{"id":2714,"date":"2016-07-14T22:55:36","date_gmt":"2016-07-14T13:55:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2016-07-14\/2714"},"modified":"2016-07-14T22:55:36","modified_gmt":"2016-07-14T13:55:36","slug":"mondays-norikura-big-loop-ride","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2016-07-14\/2714","title":{"rendered":"Monday’s Norikura Big Loop Ride"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nTheme for the Day<\/span>\namazing roads, amazing vistas, wonderful weather, no cars\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

\u3053\u306e\u8a18\u4e8b<\/span>\u306f\u3053\u306e\u9593\u306e\u6708\u66dc\u65e5<\/span>\u306e\u30b5\u30a4\u30af\u30ea\u30f3\u30b0\u306e\u7269\u8a9e<\/span>\u3067\u3059\u3002\u53cb\u9054<\/span>\u3068\u4e00\u7dd2<\/span>\u306b\u4e57\u978d<\/span>\u3092\u767b\u3063<\/span>\u305f\u3001\u8ddd\u96e2<\/span>165\u30ad\u30ed\u306e\u30ed\u30fc\u30f3\u30b0\u30e9\u30a4\u30c9\u3092\u3057\u3042\u3057\u305f\u3002\n\u9032\u3093\u3060\u5ce0\u306f\u4e57\u978d\u3001<\/span>\u7f8e\u5973\u5ce0\u3001<\/span>\u5bfa\u5742\u5ce0\u3001<\/span>\u91ce\u9ea6\u5ce0\u3001<\/span>\u767d\u6a3a\u5ce0\u3002<\/span>\u7372\u5f97\u9ad8\u5ea6<\/span>\u306f3,907m\u3002\u75b2\u308c\u305f\u3051\u308c\u3069\u3082\u3001\u3081\u3063\u3061\u3083\u697d\u3057\u304b\u3063\u305f\u3002\u30ea\u30fc\u30c0\u30fc\u9054\u5409\u5ddd<\/span>\u3055\u3093\u3068\u6817\u7530<\/span>\u3055\u3093\u3001\u53c2\u52a0<\/span>\u3055\u305b\u3066\u304f\u308c\u305f\u6709\u308a\u96e3\u3046\u5fa1\u5ea7<\/span>\u3044\u307e\u3059\uff01<\/p>\n\n

In yesterday's post<\/a> I outlined<\/span> a three<\/span>-day trip where I cycled<\/span> up Japan's highest paved road three times. The main event<\/span> was the middle day, with a group<\/span> of folks from Kyoto that comes every\nyear. The day's ride started with that highest-road climb up Mt. Norikura, then continued on to four other major climbs in a big<\/span> up-and-down loop covering 165km (103mi) with 3,900m (12,800') of elevation gain.<\/p>\n\n

Here's the ride at Strava<\/a>, and a\nsurprisingly<\/span>-interesting 2-minute Relive video version<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

It ended up being the fifth longest ride I've ever done, though the most elevation gain in one day.<\/p>\n\n

Some of us started out at about 6:15am, and met up with the others...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nMeeting Up<\/span>\n6:50am\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

I didn't know most of the people in the group, so I'll introduce some of them as we go along.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nYoshiyuki Takenami<\/span>\n6:55am - taken while cycling at 19 kph (12 mph)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nEntering the Woods<\/span>\n6:56am - taken while cycling at 16 kph (10 mph)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>160 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nLeaders and Friends<\/span>\n6:57am - taken while cycling at 13 kph (8 mph)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

