12 March 2024

Another brevet on the Brevet -- riding in cross and headwinds, and then searching for the rear derailleur limit screws


On Saturday I joined the AR Nihonbashi 300km "around the world" brevet. Why "around the world"? Because the checkpoints were evidence of foreign culture and/or foreign enclaves in Japan -- a Dutch windmill, Thai temple, Sri Lankan temple, Brazilian grocery store, and a Mosque ... not to mention a Japanese shrine thrown in just to remind us of the host culture.

Winter brevets limit choices for the organizers. And early March can be decidedly wintry in Japan. This brevet would not have happened if it had been a day earlier, when there was snowfall in much of north Kanto, though sun and above freezing temperatures ensured it was all gone a day later. A ride in the mountains at night, on a 300km or 400km course, can be problematic. So courses tend to stick to the plain. Indeed, on the January Chiba brevet that I joined, one key goal was to get over the highest point before the "thunder snow" hit.

The difficulty with flat courses in Japan near Tokyo is that they tend to go through densely populated areas with plenty of traffic. And Saturday traffic tends to be worse than Sunday, with many more trucks out on the road. A 300km brevet usually must be held on Saturday, unless on a 3-day holiday weekend, since the finish reception for 7AM starters, for example, remains open until past 3AM the following morning. That does not work for riders or volunteers who have Monday to Friday jobs. So a winter flat brevet means a brevet with heavy traffic. Indeed, I did a winter AR Nihonbashi brevet back in 2015, and the congested traffic of that event was enough to keep me away from similar events for quite awhile. The only other option is a night-time Saturday start. That is actually my favorite if I can show up well-rested, as we are assured near zero traffic on the outbound leg and far fewer trucks on the return during the day Sunday.

On the other hand, a flat course is what I want--what I need--for the recumbent. I have done 2 previous 400 km brevets on the Pelso recumbent, plus the 1667 km ride across Honshu last Spring. But the Pelso has been gathering dust in recent months. Signing up for yesterday's event was strong motivation for me to get the bike out and put it into riding condition -- fine tune the 12-speed SRAM Eagle GX drivetrain I had got and installed last year, go back to the J-bars (I did not really like the steering tiller I experimented with briefly), and otherwise get it ready to use regularly. I managed 5 rides, each of 40-60kms, on the Pelso in the past few weeks.  Was that enough preparation to use it on a 300km brevet? I was about to find out!

The other reason I selected this brevet was its start and finish near my home. Well, the start was at Odaiba, which, as the crow flies, cannot be more than 3kms from home. Even going across the Rainbow Bridge, it is more like 5kms.  And the finish in Shinbashi/Shiodome is even closer. 

Of course, the Pelso is not easily rinko-able, so a train to the start was out of the question. And with a 630AM start it is not allowed even to walk a bike across the Rainbow Bridge (pedestrian access is from 9AM in summer, 10AM in winter). So I rode via Kachidoki/Toyosu, 11.5 kms to the start, just as far as, say, an AR Tamagawa or Randonneur Tokyo event starting near the Tamagawa. Oh well, not such a great advantage to join a Nihonbashi event when it starts in Odaiba!



Jerome also signed up for the event. I knew he would not like the flat winter course and heavy traffic, but was glad that he would do it -- some extra motivation for me to show up even if the weather was bad, to finish if the chips were down. But he registered for a 6AM start, 30 minutes before me. I got to the start location after he had left and never caught up ... but at least could communicate via text during the ride.

The forecast was for typical early March weather. A low of just around freezing and high of around 11-12 degrees C (50-55 F). But the weather forecast on Friday night warned of a "winter style" weather pattern, with stiff winds from the NW.  An online forecast showed that the winds would be strongest during the day from maybe 9AM until 4PM then gradually die down. Looking at the route, I realized the strong wind would almost exactly coincide with the time we would be riding ... to the NW. So a nasty headwind stretch of 120kms or more! The forecast proved remarkably accurate.

I left home by 540AM and was at the start area, next to a smaller replica Statue-of-Liberty in Odaiba, by 6:10. The ride to the start was lovely -- dawn rides often are near the waterfront.

After the bike check and lots of other riders admiring the Pelso (the only recumbent there, as is usually the case for events in Japan), one of the organizers said that the 630AM riders could start. No one else looked as if they wanted to lead, so I headed out. I managed to get around a corner, through a couple traffic lights, and onto the main road north past the Tokyo Big Sight convention center, and was sure any of those who started right after me must have been held up by one or more red lights.  I did not see any other participants until 23kms into the ride.

Onto the course, alone.

But I did have plenty of company. After 7AM on Saturday morning, the city was coming to life in this industrial/harbor-adjacent area. There were lots of trucks.

The route turned toward the East at around 20kms in. For the next two hours or so, I would be riding almost directly into the glare of the morning sun. This makes a huge difference riding a recumben, face upward. At night, I could see the constellation of Orion above me as I rode ... but in the morning, it was the brutal glare of the sun.


The route turns East here.

