{"id":2613,"date":"2015-09-03T21:30:50","date_gmt":"2015-09-03T12:30:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2015-09-03\/2613"},"modified":"2015-09-03T21:30:50","modified_gmt":"2015-09-03T12:30:50","slug":"riding-clipped-in-baptism-by-fire-but-feeling-well-satisfied","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2015-09-03\/2613","title":{"rendered":"Riding Clipped In: Baptism By Fire, But Feeling Well Satisfied"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 75mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>50 sec, f<\/span>\/7.1, ISO 1600 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nRaging Stream<\/span>\nSmall stream runs bit more vigorously after the storms\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

Having done a short excursion riding while clipped to\nthe pedals<\/a>, yesterday I set<\/span> off on a longer<\/span> mountain ride\nto really give them a workout.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\u6628\u65e5<\/span>\u306e\u30b5\u30a4\u30af\u30ea\u30f3\u30b0\u306f\u3001\u7279\u5225\u9774<\/span>\u3092\u4f7f\u3063<\/span>\u3066\u3001\u9774\u3068\u30da\u30c0\u30eb\u306f\u7e4b\u304c\u3063\u305f\u307e\u307e\u306b\u4e57\u308a\u307e\u3057\u305f\u3002<\/p>\n\n

I didn't have any trouble at the beginning, except at the very<\/i> beginning\nwhen it took me about 10 seconds of trying to clip in before I realized<\/span> that I hadn't<\/span>\ntaken the cleat covers (to make walking down to the bike easier) off. Doh!<\/p>\n\n

The ride<\/a> ended up being\n54km (33mi) with 1,190m (3,900') of elevation gain. This is pretty mild for me, but\nit was my first real ride in more than a month,<\/span> so I was<\/span> happy to take it easy to\nshake off the cobwebs.<\/p>\n\n

Once I got into the steeper climbs, I could<\/span> definitely feel an advantage\nto the shoes... energy that I had<\/span> apparently been using to keep my feet\nsquarely on the pedals was now available on the upstroke to help propel me\nforward. I wasn't<\/span> trying<\/i> to do this... I could<\/span> just feel it happen\nnaturally.<\/p>\n\n

We had some pretty intense storms blow through recently, so the\nmountains were pregnant with water. All the rivers<\/span> were raging and so they were\nbeautiful and they made a nice<\/span> cool breeze, but the water flowing from the\nmountain at all sides made the roads wet and slippery.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 49mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/2.7, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nSwimming Upstream<\/span>\ncascades of water flow down the street\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

For normal roads, this “<\/span>wet and slippery”<\/span> was an issue only when going\ndown a steep<\/span> grade, and didn't really matter otherwise except for getting\nme wet. I mention<\/span> this to foreshadow that I eventually<\/span> moved to roads so\nabnormally-steep that my wheels were slipping even when going up slowly.\nBut that's later.<\/p>\n\n

Anyway, the first climb of the day was 350m to Kyomi Pass, then down\nthrough the mountains and up another 150m to Mochikoshi Pass. Just over that pass comes\na nice<\/span> place to rest and see a little<\/span> village down in the valley below...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 75mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>160 sec, f<\/span>\/7.1, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nThe View Yesterday<\/span>\nwithout my polarizer filer )-:\n\u6628\u65e5\u306e\u666f\u8272\u3001\u504f\u5149\u30d5\u30a3\u30eb\u30bf\u30fc\u306a\u3057\u3067\u3002\u304d\u308c\u3044\u3067\u306f\u306a\u3044\u3002\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

This photos just screams “<\/span>HEY, YOU FORGOT<\/span> YOUR POLARIZER FILTER MORON!”<\/span>, because I did.<\/span>\nI've posted many examples of how a polarizer<\/span> filter can help bring out the true color of something,\nsuch as this post last year<\/a>, so I should<\/span> know better.<\/p>\n\n

So to make amends, I'll dip into my photo archives from the only other time I rode<\/span> this route, when\nI did<\/span> have the polarizer...<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 75mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/5, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nView With a Polarizer<\/span><\/span>\nfrom last June\n\u504f\u5149\u30d5\u30a3\u30eb\u30bf\u30fc\u6709\u308a\uff08\uff16\u6708\u306e\u5199\u771f\uff09\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 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

That ride on June 4th<\/a> was with Gorm and Kumiko.<\/p>\n\n

Because Gorm<\/a> has returned to Norway it's been too long since we've seen his smile, so here it is from that trip...<\/p>\n\n

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

The short ride down the eastern side from Mochikoshi Pass is really steep (upwards of 14% at times), so I took<\/span> it\nvery slowly, using only my rear brake. Being clipped into the pedals was on my mind, as I wouldn't<\/span> be able to\nquickly compensate for any kind of slip. It was iffy<\/span> once or twice, but I made<\/span> it down in one piece.<\/p>\n\n