The two leaders of the group are Mr. Yasukawa (front left) and Mr. Kurita (rear left).\nThey invited Manseki (rear right) whom I ride<\/span> with often, and so via Manseki I, and some others\nsuch as fellow American Yifen (front right), joined in.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>640 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nStill With a Bit<\/span> of Snow<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nDMC-SZ9 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/3.1, ISO 160 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nMe, Taking The Photo Above<\/span>\nI'd taken my D4 and lenses yesterday, but for this ride just the small LX100<\/a>\nphoto by Manseki Kanemitsu<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/4.5, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nMost-Veteran Member<\/span>\nin his 70s\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nNewest Rider<\/span>\nYoriko is doing a 1,235m (4,000') climb after only four months of riding\n(the red scarf is to avoid the sun)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nMrs. Yasukawa<\/span>\nthe leader's wife\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>3200 sec, f<\/span>\/9, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nGlorious Weather<\/span>\n7:11am\n
Desktop-Background Versions<\/b>\n1280×<\/span>800<\/a>  ·  1680×<\/span>1050<\/a>  ·  1920×<\/span>1200<\/a>  ·  2560×<\/span>1600<\/a>  ·  2880×<\/span>1800<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

We all started together, but the members would split into three groups after the summit, with one group heading right back down\nto the hotel, one group doing the long ride I'll be showing in this post, and finally another group of intermediate riders doing\na shorter<\/span> loop.<\/p>\n\n

It says something about the level of this group of folks, though, that the “<\/span>intermediate”<\/span> shorter loop is essentially the 100km ride I'd\ndone the previous day<\/a> that had so wiped me out.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 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
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/2.2, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1600 sec, f<\/span>\/6.3, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nNow On the Norikura Climb Proper<\/span>\nlooking back to the ski area that marks the start\n(Mrs. Yoshikawa is on the foreground road, center left)<\/span>\n7:41am - taken while cycling at 9 kph (6 mph)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nDMC-SZ9 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/3.1, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nMe Again<\/span>\n7:46am - the same photo from yesterday's post, just to have it here too\nphoto by Manseki Kanemitsu<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nMr. Yoshikawa<\/span>\n8:17am - taken while cycling at 9 kph (6 mph)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nLooking Back<\/span>\nto where we started\n
Desktop-Background Versions<\/b>\n1280×<\/span>800<\/a>  ·  1680×<\/span>1050<\/a>  ·  1920×<\/span>1200<\/a>  ·  2560×<\/span>1600<\/a>  ·  2880×<\/span>1800<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n7 Minutes Later<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

The building at left in the photo above is a small<\/span> lodge that sort of marks the halfway point from the ski area,\nthough it's actually closer to 60% of the way up. The photo<\/span> just prior to that was taken from near the lodge.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nEnjoying the View<\/span>\n8:25am\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/4.5, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nAttempt at a Selfie<\/span><\/span>\nI'm not as good as Gorm<\/a> at it\n8:34am - taken while cycling at 10 kph (6 mph)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1250 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nNow Above the Forest<\/span>\n8:42am — with Mr. Yoshikawa in view\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>640 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nWater Stop<\/span>\nwater water everywhere, and it's pretty much all okay to drink\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1250 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nEnd in Sight<\/span>\nsort of\n8:44am - taken while cycling at 12 kph (8 mph)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

The observatory seen in the photo above is actually a 150m<\/span> (500') climb above the road pass,\nand the peak of the mountain (not visible in this photo) is that much farther up yet again. Access to\neither is only by foot, so I didn't<\/span> visit.<\/p>\n\n

When you get this view you might feel you're almost there, but it's actually still another 2km (1.2mi) of twisty, steep road to\ngo.<\/p>\n\n

Just to give you a sense of scale that the photo above totally lacks, notice the little section of snow in the middle, just\nabove where it looks like the road ends. Here's a photo<\/span> of that same “<\/span>little”<\/span> section of snow that I took<\/span> yesterday, from closer in:<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 70mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>200 sec, f<\/span>\/11, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nSmall Spot of Snow<\/span>\nwith one person climbing it\n(the spot in the back has four people on it)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nFind the Leader<\/span>\nMr. Yoshikawa is in this shot somewhere\n8:46am - taken while cycling at 11 kph (7 mph)\n
Desktop-Background Versions<\/b>\n1280×<\/span>800<\/a>  ·  1680×<\/span>1050<\/a>  ·  1920×<\/span>1200<\/a>  ·  2560×<\/span>1600<\/a>  ·  2880×<\/span>1800<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nIago Returns<\/span>\n8:47am - taken while cycling at 12 kph (8 mph)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