As the route crossed the Arakawa, there was a steep ramp up to the bridge with no shoulder. I was waiting at a light with numerous trucks and did not like the idea of riding next to them up that ramp. So I went down a side road and walked my bike up the levee to the pedestrian/bike crossing on the North side of the bridge. This was fine, except I lost time, and even more time at the far end of the bridge, where cyclists and pedestrians needed to descend a looping, slow pathway. As I reached the bottom and returned to the main road, ... a group of at least 5-6 riders, a healthy share of the 630AM starters, had passed me.

I caught them at the next traffic light and trailed them for around 10kms ... until I noticed that my front tire was noticably soft. A slow leak, or open valve that got bumped from time to time? I pulled over at the next opportunity and pumped up the tire. Perhaps it would hold?  By now, we had left Tokyo Prefecture behind and were passing through Ichikawa and Narashino, Chiba. Here we were on smaller roads -- one lane in each direction, and the traffic had become heavy -- long lines of cars waiting for red lights, in some places without room to pass and pull up to the front of the line even.  This was shaping up to be a long brevet. 

Heavy traffic ... in many places without this much shoulder nor any sidewalk, and wide trucks,
 so impossible even to pass by the cars on the left.

The tire was soft again. I pulled off at a 7-11 parking lot, flipped the Pelso over, removed the front wheel, and changed the tube. The first tube I tried to insert was around 10cm too long. Very poor quality control. The second tube worked, at least, but it seemed like the change had taken 3-4 times as long as it should have. My knees were starting to hurt -- riding the Pelso does put a lot of presure on them, something I never experience with a normal upright bike -- and I had some pain in my left rib cage going back to a minor accident on the Pelso on March 1, that I think I stressed it somehow when I did some manual labor around home on Thursday, or perhaps even when slept on it Friday night. My rib injury was causing more trouble today than it had in the past week, so I was moving slowly off the bike. On the bike, reclined on the Pelso, it was not a serious problem.

New tube inserted, I was back on the road and into the congestion. This continued most of the way to PC1. Finally, we had left the city behind and were in the countryside. The PC was at a park that included a lovely, functioning windmill.

At PC1

By now, there was what felt like a gale force wind from the NNW.  We were still heading ENE, so it was a cross wind. About 500 meters beyond the PC, my Wahoo beeped at me that I was off course. I had followed 3 other riders who were continuing ahead, when the course turned left. I hollered and the nearest 2 riders (a couple), turned around. The furthest of the 3 continued along, at least for the time being. I looped around 270 degrees and then entered the side road, which went up a steep hill, 9, then 10, then 11 and 12 degrees.  I got off and walked, the couple passed me. Anyway, it was a short steep bit so I was back on the bike in under a minute. 

Wind coming at us across a lake, just past PC1

Finally, some low traffic stretches ... but the crosswind gusts were deadly.

The next part of the trip involved less traffic and even some quiet country roads, but vicious winds mostly from our left side. At points, I felt pushed across the road, even though I leaned over to the left side of the Pelso seat. It was like riding a sailboat port tacking close to the wind ... except a bicycle lacks a keel. The vicious wind continued.  I saw a couple riders headed the other direction. ... They DNFed and were headed back to town or a train station. I took some ibuprofen for my ribs and knees, which seemed to do the trick.

A few times I needed to get off the bike, the wind was so strong.  Eventually, far into the 30km stretch between the windmill PC and PC2 (at a Thai temple), the couple who had passed me on the hill ... came heading back down the road. DNF, they said. They made a good choice, I think.

At PC2, Wat Pakna, near Narita

After the second PC, we turned to the WNW. Our route would be pretty much straight into the wind from here (82kms) to the third PC at Oizumi (198kms). It was slow going, especially the first couple hours. I was creeping along at between 15-18kph, but was still passing more riders than passed me. At least the lower position of the recumbent makes it a good choice on a flat course into headwinds.

Somewhere early in this stretch, before Tsukuba, we went through an area with some short ups and downs and I downshifted, taking advantage of the wide gearing on my 1x12 drivetrain. The chain ... rode up over the innermost gear and jammed in between spokes and cassette. It jammed hard. 

Unjamming my chain. ... first of many times.

I spent at least 20 minutes trying to get it unjammed, finally succeeding after removing the wheel (a huge pain with the Pelso!) and a lot of elbow grease. My hands got sliced a bit on the teeth of the cassette. Bloody. Why did the chain slip inside when it had not had any problem since I had tweaked the "b limit" adjustment screw a week earlier to solve some other shifting issues?  This 1x12 setup is new and really only had gotten use on the rides over the 2 weeks before the event, but all had been dialed in and going smoothly the past week. Smooth shifting into all gears. Why did it need to develop a problem now, on this slight upslope in Ibaraki near Inashiki?

I looked for any upper/lower limit adjustment screws, on the top, bottom and rear of the rear derailleur. There did not appear to be any -- nothing visible even with the bike upside down and wheel off.  Odd. Maybe the Eagle GX did not have them? Oh well, I thought, I will just need to be careful as I shift to the lower gears.

