Saturday rides
From:
"Half-Fast Cycling" <bulletin@PROTECTED>
Subject:
Saturday rides
Date:
November 26th 2020
Saturday
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…will still be cycling-shorts weather (16 degrees and sunny), so of course our usual Odaiba run, and Peter has something planned out Okutama way. His delightfully detailed description is below. Nothing as yet planned for Sunday.
Masks up, please. And bring an eco-bag for your convenience store lunch. Half-Fast is trying to reduce our dependence on single-use plastic bags to zero.
Saturday Odaiba Beginners’
Start at the Grand Hyatt in Roppongi Hills at 11:00 a.m. for our usual 30-km jaunt out to the magical island in the bay for a conveni lunch and a brew or two. Back by 2:30 or so. Leader: me.
Saturday Okutama Adventure
Saruhashi → Matsuhime (1250 metres) → Okutama. And as far downstream from there as you like.
Arrive at Saruhashi station (one stop east of Ōtsuki) at 08:52. (This means getting on a train that leaves Toyoda at 08:04, Hachiōji at 08:11, etc.)
Get out of the north exit and roll downhill to the 7-11. We set off from there at 09:15 and go uphill. The road is good (and little travelled), the climb isn't steep, and the views are pleasing. At 16 km on the map https://ridewithgps.com/routes/34733751 (which you can export as a FIT, TCX, or GPX file), we're confronted by two tunnels. Right-thinking citizens take that on the right; we take that on the left (abandoned and thus not illuminated). Then uphill along the deserted road for another 8 km. (Again, not steep.)
At the top we rejoin civilization. There's no second non-trivial climb: we go downhill to Kosuge and to lunch at Yakyū-tei (at the western end of Okutama-ko), around Okutama-ko, and from 49 km turn onto Okutama "mukashi-michi" (a lot more enjoyable than the main road). You're free to turn left from Tama for Okutama station (56 km from the start), Ōme station (75 km), Haijima station (87 km), or wherever: the RwGPS route ends rather arbitrarily at Fuchū; but unless something unexpected happens, I'll continue downstream to Marukobashi. As well as finishing anywhere, you're free to bypass "mukashi-michi", to skip lunch, etc.
"Tourist" speed. By which I mean, clapped-out senior citizen [that's me] speed. I'll wait for anyone at the top (of course) and also at turnings. There's about 1200 metres of climbing till we get to the top of Matsuhime pass (but it's Ōtarumi gradient, not Wada gradient); the distance is a minimum of 56 km (or rather less if from 49 km you simply follow route 411): decide for yourself if this adds up to a ride that's "intermediate" or "advanced".
There can be a fair amount of debris on the abandoned road up to Matsuhime pass, so avoid delicate tyres and bring a spare inner tube -- yes, even if you're running tubeless. (I'll be on 700×28C.) Bring lights and a windbreaker, of course. The altitude is less than half that of Norikura (2716m), so as long as you don't dress for summer you're not going to freeze. But make sure that your bike is in good nick -- particularly its brakes.
Your "leader" (very likely from behind): Peter Evans peter.evans.somewhere@PROTECTED
=================
The amusement never ends
Il Padrone, 090-5813-6721
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