Going back to the June ride, here's a shot<\/span> of Gorm on a bridge<\/span> at the bottom...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 28mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nFrom June<\/span>\n6\u6708\u304b\u3089\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

The original plan for yesterday was to do half of a “<\/span>Heart Loop”<\/span> ride<\/a>, and\nif so we would now head back toward Kyoto, but Sakura-san was in the mood\nto do more climbing and to explore new roads, so we headed farther up into\nthe mountains, on a road<\/span> that I'd also taken last June.<\/p>\n\n

It was a particularly pretty road last June, I thought.<\/span>..<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 65mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/5, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nJune \/ \uff16\u6708\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

It started nice enough yesterday...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 38mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>80 sec, f<\/span>\/7.1, ISO 400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nYesterday \/ \u6628\u65e5\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 25mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>80 sec, f<\/span>\/7.1, ISO 3200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nAbandoned Building<\/span>\nI wonder what it was\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

However, the deeper into the mountain, the worse the road got...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 49mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/7.1, ISO 2500 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nTypical Scene<\/span>\nYesterday \/\u3000\u6628\u65e5\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/7.1, ISO 1600 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nScarred Guardrail<\/span>\nscarred along the way from towering trees falling across it time and again\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/7.1, ISO 2000 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nRunoff<\/span>\ngravel\/dirt left on the road by recent massive rains\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>200 sec, f<\/span>\/7.1, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nVery Rock-Strewn Area<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 50mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nSteep Climb Last June<\/span>\n\u304d\u3064\u3044\u5742\u767b\u308a\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

The last 1.7km (1 mile) of the climb averages a 10.<\/span>5% grade, but at\ntimes it's steeper, and with the wetness and general slippery-mossyness of\nthe road, it was quite precarious going up. For long stretches<\/span> the drive wheel\nwould slip a bit<\/span> with each downstroke of the pedal, before catching and\nmoving me a bit<\/span> forward.<\/p>\n\n

The ability of the wheel to grab the road was at the border between\n“<\/span>good grip”<\/span> and “<\/span>no grip”<\/span>. If I were<\/span> to hit a spot<\/span> where the wheel fully\nspun under the bike as I put<\/span> my weight into pedaling down, my forward\nmovement would immediately stop and I'd have only a split<\/span> second to put my\nfoot down to stop myself from toppling unceremoniously over.<\/p>\n\n

I didn't necessarily have confidence that I could<\/span> unclip my shoe from\nthe pedal as quickly as I might<\/span> need, but I never<\/span> found out... I made it<\/span> to\nthe top.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/7.1, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nNearing the Top<\/span>\nthe road is a river\n\u6628\u65e5\u3001\u7d42\u70b9\u306e\u624b\u524d\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 30mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nEnd of the Line<\/span>\npavement stops here \/ \u8eca\u9053\u306e\u7d42\u308f\u308a\npicture from June \/ \uff16\u6708\u306e\u5199\u771f\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Where Gorm is standing in the photo above from last June is where I'm standing in this photo from\nyesterday:<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 44mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>80 sec, f<\/span>\/7.1, ISO 3200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nStanding In a River<\/span><\/span>\n\u6628\u65e5\u3001\u9053\u306e\u7d42\u70b9\u306f\u5ddd\u307f\u305f\u3044\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 29mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>80 sec, f<\/span>\/7.1, ISO 250 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nSakura-san Swims Upstream<\/span>\nto join me at the top\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 29mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/7.1, ISO 640 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nInstagram Moment<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

We headed back down.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>160 sec, f<\/span>\/8, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nChestnuts Littering the Road<\/span>\n\u6817\u3044\u3063\u3071\u3044\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/8, ISO 400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n“<\/span>Artsy”<\/span><\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 31mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/8, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

Not quite the same caliber of “<\/span>artsy”<\/span> as on the June ride. For example:<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 67mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 250 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nGorm<\/span>\nJune \/ \uff16\u6708\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 75mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nKumiko<\/span>\nJune \/ \uff16\u6708\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Did I mention that the area can be really steep?<\/p>\n\n

Here's a picture of Paul Barr in this area on a visit<\/span> in 2011 that\nproduced “<\/span>Deep\nIn The Mountains Above Kyoto\u2019s Kumogahata Village<\/a>”<\/span> among others...<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>200 sec, f<\/span>\/1.8, ISO 640 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nin the area in four years ago \/ \u3053\u306e\u5468\u8fba\u3001<\/span>\uff14\u5e74\u524d<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

