{"id":2598,"date":"2015-07-17T02:07:12","date_gmt":"2015-07-16T17:07:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2015-07-17\/2598"},"modified":"2015-07-17T02:07:12","modified_gmt":"2015-07-16T17:07:12","slug":"my-first-ascent-of-the-most-heinous-momoi-pass-east","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2015-07-17\/2598","title":{"rendered":"My First Ascent of The Most-Heinous Momoi Pass East"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nShooting the Breeze<\/span>\nprior to the ride\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

I had quite the ride yesterday, finally tackling one of the last big mountain passes in Kyoto, Momoi Pass (\u767e\u4e95\u5ce0)<\/span> from the east. It was gruesomely<\/span> long and steep.<\/p>\n\n

The plan was to start with some relatively-relaxing climbs, but Mone somewhow got a\nflat<\/span> as she arrived, so Andy, the gentleman that he is, stepped in to change it...<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nTube Change #1<\/span>\nit turns out not to be the last of the day\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

Wheel on to wheel off was 5½ minutes, which seems pretty fast to\nme. It's apparently<\/span> possible to change a tube<\/span> in less\nthan a minute<\/span><\/a>, but in the real world you have to spend the time to\ninvestigate why the tube went flat in the first place, to make sure that\nwhatever did it won't just do it again the moment you ride on the new\ntube.<\/p>\n\n

Once on our way, we headed up to Kyomi Pass (\u4eac\u898b\n\u5ce0),<\/span> a rise<\/span> of 220m over about 3km (720'\nover 1.9mi) for an average slope of about 7.3%. Knowing that I had<\/span> the imposing Momoi Pass looming later in the day,\nI didn't<\/span> want to push too hard before that, so\nfor this initial climb I just<\/span> settled into a pace<\/span> that felt natural, and somehow ended up making\na personal<\/span> best time of 13:59<\/a>, breaking the\nPR that I made<\/span> last week by 42 seconds.\nWoohoo!<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/3.2, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nWater Spring<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

Little natural springs like this are sprinkled throughout the mountains.\n(We saw a\ndifferent<\/span> one here<\/a> the other day.) It's common to see folks stopping by\nto fill up big jugs to bring home, as the water is apparently very good,\nand there's also some kind of religious aspect to it (“<\/span>sacred water”<\/span> or the\nlike). Personally, I'm a bit<\/span> squeamish about drinking water from a tube<\/span>\nstuck into the mountain, a tube<\/span> indistinguishable from the many\ngutter-runoff drain tubes I see.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

The next little climb was the much milder Mochikoshi Pass (\u6301\u8d8a\u5ce0).<\/span>\nOverall it's a rise<\/span> of 151m over 3.8km (500' over 2.4mi) for an average\nslope of 4%, but the last third or so is much steeper. The others<\/span> were\nchatting and taking it more leisurely, so I had<\/span> a few<\/span> minutes at the top to\nprepare for their arrival...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 75mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nMichael and Andy<\/span>\napproach the pass\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 75mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>160 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nLaughing Finish<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

Michael is likely smiling at Andy's grimacing, which is likely\nclass-clown antics. Everyone likes to put on a show<\/span> when they crest a\npass.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Okay, not everyone... Sakura-san is like the Energizer Bunny...\nexpressionless, but untiring and never stops...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 75mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

Manseki rode one of the most famously-tough rides in Japan, Mt. Norikura<\/a>, a few<\/span>\ndays ago, so today he was taking it easy. He's a former<\/span> professional skier\nand ski instructor, so he's used to performing for a camera<\/span>; his look is very\nconsistent...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 75mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

This calls to mind “<\/span>Manseki on the Attack<\/a>”<\/span> from last month.<\/p>\n\n

Next we had a long enjoyable downhill, and somewhere along the line Manseki decided that he was going to hit it hard, so he took off like a rocket.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Andy seemed to have taken it as a challenge,<\/span> so planted himself on Manseki's rear wheel...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 38mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nDrafting<\/span>\ntaken while cycling at 31 kph (19 mph)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

Manseki couldn't shake him, but a rock<\/span> or something took care of slowing Andy down...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 38mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/2.4, ISO 800 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nAndy's New Tire<\/span>\nwith a special cameo by his pet insect Clarance\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/3.2, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nTube Change #2<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

Andy had only one spare tube, so thought it prudent to patch the old tube so that it'd be available should he need it later...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 27mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/2.2, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nPatchwork<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\niPhone 6 + iPhone 6 back camera 4.15mm f\/2.2 at an effective 29mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>60 sec, f<\/span>\/2.2, ISO 32 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nphoto by Michael Edwards<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

While Andy was changing his tire, some folks we'd passed as they rode up came back down and flew by us. I didn't<\/span> notice at the time,\nbut check out this guy's bike:<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 27mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>200 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

Judging from the look on Andy and Michael's faces, they did notice the cute bicycle.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 27mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

This member of the group has a bicycle computer mounted on his bike, so I'm guessing that\nit's this guy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