Spanish friend Iago, whom I first rode with on my first Kyoto Heart Loop<\/a>, had\nfinished the climb well before me, and returned back to help me finish it.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nExcess of Power<\/span>\n8:48am - taken while cycling at 11 kph (7 mph)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

(Yes, he's not wearing a helmet. Yes, we all think he's an idiot for it. Yes, he's an adult who can make choices for himself.)<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 70mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>200 sec, f<\/span>\/11, ISO 640 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nWhat Passes for a Pass<\/span><\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

The highest point in the road is not special except, well, for being the highest point in the road, and I\nguess<\/span> also being on the border between Gifu and Nagano prefectures. There's no elevation marker, but it's about 2,715m\n(8,908'). The only photo<\/span> I have<\/span> of it is the meager one seen above that I took<\/span>\nthe previous day; you can get a better<\/span> sense of the bleakness with the Google Streetview view<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

Just over the pass is an area called Tatamidaira (\u7573\u5e73),<\/span> where there's a visitor's<\/span> center from which hiking paths\nlead to various points on the mountain. There's also a pretty<\/span> little lake.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>640 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nVolcanic Lake<\/span>\n8:54am - taken while moving at 22 kph (13 mph)\n
Desktop-Background Versions<\/b>\n1280×<\/span>800<\/a>  ·  1680×<\/span>1050<\/a>  ·  1920×<\/span>1200<\/a>  ·  2560×<\/span>1600<\/a>  ·  2880×<\/span>1800<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nEntrance to the Visitor's Center<\/span>\n8:54am - taken while cycling at 23 kph (14 mph)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1250 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nTaking a Well<\/span>-Earned Break<\/span>\n9:25am — the “<\/span>long ride”<\/span> group\nwe still have 140km (87mi) left to ride\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1250 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nGetting Ready to Head Down<\/span>\n9:51am - taken while cycling at 30 kph (19 mph)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1250 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nDo Not<\/i> Overcook These Turns<\/span>\nunless you can sprout wings\n9:51am - taken while cycling at 47 kph (29 mph)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nLots of This<\/span>\n9:53am - taken while cycling at 26 kph (16 mph)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nAnd This<\/span>\nthese curves are not at all the same as the ones seen above\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

There were also some very long beautiful straightaways that at first seemed to be born to break speed records, but considering\nthat they invariably ended with very sharp hairpins that allowed no margin for error, I kept my<\/span> speed under 80kph (50mph) the\nwhole way. I like going<\/span> fast, but I'm not into taking stupid risks.<\/p>\n\n

In this next shot you can see where we're heading next....<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

Toward the background frame left are little blotches of civilization among the rolling forest. That's where we're going,\nbut to get there we have to ride 40km (25mi) and drop 2,000m (6,550') of elevation.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nRacing the Bus<\/span>\nmy last shot of Manseki flying by before I put<\/span> the camera away to beat the bus\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

The roads up and down Mt. Norikura are closed to private motor vehicles, so they're empty except for the occasional bus, taxi,\nor official vehicle (and of course cyclists and hikers). A car or<\/span> bus in front of you on the descent would destroy the fun of it,\nand you can see one approaching in the shot above, so I put<\/span> the camera away and joined the group.<\/p>\n\n

There can be a lot of cyclists, though this day there weren't so many. When I entered<\/span> the closed-to-traffic part the previous\nday, a Sunday,<\/span> the guard said that I was<\/span> the 94th cyclist of the day. This day I entered<\/span> much earlier, and was the 9th. (The next\nday I entered<\/span> at about the same time as the first, and was the 30th).<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nBack On the Open Road<\/span>\n10:16am — the “<\/span>long ride”<\/span> group, after the main descent\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

