Stage 2: 新野峠 (Niino-mountain-pass) 200km, unfinished
Last Friday after school I decided as the weather was staying dry I'd do some more cycling this weekend. I nipped round to my bike shop and was looking for a cycle computer deciding that would be the best way to keep tabs on my riding fitness. While I was there they told me the training ride for the 400km ride would be this Sunday; having been cancelled three times already due to rain. I'd never ridden with the club before, I'd never ridden with any club before, I'd never ridden 200km before and I'd never ridden to an altitude of over 1000m before.
Well then...
I'll do that.
Stage 2 of training for my 400km ride:
The training ride follows the route we'll take later in the summer. We set off from the bike shop at 6am (involving a 5am wake-up). There were about 12 of us setting off together; three super-fast guys were leaving an hour later and catching us up. From the shop we rode out of town along a major road but there was little traffic so early in the morning. It was maybe 40 minutes or so before we started to leave the city behind us, heading through more winding scenic landscapes. One reasonably sized hill left most of us breathing heavily and the following downhill had everyone get down on the drops for the first occassion of the day. Shortly after this we left behind Shizuoka and entered Aichi prefecture. Stopping for a quick loo-visit and eating the first of the snacks for the day, everyone was in high spirits. We went on.
The next hour or so was gentle rolling hills, the pack staying tightly together and coasting most of the downhills to conserve energy. Tall forests of pine and occasionally bamboo crept upto the sides of the road and the houses became fewer and fewer. Another hour or so things became a little harder, the gradients steepen and the pack slowly draws out; each pacing themselves up the hills. I was pleasantly surprised that I could keep up with the first group of riders relatively easily.
The road from here just kept going up; at times I'd lost all the riders around me as the group stretched out further and further, endless curves and bends gaining height.
We stopped every hour or hour and a half, waited for everyone to catch up, gulped down rice-balls, bananas, and energy drinks and set off again.
At about 11.30 we set off from the last stop before the mountain-pass. After noticing how much harder it was riding alone, I picked a rider that had been going about the same pace as me and stuck myself 6 inches behind his rear-wheel. Together we climbed. About 20 minutes into this –the steepest– climb, the first of the super-fast guys glides easily past us on his monstrous full-carbon racing machine. Bastard. But at about 100 metres in front of us he slows and we follow him watching him dissapear around each bend ahead of us, only to rediscover him a few minutes later. At this point the guy I'm following has obviously had enough of me and kicks a little harder to put the distance between us, I can't keep up so I slowly drop back behind him; 10 metres, 20 metres, 50 metres. But I keep him within view. We ride over a bridge stretching over a chasm, below dense forest, dull green in the cloud. A sign welcomes us to Nagano prefecture, and informs us we're at an altitude of 1000m... great. That means there's still 92 metres left of climb (the height of the mountain pass). The last 10 or 15 minutes of the climb are unforgiving. Stepping up on the pedals for a minute to use a slightly different muscle group then sitting back down hoping you can carry on. Minds blank just thinking... maybe I could stop for a minute, catch my breath... I'm still a long way in front of the guys behind me... I don't stop.
Reaching the crest of the pass is wonderful, leaving my top gear behind I quickly change up, coast a little, sit up in the saddle stretch my back, then spotting the rider in front dissapearing ahead of me I drop down and resume pedalling. The road quickly falls away and winds in and out of the forest on it's way down from the pass. It's fast and fun, curves easily navigated with full-body leaning. I catch up to the rider in front and we haul ass down the mountain. Much better than uphill. The road drops for about 5km until we reach a service centre at the bottom - lunchtime.
I opt for a banana, and two steaming buns from the vendor outside. Free tea. Nice.
Over lunch I talk to a few of the guys, and I find out that we return the same way. Back up to the mountain pass. Joy. We're stopped for maybe 30 minutes, maybe a little longer. It cools, and starts spitting a litte. Those with the foresight to bring them put on windbreakers and light rain-gear. I know I'll be plenty warm enough going back up the mountain so the fact I didn't bring anything doesn't worry me. Shortly after 12.30 we set off again. We pass a sign: Hamamatsu - 100km. It seems a little easier after the break and food, but still hard. We climb for maybe half an hour before cresting the pass. Then the first real descents of the day! Everyone grins and starts sweeping down the hills, hugging the bends; or not if there might be a car coming around the other way. We're gaining speed and it's not hurting.
About 5 minutes into the descent I'm going round a long blind corner with three other guys. We suddenly see everyone ahead of us stopped at the corner ahead motioning us to slow down. Only I'm going too fast, I can't slow down. My brakes lock and I go into a skid, I only aim to not hit any other cyclists waiting at the bend, opting instead for the crash barrier.
According to my new cycle computer I was cycling for 5:05.52, I had covered 109.46 km, I averaged 20.1 km/h with a max speed of 60.8 km/h. This would hae been shortly before the impact.
I hit my face as I went over the barrier, forcing my glasses into my eyebrow, and banged my leg which took most of the impact. In all, three guys went down on that corner, myself - into the barrier, and two others who came off there bike to avoid the barrier scraping their legs and arms along the road instead. The support car was there within minutes and they patched us up. It started raining. Everyone was concerned and patient. Once we'd been patched up we were put in the car, our bikes were checked out - all fine and put on the back of the car.
We journeyed the rest of the way home in the car, stoppping at the rest stops to wait for everyone, by now it was raining heavily. At around 4pm we arrived back at the bike shop, they offered to take me to the hospital but it was only 2 minutes to the hospital I had arranged to meet my friend so they made sure I was ok and said goodbye. I met Melinda outside the hospital and she helped me with all the japanese and very quickly they checked me out, gave me a CT scan and stitched me up. Four stitches. The results of my scan, "Your head is good, no problem". Nice to know.
