• Strine Sports

    Rustic Relaxation

    A weeklong festival of cycling drew to a close with series of unexpected bonuses: forecast rain failed to eventuate; an area usually only viewed while frenetically racing along on the jalopy turned out to be filled with delights; and Kangaeroo came to the realization that 100 kilometers is not an impossible distance to cover every day provided time and speed are not needed to be accounted for. The day was spent with a group of mates, riding through the hills of outer suburban Tokyo, stopping frequently to eat, drink or soak in the scenery. We each went our separate ways…

  • Strine Sports

    More Climbing

    Continuing on from yesterday, today was another day of climbing through the mountains on the beautiful Belladonna (a Cervelo R5 road bike). Kangaeroo is too exhausted from the energy-sapping ride and a rush to get out to go into much detail. But he is eternally grateful to cycling for giving these opportunities that have been unimaginable for most of his life, and to his wife for allowing him to pursue these dreams. And, of course, to his bikes for carrying him there, and the cycling mates who help and encourage him.

  • Strine Sports

    Climbing

    Kangaeroo loves cycling. He cycles a lot. And I mean a lot. The line between a moderately good rider and a strong rider can largely be drawn at climbing; specifically, how fast a cyclist can make it up the hills. The best cyclists are all good hill climbers. The key to strong climbing is having a good power to weight ratio, which basically means weighing little but still having lots of power. Look at most pro cyclists and they all look like skeletons with disproportionately huge legs. Unfortunately, the only thing disproportionally huge about Kanageroo is his belly. He has…

  • Strine Sports

    Tiptoeing through the Tulips

    Today was something of a landmark occasion: Kangaeroo made his first century ride on a recumbent bike. Owning and riding a recumbent has been a long-held dream for this blogger. And the dream finally became a reality earlier this year. But the dream turned into a bit of a nightmare as Kangaeroo discovered how difficult it is to ride these bikes. It took over a month of steady practice to learn how to ride. Even then, a sense of unease persists. Early plans to name the bike Lay Down Sally gave way to Death Machine. If nothing else, the recumbent…

  • Strine Sports

    Beating Jobsworths with Luck

    Waking early gave Kangaeroo a slice of luck this morning, enabling a visit to Yakushiike Park in Machida before the jobsworths arrived there and booted him out for bringing his bike. The park is a delight, unbelievably located in the Tokyo suburbs. It has some spectacular wisteria growing on trellises, with a huge pond (the ike of Yakushiike) surrounded by a picturesque garden currently flourishing with bright new leaves. The wisteria are yet to reach full bloom, so there may be another visit before we’re finished this year.

  • Strine Sports

    Sensational Sunrises

    There have been some sensational sunrises to greet me in recent days, though each weekend for the past six weeks has seen at least one day rain. This week it was Saturday and Kangaeroo spent the day on the Death Machine, riding only a short distance. Sunday, though, was a different matter, and we headed out on a 200-km under beautiful blue skies, but dogged by gale-force winds that proved energy sapping.

  • Unknown Nichigo

    Rain, Rain, Go Away

    April in Tokyo can get wet, but it can also be warm and dry. Unfortunately, today it’s the former. On the upside that means more photo opportunities and a slower pace to enjoy riding. Make no mistake, though, April is when spring really starts to, well, blossom in the Japanese capital. Not far from Kangaeroo’s home is the delightful Yakushiike Park. The park has some delightful archetypically Japanese scenes, with the crooked bridge over a pond, terraced rice paddies and beautifully manicured gardens. Flowers and new greenery sprout everywhere and days are longer and generally warmer. Then there’s the wind.…

  • Unknown Nichigo

    Strange Days, Indeed

    There have been better days than today, but this one is up there for peculiarity (in a minor sort of way). The morning ride was nice in spite of tiredness that became increasingly more obvious the more Kangaeroo rode. Not helping was having woken before 3 a.m. again and not being able to get back to sleep. Sunrise was spectacular, but fleeting, and didn’t really make for the nicest of photos. Still, it is a wonderful time of the year in Tokyo. Following a morning meeting, there was enough time left before work started to nick over to Costco to…

  • Unknown Nichigo

    Cheating Death!

    Kangaeroo recently added a recumbent bike to his collection. A recumbent has long been part of the Kangaeroo dream. When Kangaeroo started cycling, he often shared his commute through suburban Tokyo with a seasoned Kiwi cyclist called John. Kangaeroo was a rookie (and still is, really), but John had been riding for decades, and often shared his knowledge and experience. This went on for about a year. Kangaeroo came to appreciate and admire John as he put into practice the advice he had been given. One day, John turned up riding a bike where he was lying down. Kangaeroo immediately…