This is one of the few pictures where I think<\/span> I captured<\/span> a sense<\/span> of the steepness. I'm not very<\/span> good at that,\nas I noted<\/span> in another blog post from that day's outing, “<\/span>A Photographic<\/span> Challenge of Monumental Scale<\/a>”<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n

In this next picture from about the same location looking down the road, you can see a side<\/span> road leading off to the left....<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>80 sec, f<\/span>\/4, ISO 1600 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I'd been wanting to explore what was on that road, so yesterday we did.<\/p>\n\n

The road that leads off the “<\/span>main”<\/span> road starts over a bridge<\/span> of suspect quality....<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/7.1, ISO 3200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nBridge To Places Unknown<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Then it goes up and up and up. Not only is it steeper than anything I'd yet done today,\nat times the road was more or less washed out, leaving deep rocky haphazard ruts where the road should be.<\/p>\n\n

As I'm slowly trying to power myself up this lunar landscape, I remind<\/span> myself that if it gets too difficult\nI can't<\/span> just stop and stand up... I have to<\/span> either keep going at all costs, or plan for the few moments needed to\nunclip my foot from the pedal....<\/p>\n\n

... or, I could just hit a deep rut that makes the bike go a different<\/span>\nway than momentum carries my body, and fall over into the mud. Yeah, that\nsounds like the best option.<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>40 sec, f<\/span>\/8, ISO 3200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nOops<\/span>\n\u3084\u3063\u3071\u308a\u5012\u308c\u305f\u3002\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

Well, I wasn't planning on that.<\/p>\n\n

I really wish I could capture just how steep this is. It looks<\/span> like it's\nflat in the photo above. Even in this next photo taken later, looking back\ndown after Sakura-san had walked her bike up and was now walking it back\ndown, it looks mostly flat...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>30 sec, f<\/span>\/10, ISO 3200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

I didn't want to give up so I got right back on and continued on up. I was a<\/span> bit surprised that I could<\/span>\nclip in on the extreme slope. Perhaps it was more luck than not.<\/p>\n\n

I continued for another 100m of vertical rise until the\nsteepness\/slipperiness factor was just too much, and I gave<\/span> up.<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 40mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>60 sec, f<\/span>\/8, ISO 1600 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nLike a Frozen<\/span> Slide<\/span>\nviewed from the bottom\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>60 sec, f<\/span>\/8, ISO 3200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

Crazy steep, but again, I just can't capture it.<\/p>\n\n

I returned to where Sakura-san was waiting, and she snapped a photo<\/span> for me...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>50 sec, f<\/span>\/8, ISO 1600 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nEvidence of Fall #1<\/span>\nphoto by Mone Sakura<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

We headed back toward Kyoto, but popped back up to Mochikoshi Pass.\nI didn't<\/span> want to push too much (more) on my first\nride in a month,<\/span> so I\nheaded<\/span> home while she continued on.<\/p>\n\n

Back in the city I seemed to have hit just about every red light. It made for<\/span> good practice clipping in and out. Even\nthough most times when the light turned green I\nwas<\/span> able to clip in immediately on the first try, I was surprised<\/span> every time I\ndid<\/span> it. I have the<\/span> feeling that it'll be\none of those things that has good days and bad, and that yesterday was\na good<\/span> day.<\/p>\n\n

I wish I hadn't fallen, of course, but at the same time I feel<\/span> a strange<\/span> sense of\nrelief having fallen and not really hurt myself beyond a\nscratch.<\/span> Stress from the unknown has been taken away, a bit.<\/span> As a bonus<\/span>, no one was\naround when I fell<\/span> (it would be a minute<\/span> or so before Sakura-san came pushing her bike\nup), so it remains my dark little secret.<\/p>\n\n

Continued here...<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Having done a short excursion riding while clipped to the pedals, yesterday I set off on a longer mountain ride to really give them a workout.<\/p>

\u6628\u65e5\u306e\u30b5\u30a4\u30af\u30ea\u30f3\u30b0\u306f\u3001\u7279\u5225\u9774\u3092\u4f7f\u3063\u3066\u3001\u9774\u3068\u30da\u30c0\u30eb\u306f\u7e4b\u304c\u3063\u305f\u307e\u307e\u306b\u4e57\u308a\u307e\u3057\u305f\u3002<\/p>

I didn't have any trouble at the beginning, except at the very beginning when it took me about 10 seconds of trying to clip in before I realized that I hadn't taken the cleat covers (to make walking down to the bike easier) off. Doh!<\/p>

The ride ended up being 54km (33mi) with 1,190m (3,900') of elevation gain. This is pretty mild for me, but it was my first real ride in more [...]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,1,2,6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2613"}],"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=2613"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2613\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2613"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2613"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2613"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}