Well then...
I'll do that.
Stage 2 of training for my 400km ride:
The training ride follows the route we'll take later in the summer. We set off from the bike shop at 6am (involving a 5am wake-up). There were about 12 of us setting off together; three super-fast guys were leaving an hour later and catching us up. From the shop we rode out of town along a major road but there was little traffic so early in the morning. It was maybe 40 minutes or so before we started to leave the city behind us, heading through more winding scenic landscapes. One reasonably sized hill left most of us breathing heavily and the following downhill had everyone get down on the drops for the first occassion of the day. Shortly after this we left behind Shizuoka and entered Aichi prefecture. Stopping for a quick loo-visit and eating the first of the snacks for the day, everyone was in high spirits. We went on.
The next hour or so was gentle rolling hills, the pack staying tightly together and coasting most of the downhills to conserve energy. Tall forests of pine and occasionally bamboo crept upto the sides of the road and the houses became fewer and fewer. Another hour or so things became a little harder, the gradients steepen and the pack slowly draws out; each pacing themselves up the hills. I was pleasantly surprised that I could keep up with the first group of riders relatively easily.
The road from here just kept going up; at times I'd lost all the riders around me as the group stretched out further and further, endless curves and bends gaining height.
We stopped every hour or hour and a half, waited for everyone to catch up, gulped down rice-balls, bananas, and energy drinks and set off again.
At about 11.30 we set off from the last stop before the mountain-pass. After noticing how much harder it was riding alone, I picked a rider that had been going about the same pace as me and stuck myself 6 inches behind his rear-wheel. Together we climbed. About 20 minutes into this –the steepest– climb, the first of the super-fast guys glides easily past us on his monstrous full-carbon racing machine. Bastard. But at about 100 metres in front of us he slows and we follow him watching him dissapear around each bend ahead of us, only to rediscover him a few minutes later. At this point the guy I'm following has obviously had enough of me and kicks a little harder to put the distance between us, I can't keep up so I slowly drop back behind him; 10 metres, 20 metres, 50 metres. But I keep him within view. We ride over a bridge stretching over a chasm, below dense forest, dull green in the cloud. A sign welcomes us to Nagano prefecture, and informs us we're at an altitude of 1000m... great. That means there's still 92 metres left of climb (the height of the mountain pass). The last 10 or 15 minutes of the climb are unforgiving. Stepping up on the pedals for a minute to use a slightly different muscle group then sitting back down hoping you can carry on. Minds blank just thinking... maybe I could stop for a minute, catch my breath... I'm still a long way in front of the guys behind me... I don't stop.
Reaching the crest of the pass is wonderful, leaving my top gear behind I quickly change up, coast a little, sit up in the saddle stretch my back, then spotting the rider in front dissapearing ahead of me I drop down and resume pedalling. The road quickly falls away and winds in and out of the forest on it's way down from the pass. It's fast and fun, curves easily navigated with full-body leaning. I catch up to the rider in front and we haul ass down the mountain. Much better than uphill. The road drops for about 5km until we reach a service centre at the bottom - lunchtime.
I opt for a banana, and two steaming buns from the vendor outside. Free tea. Nice.
Over lunch I talk to a few of the guys, and I find out that we return the same way. Back up to the mountain pass. Joy. We're stopped for maybe 30 minutes, maybe a little longer. It cools, and starts spitting a litte. Those with the foresight to bring them put on windbreakers and light rain-gear. I know I'll be plenty warm enough going back up the mountain so the fact I didn't bring anything doesn't worry me. Shortly after 12.30 we set off again. We pass a sign: Hamamatsu - 100km. It seems a little easier after the break and food, but still hard. We climb for maybe half an hour before cresting the pass. Then the first real descents of the day! Everyone grins and starts sweeping down the hills, hugging the bends; or not if there might be a car coming around the other way. We're gaining speed and it's not hurting.
About 5 minutes into the descent I'm going round a long blind corner with three other guys. We suddenly see everyone ahead of us stopped at the corner ahead motioning us to slow down. Only I'm going too fast, I can't slow down. My brakes lock and I go into a skid, I only aim to not hit any other cyclists waiting at the bend, opting instead for the crash barrier.
According to my new cycle computer I was cycling for 5:05.52, I had covered 109.46 km, I averaged 20.1 km/h with a max speed of 60.8 km/h. This would hae been shortly before the impact.
I hit my face as I went over the barrier, forcing my glasses into my eyebrow, and banged my leg which took most of the impact. In all, three guys went down on that corner, myself - into the barrier, and two others who came off there bike to avoid the barrier scraping their legs and arms along the road instead. The support car was there within minutes and they patched us up. It started raining. Everyone was concerned and patient. Once we'd been patched up we were put in the car, our bikes were checked out - all fine and put on the back of the car.
We journeyed the rest of the way home in the car, stoppping at the rest stops to wait for everyone, by now it was raining heavily. At around 4pm we arrived back at the bike shop, they offered to take me to the hospital but it was only 2 minutes to the hospital I had arranged to meet my friend so they made sure I was ok and said goodbye. I met Melinda outside the hospital and she helped me with all the japanese and very quickly they checked me out, gave me a CT scan and stitched me up. Four stitches. The results of my scan, "Your head is good, no problem". Nice to know.
posted by Jyon-sensei at 8:00 am
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home