It did not work. I think over the rest of the ride I counted 7 times where the chain jammed. Sometimes I could quickly pull it out and reset it. Other times it took 15+ minutes and I needed to remove the rear wheel.  I tried to avoid the innermost gear of the cassette ... but somehow the chain jumped over and into the spokes even when I thought that I still had at least one cog left. I tried to ease the chain up a gear as gently as possible ... which usually worked ... but sometimes did not. This killed a LOT of time and set me way back over the final 200kms.

At least the tires held after the first tube change. ... except, except, the tire had not fully sat onto the rim, in some places still not all the way expanded to the "hooked" intersection with the bead, and so there was a perceptible "bump" as the front tire turned. I never fixed this (which would have required much higher tire inflation, then deflation back to a good level). I was on rough enough roads so it did not really make a big difference, but it was a minor annoyance for 250kms. 

After passing through Ushiku, the route took us SW of Tsukuba along a 4-lane road that had some trees and other landscaping. There were still plenty of trucks, and lots of "otaku" engineer types driving "car-guy" models of cars. (Audis, BMWs, the new Prius PHEV, etc.) on weekend outings -- maybe a quick trip to the pachinko parlor, or the golf driving range.  But at least with 2 lanes in each direction there was plenty of room for them to pass. Tsukuba has a different feel to it, because it was developed as a kind of science and technology city. Lots of research institutes and corporate R&D facilities, I think, as well as the pre-existing "inaka" (countryside) stuff.

PC3 Sri Lankan temple

Combini pasta stop just before PC3. Already almost 3PM -- behind pace!
Does my recumbent rear bag carry as much magic as Doraemon's bag?
Well, today it was missing a few things.

We had a nice stretch on some local roads, and a couple long stretches on national route 354, in traffic. I stopped a few times, and chatted with other riders.  By now, I was mostly in the vicinity of riders who had started at 7:30AM, an hour after me. I had made slow going of it, and I think most riders slower than me had given up already.  At every PC I was at or just slightly behind the time limit ... but the organizer was not enforcing intermediate time limits, as the PCs were designated "tsu-ka check" (just need proof of passage -- the photos -- not proof of time).  I figured I would catch up on the return into Tokyo, once there was no more headwind.

I texted with Jerome from time to time. Over the first stretch he had gone WAY faster than me. ... but then on the headwind he noted it was "tough going", even for him. He was still perhaps 80-90 minutes ahead of me, though he had started only 30 ahead. But the gap had stopped increasing. 

As I took my Wahoo off the bike at a convenience store to recharge it a bit while I stopped, one of the ziptips broke through the base that held the unit on. After a few more kms, the material I had used to bind it tightly to the handlebars (a rubbery base -- but might as well have been a cut piece of an old inner tube) fell off somewhere, leaving the Wahoo rattling around and slipping off. I held it in my hand for awhile, then eventually used some electrical tape to secure it. I had forgotten to bring my stash of zipties. 


Crossing the Watarase-gawa west of Koga, Mt Fuji in the distance. 545PM!

As the sun went down, I passed from Ibaraki into Gunma Prefecture. My dynamo light was pointed too far down so I tried to adjust it ... and it came loose in my hand. I had not secured it properly to its base -- amazing that it had not fallen off over the past couple weeks, and today's first 150km+.  I also had forgotten to bring the correct size of Torx star-shaped allen key wrench to fit it into the base. So I just used my back-up light for awhile. 

Eventually I made a pitstop for a hamburger at a McDonalds, a few kms before the Oizumi PC. I had a message from Jerome that he had stopped not long before at a burger place AT the PC -- a Brazilian supermercado. The headwind had died down to a fraction of its former self after sundown ... just before we turned, finally, in a different direction. 

The supermercado PC

I realized that my backup light would probably run out before I reached the finish. I could have recharged it if that happened, but it would have taken too long for me to have any hope of meeting the cut off. And the beam was not nearly as good as on my "Supernova" dynamo light, properly aimed.  So I used the rest of my electrical tape and managed to secure the dynamo light. It pointed slightly to the right, into the middle of the road (and oncoming traffic), but was low enough so as not to bother the drivers and it held to the finish.

Electrical tape -- one essential I remembered to bring along.

The missing torx wrench, Sunday morning at home.

After passing SW through Fukaya, Saitama, the road eventually turned south and the SSE through Ogose, Moroyama, and Hidaka. This is a very familar route. I remembered it has having more up and down than it did. The recumbent was just fine to climb on going over these "rollers" ... except when the chain slipped off and jammed into the spokes again. 

I was at my wit's end, crouched beside the bike in the dark and cold, trying to get the chain back on, when another rider (730AM starter) came by. He pulled off to ask if I was okay, and I expressed my frustration. Another 10-15 minutes wasted, by now several hours in total. Why wasn't there an upper and lower limit screw on this derailleur? He took a look and shrugged his shoulders. By now I had started to cough occasionally, and the cough seemed to be originating in the area of my ribs/lungs that had been bothering me earlier. That was not a good sign, but at least the coughs were seldom, not frequent.

