Sakura season is drawing to a close, with delicate pink petals falling like stock market indices. I thought this might be a good chance to catch the dogwood blooming along the Asakawa, but it seems I was a week or two early. I know they are in bloom when the koinobori are flying over the river, and that’s at least two weeks away.

My first stop at the Tamagawa confirmed that the sakura season is drawing to a close. But there are nearly as many varieties of cherry tree as grains of sand on the beach, and while the prize somei yoshino have passed their peak, other varieties are still blooming vigorously.

I reached the confluence of the Tamagawa and Asakawa at 10, and sat down immediately to enjoy some of Nana’s world-famous onigiri. I had mentaiko in my bentoh yesterday, so Nana prepared four plump furikake onigiri. I sat munching contentedly as several groups of young, fit and fast cyclists flew past.

Once on the Asakawa, progress was mixed. Occasionally the gusting wind would bring progress to a crawl. Overall it wasn’t bad, though. When I reached my usual resting spot there was a croquet tournament in full tilt and all the benches were occupied. A couple of kilometers further on, after waiting patiently for a father and his two sons on their bikes, I found a single park bench in the shade. I finished the onigiri and set off for the remaining few kilometers to Takaosan Guchi.

There was a detour right at the end of the cycling course, but I had no trouble finding my way to the final handful of kilometers in traffic before reaching the goal: the Takaosan cable car entrance. Selfie done, I back-tracked a single kilometer to the FamilyMart, where I gulped down a café au lait and a couple of chorizo. Just a couple of minutes before noon I messaged Nana I was on the way home.

As usual, it was a speedy return down the Asakawa as I shed 130m of elevation over the space of 20km. There were times I could feel the wind holding me back, but that would come and go while the gravitational attraction was constant. I arrived back at the confluence in an hour without undue fatigue. As I drank the Aquarius in my water bottle (should have been Pokari) I unbuckled my shoes to give my toes a breather.

Not in the doing favors business

Back on the Arakawa, I was fighting a headwind just as I had been last weekend. It’s just not fair! My butt hurt and I was tired and just wanted to be home — why should I have to fight the wind as well? But the wind was not doing anyone any favors. At least this time I remembered the correct count of kilometers before I reached the end of the river course, and could pace myself accordingly.

For a change, I found water in the first vending machine by the final rest stop. I messaged Nana I’d be home by 3:30 and set off into traffic. The wind was still bedeviling me, but not as strongly or as consistently as it had been on the river. It didn’t help it was fighting me as I was climbing the gradual slopes out of the river valley and into Tokyo proper.

There, I’ve said it: It was uphill AND against the wind.

— Guy Jean

For a brief time a dark cloud covered the sun and I shivered in my short-sleeved jersey as I pedaled homeward. But the cloud moved on and the sun’s heat returned. I reached the point of confidence that despite my fatigue and pain, I would get home and I would have my 100km. No need to do laps to bring up the total. I could relax and — while not exactly enjoy the pain and fatigue — at least not stress about getting home.

Less than 1km from home, a taxi tried to squish me against the curb. I shouted at the driver, and when I caught up again at the light, I gestured that he should leave more room. I have no idea that he took my point but I could see he was involved in a conversation with his passenger, and it’s my sincere hope she was telling him off for nearly running me down.

That aside, I rolled to a stop at the tower at 3:15 and messaged Nana I was home. I brought Kuroko up the freight elevator to the Workshop in the Sky for some maintenance tomorrow, in the rain.