cycling

  • Better To Be Quiet About It, But It Wasn’t All Bad

    This has been a terrible year for the world, but from a personal viewpoint, it has actually been a bit OK, spending less money, riding like a madman and having a quiet life of basic solitude undisturbed by the need to accommodate others. It would be nice to have the stability we had before the pandemic, and fear has become a deeper part of my life than before. I am very grateful for Japan’s serious approach to the pandemic and the support my company has showed for us, even though we are also footing a lot of the bill and I’ve had a nominal pay cut in the form of…

  • Mount Fuji And Lovely Leaves

    Bless with time, fitness and fine weather, the highlight of another month of stupendous cycling was heading up the Doshimura road to Lake Yamanaka and its wonderous views of Mount Fuji and the autumnal leaves in the area. This is the path the Olympic cyclists will take if they ever manage to hold the Games here, and it’s a bit of a challenging ride, but the return downhill was magnificent! Oh, how I love Belladonna and the world she has opened up for me.

  • Too Far Ahead Of Ourselves

    We tried to make a concerted return to normality at the start of the month, but within a couple of days, it was clear that things are not the same and it’s still not safe to be out and about, and it was back to isolation. I’d enjoyed the rides in and out of central Tokyo for the first time in months, and the race back home before work started, but it wasn’t to be for long. Thanks to Belladonna for making that possible.

  • Riding Along the River

    Summer is not always the most pleasant season in Tokyo as it’s stinking hot, humid and frequently raining. Sometimes, though, nature turns on the charm and you get some delightful goodies. This week’s sunrises have been precisely that. Blessed (?) by a series of bicycle mechanical failures, Kangaeroo.com got a day to take it nice and slowly along the banks of the Tama River forming the boundary between Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture, resulting in these delightful pictures.

  • Credit To The Cryptobros

    It’s becoming clearer that our bosses are very unhappy with the situation as they continue to pay us with no discernible output on our part, and Japan spared of much of the carnage affecting the rest of the workld. But I give credit to the cryptobros for acting quickly and saving our lives, even if the constant monitoring of us doing nothing and assigned nothing is onerous. Thanks for keeping me alive.

  • May As Well Just Get Out On The Bike

    There’s almost no work going on, it’s hard to shop and I can’t do much else, so I have been getting out and riding my bike as much as I can. This pandemic is filling me with fear, especially with Mrs. Kangaeroo working in a care facility for the elderly. My doctor warned me to take special precautions as I am part of the susceptible population through age and health state. At least riding doesn’t require contact.

  • Biwaichi Takes the Wind from Our Sails

    Having completed about two-thirds of a circumnavigation of Lake Biwa, Japan’s largest lake, the final day was supposed to be an easy jaunt to the train station and a comfortable ride home to Tokyo for the Kangaeroo crew. “Ha, ha,” laughed the devil. On paper, the last leg of the Biwaichi circumnavigation was a mere 60 kilometers on a flat course, nearly all of which was isolated bike tracks. For the first hour, that was precisely what Kanageroo and the missus got as they headed out of Seta and off toward Hikone. The bitter taste of a terrible time at the Royal Oak Shiga slowly dissipating as we rode along…