Anyway, the chain dug out and reset, I made it up the hill, through Moroyama -- a very familiar location -- and took the turn off to go to Hidaka Jinja, another PC. I don't think I had ever taken this short detour, but it the shrine was very impressive and worth the deviation. I'll stop by again sometime when it is actually open.

At Hidaka Shrine

It was now 1140PM. I was 30 minutes behind schedule to make the 2:30AM cutoff at the finish.  One more chain-caught-in-spoke incident on the climb out of Iruma. I sent Jerome a text telling him about the cough, that I would not make the cutoff, and could meet him somewhere between the goal/finish and our respective homes for a bite to eat if someplace was open. But I did push on. 

The climb out of Iruma was much shorter than I expected ... the route turned left to the SE rather than going South over the ridges to the tea-fields of Sayama/Oume. I was expecting several more hills but instead we traveled on a long, long stretch of mostly flat to 1% downhill. I was making up some time, actually a fair bit of time and moving at a good clip. I passed several riders. With no more headwind and no more traffic, only the red lights held me back.  I tried my best to time them, and to use the ones that I hit for a short rest, a sip of water, a check of the route and time.

I got a message from Jerome that he finished just before 1AM.  A few minutes later I sent a note that I would "go for it". I was within 30kms, and still had 80 minutes left. 

Then I hit red light after red light.  On Oume Kaido, I rolled up to a red light watching the cross-light turn yellow, then red, and started through just as it turned green.  I had not noticed a police car on the far side of the 6 lane road. He barked at me with his loudspeaker and I gestured up at the green light as I accelerated on.  The car did not turn or follow. But the lights got more frequent as I got into town, around the Ogikubo area, then down Kan-nana.  I was riding near other brevet riders now, though none whom I recognized, and no 630AM starters I am pretty sure.  At red lights I pulled to the front and said "excuse me, I'm a 630AM starter, I'm out of time and need to hurry."  At a red light were we turned onto Inokashira Dori, I just inched around the corner and continued on -- a technical violation but a harmless one at 2:10AM. I snapped my last PC photo, the mosque at Yoyogi Uehara, at 2:11AM. There was a note from Jerome that he felt ill to his stomach and was heading home. 

The Mosque at Yoyogi Uehara, 2:11AM

Now I was on familiar roads ... taking a route I have often ridden from Uehara through Omotesando and to Nishi Azabu. In fact, I had ridden it on the Pelso within the past few weeks.  But I could not do anything about the red lights -- at Yamate Dori, then before Yoyogi Park, then at Meiji Dori, and again at Aoyama Dori. Each light killed a minute or two that I did not have. And in the city there was still cross-traffic, even in the wee hours taxis racing back and fro.

I got to Nishi Azabu Crossing at 2:28AM. 300kms into the brevet course, but still 3.7 kms from the goal in Shiodome, and no more time.

So I rode home, picked up some food at a convenience store, bought milk for my morning coffee, left a voice message for the organizers announcing my DNF, ate, bathed and slept. 

The next day, in the morning light after sleeping in, without the panic of trying to reset a chain ... I searched online and found the youtube video on how to set the limit screws for a SRAM 12 speed Eagle GX derailleur.  I got out my Torx star allen wrenches and reset the front dynamo light properly and securely.  And I will reset the Wahoo base securely.

Wahoo secured with tape after the base broke.

No limit screw visible from the bottom (nor from the top)

Two small limit screws, tucked way in underneath. Argghh!!!

I think that with a bit more thoughtful and careful bike preparation, I would have completed this event within the time limit.  And the Pelso actually handled the short rolling hills of this course better than I remember from last year's events. It is still not a good bike for longer or >10% climbs, and not great for riding in heavy traffic with narrow tolerances. But it is great for looking at the stars, and it is easy on the back, neck, arms/wrists, and butt. If I rode it a bit more and actually trained on it, it should be faster than a regular bike on a course like this, especially with the nasty headwind stretch. I worry a bit about it putting too much stress on my knees, but I think I can manage that by spinning a higher cadence/lower gear and moving my position.

I did not get "credit" for homogulating a 300km event, but I did ride 313km in difficult conditions. So not a bad training outing. And a good learning experience with the Pelso.

15 January 2024

AJ Chiba Flower Line 200km Brevet ... with Thunder Snow!