The “<\/span>long ride”<\/span> group consisted of, left to right in the photo above,\nMr. Kurita (Japan),\nIago (Spain),\nYoshiyuki (Japan),\nAntti (Finland),\nYifen (USA),\nMr. Yasukawa (Japan),\nManseki (Japan), and me (USA). <\/p>\n\n

We don't see Antti much in this post because he's “<\/span>Antti Gravity”<\/span> and rides so fast that he outruns photons. We did see<\/span> him a bit<\/span> in last month's “<\/span>Grueling Rooftop-of-Kyoto Ridge\nRoad Gravel Grind<\/a>”<\/span>, last year's “<\/span>Obama Hosts My First Bicycle\nVisit to the Sea<\/a>”<\/span>, and many in between<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nRugged Beauty<\/span>\n10:38am\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>2000 sec, f<\/span>\/8, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nLeast-Fun Part of the Ride<\/span>\n10:50am - taken while cycling at 44 kph (27 mph)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

Sometimes my chain pops off when hitting a rough<\/span> patch of road at high speed, but often I can<\/span> restore it quickly, at times without stopping or even slowing down, but it happened along the way\ntoday in such a way<\/span> that the chain got fouled in the derailleur, so it took a\nminute<\/span> to fix.<\/p>\n\n

Normally in a social group ride we make sure that the last rider is never alone, but I'd waved the others on thinking it'd be\njust a few<\/span> seconds to fix. Even though I averaged<\/span> 40kph (25mph) for the next 40 minutes (40 minutes), I wasn't<\/span> able to catch\nup until they stopped for a break.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nWe Meet Again<\/span>\n11:06am\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nManseki Cools Down<\/span>\n11:28am\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nClimbing Again<\/span>\nafter almost three hours of descent\n11:38am - taken while cycling at 18 kph (11 mph)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nHeading Into The Next Big Climb<\/span>\n11:55am - taken while cycling at 19 kph (12 mph)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

After a few minor ups and downs, it was time for ascent #2 of 5, though the smallest of the bunch\n(just 250m\/820', which is about what some of us climbed from the hotel to the starting place).<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nHappy to Be in the Shade<\/span>\nit was a hot day\n11:59am - taken while cycling at 13 kph (8 mph)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1000 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nMt. Norikura Comes Back into View<\/span>\n12:33pm - taken while cycling at 18 kph (11 mph)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

For the last few hours we'd been traveling down away from the mountain then looped to the south, and now turned back toward the\nmountain to finally see it from the other side. It was actually<\/span> a bit<\/span> dejecting to realize that we still had to ride all the way over\nto and beyond the mountain, over three major climbs, to get home.<\/p>\n\n

In looking at the trip data now, I realize<\/span> that this photo was taken at the halfway point of the trip, distance wise, almost down to\nthe foot. (Time wise, we still had a while<\/span> to go before hitting halfway.)<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/5, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nLunch Stop<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

The next two hours after the lunch stop would be spent plodding up at a steady<\/span> pace,\njust looking to get to the start of the next major climb.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>3200 sec, f<\/span>\/9, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nEntertaining Myself<\/span>\non the plodding ride by trying new camera angles\n1:30pm - taken while cycling at 12 kph (8 mph)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/2.2, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nRespite from the Heat<\/span>\nlots of tunnels today, but all devoid of traffic\n1:36pm - taken while cycling at 12 kph (7 mph)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>4000 sec, f<\/span>\/8, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n30\u00b0C \/ 86\u00b0F<\/span>\nthankfully, another tunnel awaits\n1:41pm - taken while cycling at 6 kph (4 mph)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1600 sec, f<\/span>\/8, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nTotally Pretty<\/span>\nbut frankly it gets boring after two hours\n2:12pm - taken while cycling at 27 kph (17 mph)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>40 sec, f<\/span>\/1.7, ISO 3200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nA Much<\/span>-Older Tunnel<\/span>\n2:31pm - taken while cycling at 15 kph (10 mph)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nFinally<\/span>\nready to start the next climb\n2:37pm\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nNot So Fast<\/span>\nYoshiyuki works on Manseki's bike\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

