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In true Positivo style, there was no plan other than to meet to plan at Starbucks at any time on Sunday morning so long as we were ready to roll at 7:30am. Shane, James and I left promptly at 7:43 without a plan but with a plan to plan the route along the way. There had been vague talk of Yamanaka, Saiko, Odawara, Yabitsu. As a precaution we had bike bags which, contrary to plan, were not used. The plan was finally hatched at the bridge near the 7-11 & Y’s Road on the Tamagawa. In the interests of full disclosure, although we had stopped for several minutes while I fiddled with my cadence sensor, the plan was not actually finalised until we rode across the bridge very gently as the plan was coming together slowly. Up Route 20, passed Drug Dealer House (pictured at top), around Tsukui-ko and then turning off by Paddington Bear Land which is also known as Picnic Land, turning right at the house with the huge red chili on the roof and along this beautiful road to Route 20 again right by the road that leads to the backside of Wada.I had never ridden Wada Toge from this ‚easier‘ side. It is certainly longer than the front side, beautiful, but steep nevertheless. The gradient is regularly at 10% and in several parts it kicks up to 12%. Not knowing the finishing elevation (my usual way for gauging climbs for planning my attacks) I asked a kindly elderly couple who had stopped to enjoy the wonderful views how much further to the top. „20 or 30 minutes“ they said. Arrgghhh! That was disappointing news indeed, but thankfully was incorrect, A few minutes later we rounded a corner to see the top and the Witch House. I have never seen the witch so wasn’t sure if the person inside with a broomstick, pointy hat and a wart on her nose was her, but judging by the number of people milling around but not actually sitting on the benches in front I suspect it was.From the top of Wada we made brisk progress to the river to return home. As we were joining the river we saw Tyler and some of his friends ride by. As we turned confidently to the right onto the river we wondered why they were riding in the other direction. Doubt soon crept in to our minds. Was the plan wrong? As I was looking at the sun to get my East-West bearings Shane pointed out that we were riding against the flow of the river and that could not be correct. Good Boy Scouts work that. While Shane and I were playing native American Indians and Boy Scouts, unbeknown to us, James devoured a chocolate bar* which must have had something in it. He put the hammer down and we had to work very hard just to hold his wheel for the next 20 minutes. The man was out of control, reminding me of the story Shane had told a couple of hours earlier about how his dog went flying around after the vet administered a rectal thermometer. It took the dog a week to calm down, but rather less time for James. We made very short work of the Asakawa and were soon at 7-11 on the Tamagawa for the final refueling.It is said that after a long ride one should take the last few kms gently as a warm down. It makes perfect sense. While stopped at a red light (yes) two little girls in the back seat of their parents car were waving and smiling. Why I decided to ride right behind the car at 45km/h while they continued to wave and giggle I have no idea.** And then closer to home, I decided for no good reason other than to hunt down James to sprint up Elvis Hill. That finished me for the day. I arrived home just as my family were returning from a weekend up in the mountains. Humphrey (the dog) was excited but no comparison to Shane’s dog after the encounter with the vet I would think.
After a long drive back from the mountains my wife announced she wasn’t cooking so I went shopping to buy ingredients. On the way back from the supermarket I stopped in the pub for a recovery pint of Guinness. I was after all, Guinless. Guinness has vitamin B and iron and used to given to patients recovering from operations in the UK. I’d rather have a Guinness than a vitamin B12 shot that pro cyclists have after a hard ride. Did you know that a pint of Guinness only contains 200 calories? That is less than orange juice or skimmed milk. In the pub I met a woman who had just had a blazing row with her husband and was having a few drinks to calm down. Back at home, inspired by Tom’s blog of last week, I cooked the ultimate recovery dinner (bangers & mash) while listening to Thelonius Monk.
To help recover from long rides I recently purchased a pair of Skins compression tights (y’know, black with yellow stitching). I wore them last night in bed. I wonder if my wife realised she was sharing a bed with SpiderMan***?

150km and almost 1600m of climbing. I’m still hungry.

*Cadbury’s Boost. Actually consumed at the bottom of Wada waiting for my compatriots to navigate beyond the bus stop. Highly recommended, provided enough oomph to overtake buses, and still get us back to the Tama at a decent clip. As my friends used their Boy Scout skills, I used mine and checked Google Maps on the iPhone.

***Such a black costume rather than the original red one would indicate that our intrepid writer has been taken over by a Symbiote as seen in Spiderman 3. This may explain the extra accelerative powers witnessed yesterday on Komazawa Dori. You have been warned.

