cycling

  • Almost Infinitely Transparent Blue

    Aside from the sheer joy of being on a bike, today also provided added delights. I rode amid unseasonal warmth. And the skies were so azure I stole the title of a Ryu Murakami novel for the blog headline. Mrs. Kangaeroo worked a night shift and was knackered. I left her to sleep, went to physio and then a gentle ride under the pristine skies. Despite being deeply into winter and what is traditionally the coldest part of the year, I could wear shorts and was sweating by the time I finished the ride, aided in part by fierce headwinds and lack of fitness and strength after months out of…

  • Oops, I Did It Again! (Sorry Britney!)

    With deepest apologies to Britney Spears, I have managed to ‘do it again;’ the ‘it‘ in this case being an extremely pricey bike crash. Fortunately, perhaps, with typical self-absorption I’d forgotten how badly my ASTUTO VASARA bicycle was affected by the accident. The crash occurred in early November 2025. Following the crash, I rode the bike roughly 100 kilometers, and took it on the train, but hadn’t focused on its damage. Subsequently, I was so caught up in my pain, recovery, and then the holidays, that I basically forgot all about it. I broke my leg in the accident and finally started rehabilitation last night. As the physiotherapy clinic is…

  • Inching Back Into Reality, One Step At A Time

    This week was all about crawling back into real life. I had spent the past couple of months pretty much shut away from the world and immobilized due to a broken leg. I got to return the crutches I had used, swapped them for a cane and now decided I am going to try and walk as much unaided as I possibly can. My doctor and physiotherapist advised me not to cycle, but they did so on the eve of the long year-end, new year holiday when dealing with any accident or incident is tough for medical professionals. I discovered cycling not only offered greater mobility, it was easier on…

  • Going With A Gut Feeling Given Weight By Months Of Inactivity And Pigging Out

    I’ve always said that if you can ride a bicycle 1 kilometer, you can ride for 5 kilometers. And if you can ride 5k, you can make 10k. Then, if you reach 10k, you’ll be able to get to 20k. If you’re able to ride for 20k, you’ll be able to get to 50k, and if you can do 50k, then 100k is attainable. Experience will show anyone that making 100 kilometers by bike means they can pedal for any distance at all. How do I know this? It’s been my own experience. When I first started to get serious about daily cycling around 2010-11, the roughly 30 kilometer journey…

  • Icy Roads Raise Prospects Of An Icy Reception

    Thanks to being as blind as a bat and leaving home in the dark, I didn’t realize how stupid I was until it was too late to do anything about it. And that ran the risks of some midwinter iciness. We had snow overnight, but I didn’t notice it, nor the icy roads, until I was already on my bike. Even when I was confident of my cycling skills, I never cycled on icy roads. Now, while terrified every time I get in the saddle, I was horrified to find myself rolling slowly through thee crunching ice. I was petrified by the thought that I may let down Mrs. Kangaeroo….

  • Disobedience Is The True Foundation Of Liberty

    Prohibited by my doctor and physiotherapist, and frowned upon by Mrs. Kangaeroo, I’m not supposed to be riding my bike because I haven’t fully recovered from a broken leg. But after giving it a try and coming through unhurt, I have gotten on my bike again and find it liberating, regardless of whatever anyone else says. I’m spouting all sorts of tripe like the title of this blog post that I stole from American philosopher Henry David Thoreau. But my track record in life is more disruptive than disruptor, and rebellion and defiance have almost invariably left me smashed to pieces, mostly rightfully so. So, I’ve been scared to get…

  • Can’t Wait To Get Back In The Saddle Again In The Year Of The Horse

    Welcome to 2026, umadoshi, or the Year of the Horse according to the Chinese Zodiac. Though I’d really love to be hitting the new year at a gallop, I’ve been limp for months after breaking a leg. But my recovery is now finally entering its final furlong. All I want from 2026 is to be a decent bloke who does the right thing by family, friends, employer, dinosaur, and those I come into contact with. I’d love to be able to ride my bike as much as possible and join Mrs. Kangaeroo in the horse-riding that she loves, even if only for a ride or two. I’d also like to…

  • Bloody Great Year To Have Been Alive In ’25

    Not much went right in 2025, but more than enough to have made it a bloody great year to have been alive. Apart from my relationships with Mrs. Kangaeroo, friends, family and dinosaurs, work provided me with an immense amount of joy. I threw everything I could at my job, and was happy to do so. But it turns out that I’m maybe not very good at it. At least that recognition provides a basis to make myself better in 2026. I don’t really have a great recollection of the year as it progressed, continuing my long-term pattern of short-term memory loss. I started the year with the aim of…

  • Ghost Town Gala: No Ride For Old Men

    Ever since the idea of cycling adventures popped into my mind almost decades ago now courtesy of Tokyo Cycling Club, I have wanted to do a ride to the Nitchitsu Mining Town, an abandoned ghost town in Saitama Prefecture, but never got around to it. I’d tried and failed a couple of times before, but even that was more than half a decade ago. Yesterday, I finally got to tick this off my bucket list. The ride was everything and more than I had expected, making for a truly memorable ride through the mountains of the Chichibu surrounds in Saitama Prefecture. Of course, it was the visit to the abandoned…

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    Batch Of Brommies Bring A Little Bit Of Magic

    Maybe it’s the residue of all the macabre atmosphere of Halloween or some other mystique, but the past couple of days have been a bit enchanting. Rather than fall for all the made-up poppycock, I reckon the magical feeling probably stems from my Brompton bike. The bicycle that really got me into cycling has sent most of he past few years gathering dust, but when it gets rolled out, there’s something truly special. Yesterday, I got our and headed down on my Brommie to Tokyo Tower for a morning meeting. It was a great ride, if a little chilly, as well as somewhat chilling with drivers on the busy road…