Wednesday 12 November 2014

Heeeeere's Jamesy!

I'm back!

Am I in Japan now? No. Is the blog now completely irrelevantly-named? Yep. Do I care? Not really.

So, why start this blog up again? Well, I've signed myself up for L'Étape du Tour 2015, it's going to be quite a journey getting there and I thought it might be fun to document that journey.

So here goes. Recently I've not been riding as much as I'd like, and the hills in the UK (especially Cornwall) are kicking my ass after the longer, more alpine climbs I'm used to in Japan, so it's going to be a tough slog to get to Étape fitness. So... baby steps at first...

Monday 24 March 2014

Winding down

As I look to my last week in Kyoto - and Japan - it begins to dawn on me how many great people I will be leaving behind here.

Since starting Cycling Kyoto back in September 2012, I have met countless people who I not only consider acquaintances or riding partners, but also very good friends. I honestly couldn't ever have hoped to ride with a better bunch of people.

Although I have handed over control (mostly!) to two long-term members to ensure that the group will continue, hopefully for many years to come, Saturday saw what will probably be my last major group ride. We had a great turnout and it was a wonderful day of cycling. After finishing the ride, we all got lunch and chilled by the river with a couple of beers, before going home to prepare for the big farewell party in the evening.

Great riding, great food, great drink and seriously amazing friends. A perfect day all round.

I'm gonna miss these crazy people...








Saturday 15 March 2014

Strava Gran Fondo 3

After getting some disappointing news regarding a PhD application (a project that I REALLY wanted!) yesterday morning, I thought I'd ease the annoyance by spending the day riding 100 miles. As you do.




I chose a nice route, with a bunch of climbing in the first half (and a couple of nice descents to go with them), an easier, flatter second half, and some lovely scenery. Added to the weather forecast - a little chilly and overcast, but nothing extreme - it promised a cracking day on the bike.

The first half was magnificent. I felt great, the sun actually made itself known and I got to take in some wonderful mountain scenery.

The second half began with a solid bonk - I just flat ran out of energy. I stopped and ate a proper meal (a light rice pilaf) and had a Coke, which sorted that out. Heading down the final long descent - around the 90-100 km mark - I felt an uncomfortable rumbling from my stomach. Had I not found the very well-placed 7Eleven, I think I would have had a messy final 60 km. Ugh. No idea what caused this - I can only assume I ate something bad the day before, maybe? When I finally got to the final flat 60 km,  the weather changed on a dime and I got snow, hail, rain, cloud, sun and... wind. Oh god, the wind. No matter which direction I was headed in, I was always against it (funny how that happens...) and it was STRONG. Strong enough that at one point I just gave up and took a 15-minute nap. By the time I got home, I really had nothing left to give.

That said... it took my mind off other things!






Friday 14 March 2014

Earthquake

Just a couple of days following the 3rd anniversary of the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, we just had another relatively large earthquake (magnitude 6.1), on a different fault system much further south (and rather closer to Kyoto).

Despite being awake at the time, I actually didn't feel it, nor did my phone give me any warning (it was below the intensity threshold here).

Anyway, I'm fine! I hope those closer to the epicentre are ok as well...


Thursday 13 March 2014

Hieizan Descent

Beautiful day yesterday, so I took a spin up Hieizan with Alex. Seems like Spring is finally here - from 6 to 16 Celcius in 2 days!



Featuring one of my favourite roads in the Kyoto area...

)

Wednesday 26 February 2014

Strava Gran Fondo 2





130 kilometres. Mud. Ice. Snow. Headwinds. Dead-ends. Roads that are apparently "highways" but are in fact single-lane forest roads featuring most of the aforementioned things. Steep climbs. Ripping descents. And the company of a great friend. It was even warm enough to wear shorts and a short-sleeve jersey (with a wind jacket for brisk descents).

Doesn't get much better than that!




The one slight downer was the terrible PM2.5 pollution China have so kindly sent our way. I feel like someone sandpapered my lungs. Thank you, China!


Tuesday 25 February 2014

Elbow grease

Amazing what a little effort will do... apparently there was a bike hiding under all the grease and dirt!



Going tubeless

I've been running tubeless tyres on my CX wheels from the start - they just make sense to me. No risk of pinch-flats at low pressures (I sometimes take them down as low as 20 psi with no issues) and with Stan's sealant inside, they self-seal most punctures with minimal pressure loss. For the same reason, most MTB riders now run tubeless, and have been for years.

But tubeless hasn't really caught on with roadies. High pressures made it hard to get tyres to stay on the rim, and I guess the benefits aren't as pressing. But the people who are running road tubeless setups generally proclaim it to be "revolutionary" and "the future of road tyres" so after writing off my trusty open tubulars yesterday, I thought I'd take the plunge and fit my tubeless-ready Ultegra road wheels with Hutchinson Fusion 3s and half a bottle of Stan's in each.

The promises:
  • A smooth ride, like a tubular setup but without the mess and fuss of glue or tubular tape
  • Run at lower pressures for better grip and more efficiency with no risk of pinch flats
  • Self-sealing of most punctures without having to, well, mess around

Sounds perfect for Britain's wet, rough, thorny roads...