As we were about to leave, Manseki's rear shift cable broke at the control lever. This left the rear derailleur at its most\ndifficult gear, which unless fixed would make the rest of the ride impossible.<\/p>\n\n

Manseki happened to have a zip tie — the bicycle equivalent of duct tape? — in his supplies, so after a few<\/span> other repair avenues failed to pan out, I suggested<\/span> that they try to use it to\nhold the derailleur at the easiest gear. Mr. Yoshikawa was able to fix it that way, so we were able to continue.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nGood Enough To Get Home<\/span>\nwe fervently hoped\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nFlying in Support<\/span>\n3:00pm - taken while cycling at 9 kph (6 mph)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

Some folks had set off on the next climb before the problem was discovered, but those of us who remained kept together with\nManseki, lest the fix break and need fixing again.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nUnending Climb<\/span>\nwith Mt. Norikura hovering above\n3:06pm - taken while cycling at 7 kph (4 mph)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

The next climb includes a section of straight road that goes up at more than 8% for more than a mile.<\/span> The straightness<\/span> of it\nmakes it much more tough for me than the equivalent grade with turns, because you can see the whole thing splayed out in front of\nyou and until you actually get near the end you don't feel you're making any progress.<\/p>\n\n

When this road did start to curve the grade only got steeper, but thankfully at that point there was also\na mini<\/span> roadside waterfall that we could fill our water bottles in...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/4, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nDrink Stop<\/span>\n3:14pm\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/4, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n...and Cool Down<\/span>\nin the freezing water\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

We eventually got to one pass and rode down the other side,\nthen on the climb to the next big pass came across Iago and Yifen, who had stopped for a break.<\/span> Antti, we were sure,\nwas taking a nap<\/span> somewhere ahead.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nAnother Drink Stop<\/span>\n4:05pm\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

One of my biggest concerns for the trip was hydration. I have two<\/span> 750ml bottles, and even then sometimes put an extra drink\nbottle in my rear jersey pocket, and was still<\/i> worried about running out of drink in the remote areas we were riding through.<\/p>\n\n

Iago, on the other hand, brought only a small<\/span> little refillable packet he could put in a pocket<\/span> (the blue thing in his hand\nabove... maybe 200ml, the amount of about 2\/3rd of a can<\/span> of Coke). Normally he brings nothing (no bottle at all). I would<\/span> die if I\ntried<\/span> it, but it seems to work for him. He's much faster<\/span> than I am.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/4.5, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nPlaying Pro on the Descent<\/span>\n5:07pm - taken while cycling at 47 kph (29 mph)\njust being silly, but getting aero does let you go noticeably faster\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

In a post last year we saw Andy do something similar<\/a>,\nthough apart from the lack of a helmet,<\/span> Iago's attempt looks more effective.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/1.8, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nOn the Final Climb<\/span>\n5:53pm\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

The final climb was 610m (2,000') over 11km (6½mi) for an average of 5.7%, which is not that bad but after 12 hours of\nriding (and what I did<\/span> yesterday), it wears on you. The American<\/span> contingent took it slow at the back.<\/p>\n\n

Somewhere along the line I got a message<\/span> from Antti saying that he was already back at the hotel because he had seen a bear<\/span> and\ndidn't feel like waiting around at the pass to be eaten. One doesn't want to startle a bear,<\/span> so as we saw the other day<\/a>, if you're traveling through bear country, the\nrecommendation is to have something that makes noise as move. Unfortunately our chains were well oiled, so we made do by\ncalling out “<\/span>Beaaaaaaars, don't eaaaaaaaat uuuuuuus<\/i>”<\/span> at times.<\/p>\n\n

It seems to have worked.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/2.2, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nFailure as Predicted<\/span>\nin real life it was a breathtaking view\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

At one point we caught a wonderful view through a break<\/span> in the trees of the deep valley\nand the little village in which we'd started the climb. It was sufficiently<\/span> breathtaking\nthat I turned<\/span> around to return to take a picture.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

