Gorm and I had a little adventure on Sunday, cycling up to Obama. I'd cycled there once before a year ago, to take the train back. This time we cycled back as well. It ended up being 213km (133mi) with 3,430m (11,250') of vertical climb.

Here's the ride on Strava:

Our route north to Obama would bring us over three major climbs, starting with my benchmark climb to Hanase Pass. I intended to pick a pace that I could handle for 200km, but ended up (I found out after getting home) setting a PR on every part of the climb [...]

Yesterday's cycling was a bit different from what I normally do of late. I was honored to be invited on Vincent Flanagan's annual "Kyoto Rooftop" birthday ride, on an often-gravel forestry road that follows the undulating ridgeline across 65km of mountains north of Kyoto. (You might remember Vincent from my bike fitting at Pedalforth.)

First we ride about 60km (37mi) northwest of Kyoto to get to the far end of the forestry road. Then snake around on the ridgeline road for about 65km (40mi) east. Then return home over Hanase Pass.

I added a little extra at the end, the [...]

Smiling Norwegian Gorm has returned to Kyoto for a month-long visit after a year's absence, and a few of us whole-heartily welcomed him with a short ("half-hearted" one could say) ride.

Manseki couldn't join us for the ride, but he saw us off and we'd return to join him for coffee later.

Our plan was to do a clockwise Kyoto Heart Loop, which starts out on a route that I first did a year ago, that time Gorm having lead the way.

This time we all knew the route. We took it easy, as Gorm was still suffering jetlag, Kumiko [...]

Saturday was a NORU group ride with 14 people, my first big group ride this year, I think. (The first NORU group ride was this lovely ride last fall.)

Vincent was doing something that looked quite strange... can you notice it in the photo?

Vincent suggested we take a short alternate to the planned route, down a lovely descent. I had the camera and so took it slow at first, but still got upwards of a safe 70kph. So fun.

The route brings us past a picturesque lake with a cemetery on the hillside opposite. It was pretty hazy so [...]

This post, brought to you at 4am by jetlag, is a continuation from "Cyclocross Races: Practice at the Mud Bath". Above we have the very first rider of the first race to make it to where I was at the Mud Bath.

The first race actually was three separate races run in parallel: "Category 3" (men who had earned the right to advance from the anyone-can-enter Category 4), "Masters 2" (men 40 and over who have done well enough to progress from Masters 3 and Masters 4), and "U17", children 17 and under who, presumably, are too old or too [...]