After another 150m of vertical climb over Ebumi Pass (\u6c5f\u6587\u5ce0),<\/span> we made our way farther north,\nheading toward the start of the day's big climb, Momoi Pass.<\/p>\n\n

But not before Andy took a short siesta...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>200 sec, f<\/span>\/1.7, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nDisoriented After a Short<\/span> Nap<\/span>\n( either that, or making minor adjustments to Sakura-san's derailleur )\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

Then it was time to reckon with Momoi Pass. The full route<\/span> is broken into two sections,\nthe first being to an intermediate pass, Maegahata Pass (\u524d\u30f6\u7551\u5ce0).<\/span> That section has 350m of rise over 4.8km\n(1,150' over 3mi) for an average of 7.3%, but those relatively-mild number belie the true horror of this section.\nThe final mile (1.7km)<\/a> has an average slope of 12%. This was tough.<\/p>\n\n

The road has a bunch of switchbacks snaking up the mountain, and at one\nparticularly sharp curve the road was very wide, so I took<\/span> the opportunity\nto try to ride sideways across the road to give me a moment<\/span> when I wasn't<\/span>\npitched up at a precarious<\/span> angle, so that I could<\/span> safely let go of the\nhandlebars with one hand and grab my water bottle.<\/p>\n\n

I could grab the bottle, but what I couldn't<\/span> do was drink; my lungs just\ncouldn't spare the two seconds of oxygen deprivation that a swig<\/span> of water\nwould entail.<\/p>\n\n

I'm not sure what to make of this. Generally, my heart and my legs are\nnot taxed at all when I ride<\/span>; it's my lungs that are my limiting factor. I have absolutely<\/span> huge lung capacity (more than 5L), and I've never run into\nanother cyclist whose lungs are their limiting factor, so I wonder<\/span> whether\nmy iron might be low. I'll have to have it checked out.<\/p>\n\n

Anyway, I made the worst part of the climb in 14:20, which I'm happy to\nsee is not more than double the best time logged on Strava (8:31). But I must<\/span> admit defeat because my goal in doing it this first time was not to do\nit quickly, but to do it without stopping, and without using my easiest\nfront gear (a gear<\/span> that I would<\/span> not have if I had<\/span> a real<\/span> road bike). But I couldn<\/span>'t do it, so gave up and used the easiest gear, and even then only barely\nmade it without stopping.<\/p>\n\n

It was really tough.<\/p>\n\n

It didn't help that it was 34\u2103 (93\u2109). I'd brought<\/span> plenty of water (actually “<\/span>Aquarius”<\/span> sports drink), but couldn't\ndrink it without stopping and catching my breath, so I did<\/span> without.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 75mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nAndy Crests the Pass<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

Next was Sakura-san, but she looked identical to the shot above (and indeed identical to every shot of her cresting a pass<\/span>; she's a mountain<\/span>-killing robot),\nso no need to repeat the photo here.<\/p>\n\n

Then came Michael, who had been kind enough to stop at one of the aforementioned mountain springs to wait for Andy and Mone, and douse them with cool water as they rode by.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 75mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nFocused<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

I feel a little ego boost to be the first to arrive at a pass<\/span> (okay, a\nbig<\/span> ego boost), but the reality is that both these guys are far stronger\nand faster than me, and are merely choosing an easier pace today. For\nexample, last year Andy did the same climb more than two minutes faster\nthan my 47:37 of today. Yet despite<\/span> both being far faster than me, they're\nnot considered “<\/span>fast”<\/span> among the local Cycling Kyoto group, because there\nare folks who can do this climb in the 28-minute range. That kind of power\nboggles my mind, yet a pro<\/span> cyclist could probably do it in 15 minutes.\nWow.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 35mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>80 sec, f<\/span>\/2.3, ISO 1000 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nWhy I Love<\/span> Cycling Here<\/span>\nEasy Laughter\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

I don't recall what Andy was laughing at, but Michael had just poured a\nbottle<\/span> of water over his own head to cool down, so it was probably related\nto that. But who knows<\/span>, Andy had such a fun<\/span> personality that he doesn't\nreally need a reason<\/span> to laugh.<\/p>\n\n

After this the route took us up another 150m (500') to Momoi Pass, but\nfirst it descended a bit<\/span> to a small<\/span> village, one I recognize<\/span> every time I\npass<\/span> through as being that of the “<\/span>Purple Irises in the\nMountains<\/a>”<\/span> from eight years ago. When I wrote<\/span> that post I never<\/span> in a\nmillion<\/span> years would have believed that I'd ride a bicycle<\/span> out that far. How things<\/span> have changed.<\/p>\n\n

Then on to the real Momoi Pass, which Andy had told me was “<\/span>just a\nlittle<\/span> push”<\/span> past the climb we had just done, but it was another mile of\n10% grade. I found<\/span> it easier to do if I tried<\/span> to pretend that I didn't<\/span> exist.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/1.8, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nTaste of the Descent<\/span>\nthat's the road at left, down after a hairpin<\/span> turn just out of frame\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