One for ze Germans..

„..describes the intensity and commitment that a young cyclist must have to be competitive in our sport. It’s an inspiring 5 minutes starring Jacob Junghanns.“

via Cycling Tips

Still your idol?


Not only big in Germany apparently….

and a bike leaning against a fence.

Alive and Well…

Wednesday was a national holiday originally to celebrate the Emperor Meiji’s birthday but is now known as Culture Day. On Culture Day one traditionally promotes culture, the arts and academic endeavour. Rather than promote academic endeavour it was a day for James and I to get a proper ride in. While waiting at Ebisu station I was debating whether I was going to have to implement the 3 minute rule and leave without him. 200km alone could be a little tedious. I then checked my vmail to find my riding companion was actually holed up in Starbucks about 50m down the road. Why hadn’t we thought of starting winter rides there before?? Kinda Euro but a quick glance at the Eurocyclist Rules shows I failed on many fronts: I was wearing black bib-shorts, my shoes were not at least 80% white, my saddle was not white, I had a seat bag, my bar tape was not white, I wasn’t riding tubulars, my legs were not shaved, I was not wearing cologne, I had some Shimano equipment and I don’t drink coffee. I couldn’t decide which photo is of the ultimate Eurocyclist so I offer two (the same person):
Remember: „Image and style shall be your primary concerns.“
Contrast and compare.

Getting a little tired of the usual routes we headed towards Takao via Rte 160 off Rte 20. This is a longish, steady incline a little like Hospital Hill. Along the way I chatted briefly with a guy on a nice carbon finished Kuota. I wouldn’t mind one of those…. At Takao we stopped for refreshments and broke the rules by visiting FamilyMart directly across the road from 7-11 only because it was in the sun. Here we met Fixie Tim and a new recruit with a beautiful Wilier (I need one of them) who he was about to take up Wada. Reading the TCC blog it seems they changed their plan and went up Odarumi and around the lake instead. From here we rode on towards Tomin no Mori and stopped at the last 7-11 for water. It was a pleasant surprise to bump into Pro-Dave (a.k.a. James M) who was training with a group of local lungs-on-sticks. We quietly let them go ahead…..

The weather was beautifully clear but perhaps a little colder than anticipated. However it was ideal for taking the required mountain photos and photos of leaves changing colour. To complete the set I took a photo of my bike leaning against a fence because all Positivo bloggers seem to do this. We had agreed to climb the 750m vertical up to Tomin no Mori at a sensible pace. Not going into the red line on a long climb was a new thing for me. I experimented by going up all the way in my 24 which was comfortable. On the way up I caught up with and chatted to a guy on a 2010 Pinarello FP3. Nice looking bike but I’ll wait for Santa to bring my a Dogma.
At the top of Tomin we were passed by an ambulance and I assumed a lunatic motorcyclist must have overcooked a corner. However, it turned out that a little yellow car had overturned. I’m still not quite sure how the driver managed to do this. Not being a paramedic I was unable to help out. It seemed the driver had merely hurt his wrist and had a bruised ego. The descent was cold so we headed straight for the Shangri La of Watanabe & Watanabe’s where we devoured katsu-don and hot tea. We were served by a friendly woman but I cannot be sure whether she is the great, great, grand-daughter or great, great grand-daughter-in-law of Taro Watanabe or even his brother Jiro.
Fueled up by katsu-don we hammered it towards Ome. The road was uncomfortably busy and the tunnels unpleasant with traffic and water cascading from the ceilings. Both of us started to suffer stomach cramps so we took a short break in Ome and tipped our helmets to the Aurore Bakery. Once back towards the river the return trip is rather anti-climactic but we did encounter this interesting vehicle. Note the dog in the bag.
I returned home having ridden 199km and climbed close to 2000m. While stretching, or trying to, I was mauled by Humphrey (pictured here with a chain-ring tattoo on his muzzle) who was not only excited to see me home but wanted to make sure I knew it was time for him to be fed. I ate a huge dinner and was still eating loads to next day.

via AHBM

„To stop at red would be French, or socialist. Possibly both.

A similar liberty with dress codes applies, also. I’m identifying as metropolitan middle-class, but of the knowing, dissenting, ironic subset thereof, and – god forbid -nothing like a not-know-any-better bourgeois.

It’ll soon be cool enough for my beat-up old Classic Softshell Jacket. I can’t wait to wear it again – even if I’m the only person who’ll notice.“

A Tale of Two Cycling Cities – Rapha