At the start


I injured my wrist on July 27, 2023, and the recovery has been longer than it should have taken. 
After a negative x-ray, and 10 days for my bruised ribs to recover, I started to ride again. But my wrist felt tender. I could not put my full weight onto it without significant pain. I got a wrist brace, tried to adjust my riding position, and hoped for the best. 
After a trip to France and a DNF at Paris Brest Paris, and a couple weeks off the bike to see if it would fully heal ... it was no better.  So back to a (different) orthopedist. This time, the x-ray showed a scaphoid fracture, confirmed by a CT scan. The "non-union" fracture would need surgery. After another overseas trip, I had surgery at the end of September, with a 25mm bolt inserted to hold the two pieces of bone together so they would heal. They did so.
The next six weeks, as I recovered from the surgery and let the bone heal, I walked, a lot, but still gained weight.
In early November, I got on the trainer and did some Rouvy rides.  On November 19, I took my first ride outside of my immediate neighborhood and short (2km each way) commute.  By early December I was doing 40-55km rides several times a week.  I had a week off for an overseas trip, then kept going with the shorter rides.
Finally, it was Christmas Eve and time for the "Festive 500". I rode 513kms over the last 8 days of the year, spread quite evenly with no single day longer than 110kms, and not that much climbing. But I was starting to feel more strength on the bike. My right knee complained at times in recent months with a sharp pain or some tenderness, but usually not actually while riding the bike -- more likely from twisting it a bit when getting on or off, or some other off-the-bike irregular motion. Once it got noticeably worse, or noticeably more noticeable, after a weight training session. In any event, whatever I did to it, it seems better now than a few weeks ago.
In early January, I rode to Hakone on January 3, almost 100kms, and felt pretty good. Then, on January 5, I went on from Hakone to Kofu before hopping a train to Kobuchisawa. That was a serious ride of 118kms with 2000 meters of elevation gain.  First there was a steep 700 meter climb up the Old Road (箱根旧道) to the pass above Ashinoko. Then there was a shorter climb to Otome Pass. Then a long (700m+) climb from Gotemba up to Kagozaka Pass above Yamanakako. And finally there was a couple hundred meters of climbing from Kawaguchiko to the southern end of Wakahiko tunnel. 
The following day I added 103kms getting most of the way back to Tokyo. All of this had me feeling like I was just about ready for the first brevet of the year when January 13 rolled around.

Over 100 riders total.

Jerome readies.
For this, I had chosen AJ Chiba's Flower Line 200km, held January 13 this year. For a winter brevet, the course looked great, with much lower traffic volumes and more rewards (lovely sea coast, beautiful "satoyama" countryside) than the typical Kanto winter 200km. It was, indeed, a lovely course.
Jerome joined, and was allowed to register on the spot, a courtesy from the organizers who know him well from his many Chiba rides. We got stuck in traffic on the Aqua Line both directions, but at least the outbound delay was modest.
The forecast was for excellent weather ... until mid-afternoon. Then the temperature would plunge and we would get some precipitation and a wind from the North. So my plan was not to dawdle, no long lunch, just a purposeful ride. Indeed, there were 3 climbs, 2 of them relatively short, to just over 200 meters elevation, on the outbound leg, and one from sea-level to nearly 350m elevation after Kamogawa on the return, 150kms into the course. I wanted to get over that last climb before the nasty weather arrived -- precipitation at that elevation could be snow or ice, and the road could quickly become difficult or impossible to ride.
So I was disappointed to learn that I (and Jerome) would start in "Wave 3". Wave 1 would go at 8AM, Wave 2 at 8:15, and Wave 3 at 8:30.  The organizers offered that each wave could start immediately after the "bike check", which would be 10 minutes earlier. No reason to wait, especially as the course was 205, not 200 kms in length.
I was the first one through the Wave 3 bike check and took off as fast as I reasonably could. I wanted to get ahead of any line of riders so that I could time the traffic signals easily going through Sodegaura and Kisarazu. This was a good strategy -- Jerome caught me and stayed with me at times, but I basically was alone until more than 20kms into the course, when I passed one, then another rider from Wave 2.  Of course, Jerome says that I go out too fast, and I do, and at some point in the ride we switch places and he is faster and stronger than I am. But this time I had good reason, and I was happy to get a good average speed (>28kph) on my Wahoo to the first checkpoint at ~37km.  
Heading south with favorable winds and sun!

After the first checkpoint, we headed for the two short inland climbs of the outbound leg. I remembered the second of these very well from a few years back, the Shiitake Mura being just below the Pass. I still felt that all was okay. No physical complaints and the equipment was working well.  Except for my GPS track of the ride. Usually I will "copy" a ridewithgps track to my account then make sure it is synced to my Wahoo unit. But this time I just "pinned" the organizers' track. That should achieve the same result, but this time even though Wahoo showed a 205km route, the route track ended at the first checkpoint. I tried reloading it in various different ways using the iPhone apps from ridewithgps and Wahoo, but I could not get it to show on the Wahoo, even though I could see it on my iPhone. But during the ride my iPhone was stowed in my back jersey pocket, inside a vest and, later, a rain shell. And I could not operate the iPhone (if I did take it out) without removing my winter gloves ... never easy to get them off and on again at the drop of a hat. Oh well, at least from here the course would have relatively few twists and turns, and I could memorize most of them from PC to PC, and follow visible riders at times.

