Category: Arakawa
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Wind and Cloud
I chose my ride today with an eye on the weather forecast, which has been changing over the past few days. What finally emerged this morning was an overcast day with a forecast high of 31C. That’s bordering on my limit, so I thought the thing to do would be to get an early start…
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Arakawa – Disney – Budokan
I got an early start yesterday, on the road before 8 with a couple of Nana’s world-famous onigiri in the bag. It was not quite 10C when I set out, with a forecast high of 17, so I wore shorts and regular (fingerless) gloves together with a long-sleeved jersey. I was sweating long before the…
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December Century
It was 4C when I set out this morning, and I was worried that I would need another layer in addition to the undershirt and winter jersey I was wearing. I needn’t have worried — I was working up a sweat within a couple of kilometers. After getting a bit turned around at the Imperial…
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Gettin’ some culture into Da Kid
I’ve ridden with José up and down the Arakawa river a number of times, including a three-rivers ride where we started way up in Saitama and cycled all the way down the Arakawa. But he hasn’t been to Koedo in Kawagoe (at least not by bike). This was our goal three weeks ago, when we…
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Add a loop at the end to make 100
We planned an easy ride today with José and Tomo to Tokyo Disneyland. When Tomo dropped out, I messaged José: Let’s stretch a bit and head for Kawagoe. Guy Jean I usually get to Arakawa by taking Yamate Dori from just near my flat, a very straight shot. This morning the plan was to meet…
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Tama-Iruma-Arakawa
After yesterday’s gully-washing rain, it dawned cloudy this morning, with mixed weather forecasts. When Nana woke up, though, she said there was no chance of rain. I was determined to ride the three rivers, which I’d originally done with José for my kanreki. It’s also the ride I’d set out to do during Golden Week,…
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Uber Guy
I was granted a three-day weekend by my office, but in the midst of a six-day stretch of rain. (But it’s not yet officially rainy season so … ?) The gods condescended to allow for a Sunday that — while not actually actively sunny — was bereft of genuine precipitation. In short, an ideal day…
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Serendipity?
My goals today were to get in some kilometers and to try out a couple of routes between home and José’s new flat. A welcome boon was an unexpected and accidental benefit from yesterday’s maintenance. I’d been casting about the past couple of days for a route. As recently as yesterday evening, Nana asked where…
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Glide, Switched
Apart from a quick spin around the block late yesterday afternoon, today was my first ride since upgrading Kuroko to electronic shifting and hydraulic brakes. And everything about today’s ride confirmed what I’d noticed during that brief jaunt. Shifting is effortless and flawless. Braking is very smooth, requiring very little force. And the Brooks saddle…
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A big push!
The day dawned clear and windy. Between the forecast for wind and some sneezing that started last night and continued this morning, I put off plans for a longer ride and decided to get out to the Arakawa and see which way the wind was blowing. The ride in traffic to the Arakawa was uneventful.…