Hopefully I'll be putting 130 km on these on Wednesday, so that should break them in nicely. From riding around town, though, impressions are excellent so far - they feel REALLY fast, and comfortable to boot.

More soon, once I get some real mileage on them...

Sunday 23 February 2014

Atagosan: first puncture in 6+ months!

Nice ride with Alex and Kory today, along the Kamogawa and Katsuragawa rivers to Arashiyama (where ice-cream was consumed, naturally) before climbing Atagosan and descending to Kameoka before heading back to Kyoto.




On the way up out of Kameoka, I nailed what looked like a big fat carpentry staple and flatted. Honestly I think that's the first flat I've had in at least 6 months, which isn't bad going! Still, fixing that in the waning light wasn't much fun, and the tyre is a write-off. Ugh.


Saturday 15 February 2014

Snow, you gotta go...

Starting to get a little tired of this weather now. This was today:



I got a couple of rides in - one on Wednesday and one today so I could complete the Stravalentine's Day Challenge - but the roads were treacherous and I can't say it was a whole lot of fun!





Monday 10 February 2014

And another snow ride...


Beautiful, crisp day today - it would have been a shame to not go out and ride!

It was an awesome snowy ride up on a bike that was pretty unsuited to the environment - lots of fun fishtailing and skidding, but no crashes! A bit of walking on more solid ice here and there, but not much. Then I, uh, got lost on the way down, lost sight of the MTB trail and the tracks of the lucky bugger with a fat-bike, and ended up on the Daimonji hiking trail. Cue an awkward and frankly at times treacherous hike down steep, slippery mud and rocks while shouldering my CX bike. Fun for all the family!

The cold killed the GoPro on the summit, so no comedy scrambling video, but enjoy the ascent!






Saturday 8 February 2014

Snow ride

In retrospect, probably a poor idea. GoPro footage afforded some quality comedy, though.



Wednesday 5 February 2014

Thesis: defended!

Finally got to defend my thesis today. I think it went well so I'm pretty positive about the outcome - I even got what seemed like a compliment from my academic supervisor!

Celebrations were summarily had, consisting of the company of a good friend and cycling buddy, a beer, a large bowl of tantanmen (spicy pork ramen) and a gratuitous parfait.

Now... to ride it all off over the coming weeks!



Thursday 30 January 2014

Strava Gran Fondo 1


Needed to complete this one, so I set off this morning. In the rain. Which did not stop.

"Optimise for suffering"... I think I managed that!



'Epic' is a word that gets thrown around too much, but I think this ride was getting there. I had a bit of a crisis point at about the 50 km mark where I literally couldn't feel my fingers, to the point where I couldn't brake or shift properly. I had to duck into a convenience store and buy some nylon liner gloves, which I wore under my other gloves - that did the trick and I was fine from then on.

So, it rained for a solid 130 km. It was cold and at times windy. Everything - clothes, bike, face... is both soaked through and absolutely filthy, plastered with road grime and oil. Rules 5 and 9 were firmly in effect today...

Rule #5: Harden The F*** Up
Rule #9: If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period. 
Fair-weather riding is a luxury reserved for Sunday afternoons and wide boulevards. Those who ride in foul weather - be it cold, wet, or inordinately hot - are members of a special club of riders who, on the morning of a ride, pull back the curtain to check the weather and, upon seeing rain falling from the skies, allow a wry smile to spread across their face. This is a rider who loves the work.

Rain makes for some beautiful views, though!

Warmth break 1: endless hot tea and organic chocolate cheesecake in my favourite cake shop

Warmth break 2: Hot cocoa with cream and sprinkles. Sprinkles are totally acceptable in this situation.

Sunday 26 January 2014

Back in Kyoto

This morning I headed out for my first ride since I got back to Kyoto. The weather forecast was wrong - it rained pretty much the whole way, and it was truly Baltic on the way down. Mud, snow and ice abounded. Good fun!

Getting ready for my thesis defence on 4th February, so the break was quite welcome. But not long to go now! And then... six weeks of freedom, in which I can ride endlessly. Should be amazing.






Tuesday 21 January 2014

Done!



Thesis submitted! Time to tidy up a few last things, present it, defend it... and then graduate!

Meanwhile, I can go back to riding my bikes. A LOT.

Saturday 4 January 2014

Sunset Sakurajima

Timed my ride just right this afternoon. There are some absurdly beautiful views to be had here! I was lucky enough to get just the right combination of light and an eruption at two different spots on opposite sides of the volcano...






How's that for a slice of fried gold?

Wednesday 1 January 2014

Bringin' in 2014

2013 - A year in summary (according to Strava):

Distance: 7,512.0 km
Time: 413h 52m
Elev Gain: 148,887 m
Rides: 146

The last 2-3 months I got almost no riding done (and physically I sure do know it!) but I managed to get one last one in to bring in the new year. Since I'm in Kagoshima for the next few weeks, there was really only one choice...



I rode around Sakurajima - an active volcano - in pitch darkness. Nearly nailed a wild boar at speed on a descent and rode through a cloud of volcanic ash (that I couldn't see until I was in it because it was dark). Then picked up a couple of beers and some fried chicken (at least half of which got fed to stray cats), sat by the bay and watched the fireworks and listened to the ships sound their horns at midnight. Good times all round.

Happy new year, everyone!