Shiitake Village climb


We got to Tateyama, started along the coastline around the southern tip of the Boso Peninsula, and could see Kanagawa's Miura Peninsula across the bay. A second checkpoint was at 82km -- by now after the climbs Jerome was riding ahead of me, and when I arrived he was already eating a large 7-11 spaghetti. I was not so hungry, but opted for a smaller rice "doria", and put a 7-11 chicken sandwich in my rear jersey pocket for later. Even the "doria" was probably too much carbs at that point, and I felt a bit bloated for the next stretch until I could fully digest.
As we left the PC, Jerome said "next PC at 142km". Both the organizer rep (who was standing there) and I immediately corrected him -- nope, there is a photo checkpoint at "Aloha Garden", 12 km on, at km 94-95.  It was not listed in the brevet card, but was on the cue sheet. We were off and pretty much rode together to the photo check. But I was struggling a bit to keep up. I told him to go on ahead so we could each stick to our own pace. I needed that to fully digest the "doria".
It worked. I felt decent and made decent time all along the southern coast of Boso. It was beautiful and as dramatic as this flat coastline ever gets. Even better, the wind was generally from our backs -- from the southwest -- as we proceeded. This can be a difficult stretch with a stiff headwind.  
On the southern coast of Boso - the "Flower Line"

At least the sea walls have murals on them. My bike butts heads with the shark.
Makes me wish that I had been RIDING a shark.
It was just after 3PM when I pulled into PC3 at Kamogawa. 142kms in 6 hrs and 40 minutes. I was on pace for a 9hr 45min time -- fast for me for a winter brevet, whether due to the course and relatively favorable winds, my equipment (the "Sky Blue" Parlee and smooth-as-silk Gokiso wheels), or my conditioning rides over the year-end/New Year. One rider put on rain pants, rain jacket, helmet liner, etc. before she headed out. I said "if I put on my rain gear, I will get hot, and guaranteed the rain will stop". 

Some rain drops now--pavement turning dark and damp.
As I approached Kamogawa, there were some raindrops ... but not so much as to require rain gear over my winter gear. I headed out 10 minutes later, rode out of Kamogawa and turned North to start the biggest climb of the day -- around 6 kms and 350 meters elevation. After a brief warm-up section, the climb got steep and stayed at 7,8,9, and 10 percent grades for a couple kilometers. There was even a new circular skybridge. And the rain HAD stopped, for now. I would have been very hot climbing with an extra rain layer, even as the temperature plunged.


Looking back from the sky bridge as the weather changes

At the very top, there were 3 younger riders. I had passed them leaving Kamogawa (they waited at an odd "Y" intersection where we had the green light, as I passed).  They passed me early in the climb. At the top, they were resting and putting on more clothes. The precipitation had started again -- just a few drops of nasty sleet now. I did not rest but kept going.  After a few minutes descending, I did not feel any more precipitation, and was relieved to be lower where any that fell might be less likely to stick to the road. This was it. All downhill to the finish. Mission accomplished?
Alas, it was not that easy. The sun set just as the precipitation started up again, mostly as rain, but this time, it was hard. I put on my thin rain shell, and my warmer gloves. This worked OK for awhile, but the precip had turned to "wintry mix" of snow, sleet, and rain.  And the wind got stronger, stiffer, faster. By the time I was all the way down the hills and emerged from the "satoyama" area at around 170kms, the conditions were awful. I stopped once to put on my new Q36.5 rain pants. These cheered me up -- easy to fit on over my shoes (and overshoes), easy to zip tight, no straps to adjust. And they worked as promised -- kept me dry but breathed enough so they did not get covered in sweat on the inside, as most rain pants have done. They were expensive, but I was very glad I had them.
My gloves did not perform as well. My hands were nearly frozen. I tried my thick Pearl Izumi winter gloves ... soaking wet now. I could not even get my hands back into them after a stop. So I went back to the Q36.5 Amfib gloves. They are okay in dry conditions down to many 3-4 degrees C, and they are somewhat water-resistant, but they were soaked, and my hands got cold, frozen cold.  The headwind was vicious. I had long ago taken off my glasses so that I could see better in the dark/rain. But sleet or snow would hit my eye and temporarily blind one side or the other. I needed to squint and dry not to look directly into the tempest. I finally got to a 7-11 and pulled off for a cup of coffee, a quick check of the iPhone, and a change back to the thick Pearl Izumi gloves.  As I emerged and remounted, I could barely make progress to the North, and was getting pummeled with wet snow. The road was full of puddles. 
It was a long slog north the next 15 kms or so.  Several times I needed to dismount, the wind was so strong I could barely turn over the pedals, even in a very light gear. I heard claps of thunder amid the wet snow and sleet. Thunder snow!  At a second 7-11 stop during this stretch, to check my iPhone/map and warm a bit, I got word now that Jerome had finished. 
Anyway, the route finally made a left turn at 193kms. I was all alone, but could get the turn and continue now with a cross wind (and some protection from nearby trees, buildings, hill) west toward the bay and finish. 
Just as the course reached a "T" intersection, and I faced a need to guess my direction, two riders passed me. I followed as they made the right turn, then continued straight at the next intersection.  I could follow them a few more kms until we reached familiar territory and I knew the route.  We caught another group of 3-4 riders. I got behind at a traffic light, but caught up a bit on a long, straight stretch along the bay, straight into the nasty wind -- a reminder of what we had faced previously. But at the end of the stretch was our goal, a parking lot, the organizers, and, in my case, a car that was already warmed up and waiting. The organizer checked my brevet card.  My time was 10 hrs and 50 minutes -- not fast, more than an hour behind Jerome, way way too late to "beat the weather" as I had hoped, but still way, way ahead of the 13 hr 30 minute cutoff and, considering the weather, not bad at all. I asked if he wanted to see the photo from Aloha Garden. "Not needed, not today". He was as cold as we were.
After grabbing a quick bite with Jerome at a fast food place in Sodegaura, I drove home. The Aqua Line had a 40kph speed limit due to cross-wind restrictions on the return. In fact, we were sitting in traffic until after the bridge becomes a tunnel, so no worry about exceeding 40kph!  
But all in all, a very successful start to the 2024 brevet season for me. How often do I get a real adventure like that on a 200km brevet? Not often!
Our route was counter-clockwise.


