Friday 21 September 2012

End of summer - logging the miles!

So the long, hot days of summer are drawing to a close. Can't say I'm sorry to see them go. That means more amenable temperatures for riding, which I'm certainly happy about.

Yesterday's effort was a good 52km bash up into the hills north of Kyoto, taking in a Cat 3 climb to Kumogahata followed by the greatest descent ever, then another Cat 4 climb up to Kurama. About a 1000m total elevation gain through some beautiful countryside.

On Sunday I'll probably be doing the same route again (fun!) and next weekend will bring a return trip to Nara - doing it with a group we'll be splitting it over two days, so it's only a relatively flat 60km per day. Sure to be easier than the last time - the full 120km return route in one very hot day 2-3 weeks after my crash!

Monday 3 September 2012

Coming soon: Fujisan!

Well, with an end to the nightmare that is the swampy Japanese summer finally in sight, it's time to get back into fun things like climbing and riding...

First up will be a crack up Fujisan (Japan's highest mountain, of course) in about a week's time (weather-dependent). By all accounts it's a pretty dull climb so I'll be spicing it up with a bivi on the mountain. Photos to come when I come back.



Also looking forward to getting a bit of (rather mediocre) rock/gym time in and some quality biking, including another trip to Nara which I have planned for early October.

Following that, well... bring on the winter season!