week....  my "favorite" local trails are going to be un-ride-able without making trail conditions worse.  I am not a prude when it comes to not riding a wet trail, however I am against riding in conditions that will help erode and destroy a trail.  So when I knocked off work... I decided to head to the only trail I know that has lots of rock, crushed rock, roots, etc... but very little sections that would be hurt by riding.

I avoid this trail most of the time...  It is more or less boring to me on the FS or even the Soma when geared.  But today, with the wet conditions, it proved to be a fun challenge.  Yes... there was a crash-ish type thing.  I stayed on my feet, but the Garmin mount is now broke.  I also came to an abrupt stop that resulted in my bars being knocked out of alignment...  I ended up in the Morito River for a bit... I had a small vine on multiple occassion wrap around my arm while I was at speed....  some ripped skin and raw skin from those...  and one good shot to the head where I just didn't get low enough under a fallen tree....  Today's ride had it all.

But lets face it, I am not a word smith and you wanna see picture with captions, not an essay.

Here you go...

Haha - this is the river crossing and suddenly I realize the trail on the other side isn't there....   crap.

 It doesn't appear to be too deep so I rode down the river until.........

Oh shit, it's deeper

Glamour shot from

At this point, one arm is a tad bloody, the other is irritated where vines wrapped around it at speed....  yup... that sucks.

Refreshment time.....

Ont he way home....  new temple (to me)

Home.... 12:01 - I am not drinking in the morning.....