14 January 2024

Sarah Gigante wins the Tour Down Under


Sarah Gigante flashes a wide, transparent grin while on a training ride up Doshi Michi
July 21, 2021, at the Tokyo Olympics. Obviously, she is enjoying just being there.

Today, Australian cyclist Sarah Gigante won the Women's version of the Tour Down Under, a major World Tour Title.

Gigante hit the cycling scene with a splash five years ago -- with a victory in the Australian national time trial at age 18, repeated at 19 -- and launched a professional career that included a stint with a local Australian team then several years with Movistar, all by age 23. 

In 2021, in her first pro season in Europe, she had a bad crash, only 4 months before the Tokyo Olympics. She nonetheless made the  Olympic team selection and placed 11th in the time trial, 40th in the road race. After more health issues and two disastrous seasons at Movistar -- the most recent of which saw her race only a few days -- she has moved on to AG Insurance-Soudal Quickstep. 


Gigante gives the thumbs up!

And now, she's back! In her first significant race with the new team ... she won the Tour Down Under with a dramatic, decisive victory in the last stage. You can watch the last few minutes of her climb to victory up Willunga Hill here.  And then you can see her interview at the finish line -- half of what spills out of her mouth seems gibberish, she is so overjoyed and excited at winning that her words trip over themselves.

Why is this of interest to me, other than the pleasure of watching someone who is so happy, especially after overcoming a period of difficulties?  Well, that day in 2021 when I rode up to Yamanakako looking for Olympians doing training rides. I had the best luck as I headed down Doshi-michi. I saw groups from Australia, Denmark, Japan, Israel, among others. (The mighty Slovenians I had seen for a few milliseconds as they descended south from Kagozaka toward Subashiri earlier. The Brits - G Thomas - I saw as I descended from north Kagozaka to Yamanakako). 

But the only Olympian who really acknowledged me, who smiled and made eye contact, was Sarah Gigante. Indeed, as she saw that I had pulled off Doshimichi and was going to take a photo with my iPhone ... she gave me the thumbs up!  

Thumbs up!

Maybe a close-up would be better!


Sarah -- Best wishes for your success over the rest of 2024 and beyond!

Trying Out Some Shorter Saddles, Saddles with Cut-Outs, and Cheaper 3-D printed Saddles

I have yet to write up my PBP adventure of 2023. I DNFed after Loudeac and before Brest, just under 500kms.  The main problem was with my left wrist -- a lingering injury that turned out to be a scaphoid fracture but had not shown up on an earlier x-ray.  

A secondary problem was chafing/saddle sores that made it painful at times to ride — made much worse by my inability to ride out of the saddle due to the wrist injury, and a very hot afternoon on the stretch before Loudeac. I had the same issue in 2019, much later in the ride, with the same saddle on the same bicycle. That is a Fizik Arione model that is just slightly wider (and interferes just slightly more with my leg motion) than the classic, original Arione.  And the saddle cover is slippery/smooth on top, bit a bit grippy on the sides where the legs should slide smoothly. Also, the narrow front part of the saddle is a bit wider and protrudes more than on the "Classic" version.

The wider Arione w/ grippy sides and the more-bulbous front. 209 grams.
Worked fine on many rides ... but problematic on the longest randonees.

As mentioned years ago, the classic Arione (the "good" Arione) has been my long-time go-to saddle. I rode 205kms yesterday on one and it fit me absolutely fine.

The Classic Arione. 225 grams and worth it.

But I have my doubts whether the Classic Arione can continue to be my go-to. 

--First, Arione model types have proliferated, and most of them do not work at all well for me. The "classic" Arione is not easy to find these days. Sure, I only need one every other year or so, but at this point I cannot find one in stock anywhere.

--Second the Arione is said by Fizik to be appropriate for the most flexible "snake"-like cyclists. I am toward the other end of the flexibility spectrum.  

