From the ever-reliable Wikipedia:
859 m of overall elevation gain (1088 m total with ups and downs) over 23.7 km distance...
When I left Kyoto, it was raining. The weather forecast was for 'scattered showers' - workable enough. When I got to Kobe, it was still raining. Hard. This was not 'scattered showers'.
I met up with Barry from Kobe Cycling Club, who I have wanted to ride with for a long time. He is VERY fast and is top 5 on the leaderboards for most of the big climbs in the Kobe area. What's more, he is British (Scottish in fact), and it's always nice to ride with a fellow Brit. Oh, and he's also a thoroughly nice guy!
We set off for Rokko-san in the pouring rain. Once you're wet, you're wet, so you might as well just go for it. And the climb was... much easier than I was expecting. The first 2-3 km were very steep and quite tough going, but past that, beyond a few steep ramps (especially one at the end) it really wasn't that bad. Just very, very long. I paced myself very conservatively, generally not going over my threshold heart rate, and I know I can go much faster next time. And yeah, I will be back!
After Rokko-san we went down to the junction and then up to the top of neighbouring Maya-san. Whereas Rokko offered us nothing, Maya did eventually give us a break in the clouds - finally, a rewarding view!
We also met a group of very friendly Japanese ladies who had bravely hiked up in the rain. We were clearly cold and they were impressed with our efforts - they rewarded us with a cup of hot coffee from their gas stoves. Pretty much saved the day! Japanese generosity is amazing, even across the language barrier, as always.
As we left Maya summit the weather actually started to break. The clouds parted a bit and the fog moved on, giving us some amazing views and letting us dry off and warm up a bit. Unfortunately the roads were still soaked and the final descent down the very steep Omote Rokko Driveway road was pretty terrifying, with barely-functioning brakes and slippery fresh tarmac...
Safely down (by some miracle!) we made the ride to Nishinomiya where we pulled up outside Awajishima Burger - without a doubt the finest hamburger I have eaten anywhere, not just in Japan. A bacon cheeseburger, onion rings, a Coke and a frosty Longboard beer - ample reward, I think! It tasted even better than usual after climbing Rokko, believe me!
Sounds pretty horrendous. So, naturally, today I took my bike on the train to Kobe to have a crack at the western road up Rokko-san: my first HC-categorised climb...Hors catégorie is a French term used in cycle races to designate a climb that is "beyond categorization", or an incredibly tough climb. Most climbs in cycling are designated from Category 1 (hardest) to Category 4 (easiest), based on both steepness and length. A climb that is harder than Category 1 is designated as hors catégorie. The term was originally used for those mountain roads where cars were not expected to be able to pass.
 |
| The HC climb segment |
859 m of overall elevation gain (1088 m total with ups and downs) over 23.7 km distance...
When I left Kyoto, it was raining. The weather forecast was for 'scattered showers' - workable enough. When I got to Kobe, it was still raining. Hard. This was not 'scattered showers'.
I met up with Barry from Kobe Cycling Club, who I have wanted to ride with for a long time. He is VERY fast and is top 5 on the leaderboards for most of the big climbs in the Kobe area. What's more, he is British (Scottish in fact), and it's always nice to ride with a fellow Brit. Oh, and he's also a thoroughly nice guy!
We set off for Rokko-san in the pouring rain. Once you're wet, you're wet, so you might as well just go for it. And the climb was... much easier than I was expecting. The first 2-3 km were very steep and quite tough going, but past that, beyond a few steep ramps (especially one at the end) it really wasn't that bad. Just very, very long. I paced myself very conservatively, generally not going over my threshold heart rate, and I know I can go much faster next time. And yeah, I will be back!
 |
| At the top! |
 |
| Celebrating, British-style! |
After Rokko-san we went down to the junction and then up to the top of neighbouring Maya-san. Whereas Rokko offered us nothing, Maya did eventually give us a break in the clouds - finally, a rewarding view!
We also met a group of very friendly Japanese ladies who had bravely hiked up in the rain. We were clearly cold and they were impressed with our efforts - they rewarded us with a cup of hot coffee from their gas stoves. Pretty much saved the day! Japanese generosity is amazing, even across the language barrier, as always.
 |
| Atop Maya-san in the rain, nursing our precious coffees! |
As we left Maya summit the weather actually started to break. The clouds parted a bit and the fog moved on, giving us some amazing views and letting us dry off and warm up a bit. Unfortunately the roads were still soaked and the final descent down the very steep Omote Rokko Driveway road was pretty terrifying, with barely-functioning brakes and slippery fresh tarmac...
Safely down (by some miracle!) we made the ride to Nishinomiya where we pulled up outside Awajishima Burger - without a doubt the finest hamburger I have eaten anywhere, not just in Japan. A bacon cheeseburger, onion rings, a Coke and a frosty Longboard beer - ample reward, I think! It tasted even better than usual after climbing Rokko, believe me!
 |
| A truly transcendent meal... |
No comments:
Post a Comment