The moment I actually tried to take the photo, I realized<\/span> that it was a waste<\/span> of time. I knew that<\/span> the photo (seen above) would\nbe totally uninteresting, but I couldn't<\/span> explain why. And I can<\/span>'t explain why I can't<\/span> explain why, except to guess that I have<\/span>\nenough experiential knowledge to feel my way without actually understanding. Or something<\/span> like that.<\/p>\n\n

Anyway, I suppose it all has to do with how the brain can focus on something very specific in the scene,\nwhile the camera in this case treats everything more or less the same. Perhaps if I had<\/span> very wide glass\nsuch that I could<\/span> throw the foreground into bokeh I would<\/span> have had better luck. As it is<\/span>, I have to<\/span> tell\nyou that if you look carefully at the center, you can see a little<\/span> village down there.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/1.7, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nClose to Home, Close to Dusk<\/span>\n7:08pm - taken while cycling at 22 kph (14 mph)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

Descending the final pass down toward the hotel, we came through a flat<\/span>\narea that offered a wonderful<\/span> view of Mt. Norikura amid vegetation that\nseemed totally out of place. It somehow<\/span> felt vary Savanna-esque. I wanted<\/span> to come back the next day to see it in daylight, and to bring my nice\ncamera, but the next few photos give a hint<\/span> as to why that didn't happen.<\/p>\n\n

After a shower and a soak in the hotel's natural-hot-spring bath, it was time for dinner...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 6400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nReady For a Well<\/span>-Earned Meal<\/span>\nPension Norikura (\u30da\u30f3\u30bd\u30f3\u306e\u308a\u304f\u3089\uff09\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

We all stayed at Pension Norikura<\/a>, a\nbed<\/span>-and-breakfast-(and-dinner) place run by a couple<\/span> where the husband is an accomplished\ncyclist, so the place is very bicycle friendly. If you visit<\/span> the area, it's highly recommended, though\ntake care to understand that “<\/span>pension”<\/span> in Japanese means fairly budget\naccommodations. It's well above<\/span> “<\/span>hostel”<\/span>,\nbut below what most folks would imagine with “<\/span>hotel”<\/span>. Here the value\nis not in having 12 fluffy pillows and a chocolate<\/span> square, but in the warmth with which you're received. And the food<\/span>. The food was<\/span> very good.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>60 sec, f<\/span>\/3.2, ISO 6400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nThe First of Too Many<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>80 sec, f<\/span>\/3.2, ISO 6400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nChecking Their Data<\/span>\nat Strava\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>80 sec, f<\/span>\/3.2, ISO 6400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nWinding Down<\/span>\nwhile video from my bike front camera plays\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

All in all I felt much better after this ride than after the previous day's ride, which turned out to be my downfall. Instead\nof going to bed at 9pm as I did<\/span> the previous night, I stayed<\/span> up until midnight\nchatting and drinking.<\/p>\n\n

The others were out for another climb of Mt. Norikura the next morning, but I didn't<\/span> get out until\n11:30, where I did<\/span> a\nslow<\/span> painful ride to the top and back<\/a>, in a cold<\/span> rain. The “<\/span>painful”<\/span> part came more from the previous two days' rides than the previous\nnight's drink, but the latter didn't help.<\/p>\n\n

By the time I got back the rain had stopped and I felt<\/span> good. After another bath in the hot spring,\nI packed<\/span> up and made the 4½-hour drive back home in four hours.<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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In yesterday's post I outlined a three-day trip where I cycled up Japan's highest paved road three times. The main event was the middle day, with a group of folks from Kyoto that comes every year. The day's ride started with that highest-road climb up Mt. Norikura, then continued on to four other major climbs in a big up-and-down loop covering 165km (103mi) with 3,900m (12,800') of elevation gain.<\/p>

Here's the ride at Strava, and a surprisingly-interesting 2-minute Relive video version.<\/p>

It ended up being the fifth longest ride I've ever done, though the most elevation gain in [...]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,8,1,2,6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2714"}],"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=2714"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2714\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}