--Third, saddle styles have changed a lot in the past decade. The Arione is a long (30cm) and flat saddle. That has the benefit of allowing the rider to shift forward and back, relieving pressure and getting some variation over a long ride. But it also means that the rider is not "dialed in" to a "proper" position. Now, shorter saddles that put the rider in such a position have proliferated and seem favored by bike-fitters and many riders.  These nearly all have a "cut out" or "channel" in the middle to avoid numbness or pressure on the most sensitive parts of the anatomy. If your butt gets sore ... you get out of the saddle briefly instead of shifting back and forth. And the shorter saddle makes it easier to lean forward into an aerodynamic/racing position without putting pressure on your sensitive parts.

I ordered two of the shorter saddles during my injury-forced time off the bike. 

The first is a Fizik "Argo Tempo Kium R3". It is 265mm long, 150mm wide, and has a large cut-out. It is designed for endurance rides and has a bit more padding than Fizik's racing models. It is stated as 229 grams, but mine weighs 243. The cover is very smooth, almost slippery. This contrasts with the more grippy "suede" feel of the middle strip of the Classic Arione.  How do I like it?  It is OK. There is nothing particularly uncomfortable when used on the shorter rides I have taken, but I find the edges around the large cut out to be quite sharp in shape, so I feel a bit as if I am sitting on two sharp ridges, not a saddle. The padding at the rear is wasted when the edges of the cut-out are so sharp. That, the slippery feel, and the weight, all mean it will not be my go-to saddle.

Fizik Argo Tempo Kium R1

The second is the [Shimano] Pro Steath Curved [performance] saddle. It is 142mm wide, 248mm long, weighs 203 grams, and ... is now on the Ti Travel Bike. The Ti Travel bike has been in storage recently and may not be ridden for the next month or two. I liked the feel when I sat on this saddle, and I think the dimensions will work better for me that the wider Fizik Argo. Also, the edge of the cut-out has a smoother transition and feels more comfortable. But just because I have a good feeling about it does not mean nearly as much as actual testing on long rides. Stay tuned. 

Pro Stealth Curved Performance

If shorter saddles are a trend across model line-ups, a recent trend in high-end saddles is 3-D printed versionsSelle Italia advertises 6 models, priced at Euro 340-450.  Specialized ones also cost in this range.

Fizik has 6 models in its "Adaptive" line, starting from Euro 250. As Fizik explains it, "Adaptive padding is created through a process known as Digital Light Synthesis. DLS uses digital ultraviolet light projection, oxygen permeable optics, and programmable liquid resins to essentially “print” saddle padding that is comfortable, supportive, and incredibly resilient—resistant to both UV exposure and prolonged, repeated use."

These saddles have a kind of mesh padding, like this:

I think the main advantage of this design is probably to get a greater degree of more effective and appropriately distributed padding than a traditional saddle ... at a lower weight. It is for weight weenies, and priced like a higher tech, weight-weenie product. But I just cannot see paying 2 or 2.5 times the price just to shave 50-60 grams off my saddle weight and get padding that may or may not be noticeably different than my trusty Classic Arione.

But ... I was curious. Then I saw that this style of saddle is now being offered on Aliexpress from no-name manufacturers in China. I bought one for around $70 from a brand called Bucklos. It comes with carbon rails and a carbon shell, while the padding area is made from TPU (thermoplastic polyurethanes -- a kind of sturdy but elastic rubbery plastic) ... and weighs in at 153 grams, light as a feather. It is around 143mm wide and 240mm long -- the shortest of my new short saddles. My first ride, of around 50kms ... I did not even notice the saddle. That is about the best thing one could say in reviewing a saddle. 

On the longest ride I have taken with it so far (around 120kms, including 2000m of climbing), I finally "noticed" it after around 100kms, and even wished it (or my bib shorts' chamois) might have had a wee bit more padding. But that is to be expected after months without any long rides. And on that ride, after my next food/bathroom stop, I again forgot about the saddle.

"Bucklos" 3D printed saddle from Ali Express.

The Bucklos does not have the same harsh edge to the cut-out as the Fizik Argo Tempo. And the surface grips my bib shorts just enough so that I don't slide around ... but does not seem to cause any chafing where my legs are moving. I've had this saddle on the RAMAX now since the Festive 500, for maybe 700 kms of riding, and I like it a lot. I'll try it on some longer rides eventually.  

Is the "TPU" material for the padding comparable to what Fizik and Selle Italia are using on their high-end models?  Well, it seems that the major brands work with Carbon 3D.com for their printed saddles. Here is a photo of a Fizik saddle, the padding for which seems made of EPU 41. As is stated, EPU 41 "is comparable to commercial TPUs with a Shore A hardness of 70."

In fact, I like this saddle so much that ... the last time I was on Aliexpress I ordered a second, very similar one (from "Ryet") for around $40 on sale. That one weighs in at 151 grams.

Ryet 3D printed saddle. Carbon shell and rails, 151 grams.

I'll update this post once I have more experience riding these.

Oh, and the one other saddle I really want (and plan) to try, is the Infinity Bike Seat. It's the official bike seat of RAAM. The seat is basically all cut-out. It places the rider in a set position, no saddle sores because ... not much saddle except around the edges, and you are propped forward so you can use aero bars on a long solo ride. I have a line on a "loaner" I could test, since this is an expensive investment.