Train: 200 km
Riding time: 1:07 h
Average speed: 17 km/h
Total ascent: 136 m
Weather: Typhoon rain (but not a lot of wind), 22 C
Since returning to Japan to live here in May, this is my first week of vacation. Silver Week! Unfortunately it is also the week when a major typhoon is hitting Japan and seems to travel once through the entire length of Japan from south to north. Today in the morning I prepared slowly for my ride and was kind of looking at the weather forecast hoping for a small window of opportunity between two strong rain showers. When I finally did leave, at the time of departure it actually didn’t rain, but after about 2 km it started raining and the rain gained in strength, so until I came to Tokyo station although I was wearing my rain jacket, I was pretty wet. But it was warm enough and actually on the bike if it’s warm it’s not that bad to be in the rain actually.
This is also my first ride outside of Tokyo with my road bike. When I lived here between 2015 and 2017 I didn’t own a road bike and was (and kind still am) a great brompton fan. But since I bought a race bike, which I absolutely adore and finally at end of August after 4 months of separation the removal company reunited us. I did ride a little bit in Tokyo already with the road bike, but in order to get outside if the city one needs to put the bike into a bag so that it is allowed on a train. I asked my cycling friends what bag they recommend and finally decided for one where one only needs to take out the front wheel. I tried it out yesterday in the garden and it probably took me an hour and I was soaked in sweat afterwards (also because yesterday it was rather hot and sunny) but I had made it. My friends told me to also buy a metal tube to insert into the front fork when the wheel is taken out, so now I felt prepared.
It took definitely less than an hour at Tokyo station to pack it up again and then I waited nearly at the front of the line in the unreserved section to get a seat at the rear so I could store the bike behind my seat. Which worked out fine. Once in the train I changed into dry clothes and had my bento that I had bought on the station platform.
I had been before twice in Echigo Yuzawa but always in winter with my ex colleagues to ski. Today was the first time in summer. But I can’t really say anything about the region as it was already dark when I arrived. Komoot did send me on a very small road that on paper looked perfect, but in reality it was partially not asphalted and felt very remote in the middle of the wilderness. A bit daunting at night. I first thought I could manage but at some point I freaked out a bit and decided to return to the big main road running in parallel.
I came to my ski accommodation had a too abundant dinner and then a quick shower (didn’t get into the onsen as it was already warm enough for me) and now I am sitting in my rather romantically looking room writing.
The plan fur this week is to visit the Echigo Tsumari Art Triennial. I went back in 2015 (then by car and with former husband) and really enjoyed it. The landscape is great and the artwork scattered around. So now that doing a vacation without my bicycle seems to be lost time, I decided to give it a go with bicycle. Let’s see how those hills are.
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