As noted before, it was hot, but on the plus side, it was again proven\nhow good the Under Armour “<\/span>Heat Gear”<\/span> compression shirt is (seen and talked\nabout here<\/a>). It makes<\/span> your sweat evaporate quickly, which keeps you cool. Though it was really\nhot, I felt uncomfortable<\/span> in only two situations over the course of the\nwhole day: The first was when descending from a pass,<\/span> where the abundance\nof built-up sweat from the climb combined with an abundance of speed on the\ndownhill, and I got<\/span> genuinely chilly, especially going down from Momoi\nPass.<\/p>\n\n

Let that sink in a bit. It was 34\u2103 (93\u2109), and this shirt made me feel chilly. This is why I own<\/span> stock in the company.<\/p>\n\n

The second time was back in Kyoto just before the end of the ride, after\nhaving stopped for coffee with Michael. Returning to the bike in the heat\nof the day, my shirt had dried and so couldn't do its sweat-evaporating\ncooling magic, and I was<\/span> immediately hot and miserable for a few<\/span> minutes\nuntil I moved<\/span> enough to work up a sweat<\/span> again.<\/p>\n\n

I've extolled the virtues of these garments to folks I ride<\/span> with, but it's clear no one believes me. Their loss.<\/p>\n\n

Anyway, back to today's ride, after Momoi we lost track of Sakura-san. It turns<\/span> out that instead of returning to Kyoto\nshe'd gone back up the mountain to Hanase Pass, but since there was no phone connectivity, she couldn't message us. But we weren<\/span>'t\nworried because we know she knows these roads well, having done them with her multiple times in the past.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nAndy Acting Silly?<\/span>\n2:26pm - taken while cycling at 25 kph (15 mph)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

At one point during the long descent from Momoi Pass (which merges into\nthe descent from Hanase Pass), I turned<\/span> around to take a photo<\/span> of Andy\nbehind me, and he got into this ridiculously exaggerated “<\/span>aerodynamic”<\/span> tuck\nfor the camera.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

I though it was just Andy being silly, until later that evening watching\nthe Tour de France I saw<\/span> the pro riders doing exactly the same thing on a\nlong<\/span> downhill. They were going up to 4× faster than Andy, but of\ncourse that's only because Andy had to artificially limit his speed because\nwe were on public roads and not a closed<\/span> course. \ud83d\ude09 <\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nThe End<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

It was a really fun day with good folks, made all the better when I look<\/span>\nat the ride\ndata at Strava<\/a> and see so many new personal records. It's superficial, I know,<\/span>\nbut it's a big<\/span> motivating factor.<\/p>\n\n

Next Monday is a national holiday in Japan, “<\/span>Sea Day<\/a>”<\/span>, so\nI'm planning to ride 100km through heavy mountains to the Sea of Japan, to the city of Obama in Fukui Prefecture.<\/p>\n\n

The last time I was in this area was 20+ years ago on a motorcycle<\/span> camping trip when I met<\/span> the misfortune of a direct<\/span> hit\nby a typhoon<\/span> just as I wanted<\/span> to settle down for the evening. I'd struggled<\/span> to set up my tent in gale-force winds, only\nto give up in defeat and head, soaking wet, into town to find a Japanese<\/span> inn<\/a>\nto stay the night.<\/p>\n\n

The next morning at a supermarket to get food for the day, even though\nthe rain had stopped the wind still howled, and it literally blew my parked\n(heavy) motorcycle over, toppling it into a car,<\/span> causing a big<\/span> dent. I was in<\/span> the store when it happened; I don't<\/span> think I've ever personally\nexperienced wind that strong. (This wind<\/a>, in comparison,\nwouldn't have even nudged the heavy motorcycle.)<\/p>\n\n

Japanese culture and Japanese law places the burden of any accident on\nthe heavier vehicle, so the lady whose car was damaged by my bike probably\nthought she was getting a lucky<\/span> break when I agreed<\/span> to pay half the cost of\nrepairs, but thinking about it later I realized<\/span> that even though it wasn't\nmy fault, is was even less her fault, so I went<\/span> ahead and paid for the\nwhole thing. It just seemed<\/span> to be the right thing to do, so that's why I\ndid<\/span> it, but I would<\/span> have liked to see her reaction. (This was the next day,\nwhen talking to the repair shop, so I never<\/span> did see her again.)<\/p>\n\n

Anyway, we have a mild typhoon passing by as I write<\/span> this. Another is\nout in the Pacific and may arrive here next week, but Monday is looking\nclear, so here's keeping fingers crossed.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I had quite the ride yesterday, finally tackling one of the last big mountain passes in Kyoto, Momoi Pass (\u767e\u4e95\u5ce0) from the east. It was gruesomely long and steep.<\/p>

The plan was to start with some relatively-relaxing climbs, but Mone somewhow got a flat as she arrived, so Andy, the gentleman that he is, stepped in to change it...<\/p>

Wheel on to wheel off was 5½ minutes, which seems pretty fast to me. It's apparently possible to change a tube in less than a minute, but in the real world you have to spend the time to investigate why the [...]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,1,2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2598"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}