cycling

  • |

    Fabulously Fulfilling But Frenetically Flat Out

    We’ve had an amazingly busy past few weeks packing in all sorts of activities in very little time. It has been frenetic, but fun. Probably the highlight was heading into Odaiba to see a show by Damiano David, the lead singer of Maneskin on a solo tour of Japan. I wasn’t keen on going, but Mrs. Kangaeroo dragged me there and I’m glad she did. David put on a good show and I was up and dancing by the end of the night. We also got a visit from Uyu, the border collie, who stayed a few days and was her typically snarly self. She melted my heart with her…

  • The Lady In The Lake

    Not much has been going on recently, but just living life has kept us busy. During a quick lunchtime ride yesterday, the skies and setting gave me a ripper chance to take photos of La Cangura in the shallow waters of a wading pool in a park beside the Tama River. I’ve been cycling a little bit every day, but not as much as I would have wanted, and certainly not with the types of elevations I should be aiming for. But you deal with your hand, and the clouds made for a moody atmosphere that I appreciated. I’d been lucky to get some dynamic skies during rides over the…

  • |

    Wonderful Weekend Of Superb Cycling

    Blessed with outstanding weather and lucky schedule breaks, I’ve just finished an amazing three-day weekend of cycling. I got to get on the bike as part of a cycling club’s call for riders to share their cycling experiences. My duties to the local estate threatened to put paid to my riding over the weekend, but things worked out and I could ride on all three days of the event. Today was the highlight, and I was supposed to lead a ride from Tokyo Station to Inokashira Park in Kichijoji. We were to follow the delightful Kanda River cycling course, which weaves through the central city, through the leafy suburbs and…

  • Recce Turned Out To Be More Of A Wrecky

    My sense of direction is so bad that even in the simplest of routes where it is nigh impossible to get lost I will invariably find a way. That’s the only way I seem to be able to find. And my talent for doing this is extraordinary. Fully cognizant of this, for some bewildering reason I volunteered to lead a company bike ride along an unfamiliar route following the Kanda River to encourage people to take up cycling. I did this because riding has been so beneficial for me physically, mentally and spiritually. So I was determined to get the route right. I plotted out the route turn-by-turn on Google…

  • |

    Zen, And The Art Of the Brompton Community…

    Or, Fold-ups, Fears, Foul-ups, Fuss, Faffing And Fun… After weeks of sunny weather (and heat), rain and drizzle came as a bit of a shock, but with a packed schedule there was little time to mess around. I slept later than usual and woke to rain, which made me suspect there would be no Brompton meeting at Tachikawa event today. But I checked the Instagram account of the event organiser, and she was keen for it to go ahead. Having yet to visit under her auspices and after pledging to myself that I would make every effort to do so this month, I prepared my Brompton bicycle to take me…

  • Deluge Opens A Door To Delightful Demonstration

    After weeks without rain, Tokyo finally got a bit of precipitation this week–hopefully without any great damage–but for us, it was welcome relief for the parched garden, as well we some beautiful sights on the bike. I’ve always been a sucker for reflection photos and the rain provides a plethora of opportunities to take these shots. It was bleak and gray in the office yesterday, and while the storm looked spectacular in its ferocity from the upper floors, that didn’t translate too well once I’d pulled out the camera. But I got a bit of a bonus this morning as the skies turned on a show just minutes before I…

  • Settling Back Down To Being Unsettled

    After a magnificently enjoyable week off that followed a month of working from home with little external pressure, the return to reality has been more unsettling than resuming the settling effects of routine. I guess the passage of time will make things easier. It has been pretty hectic in some ways, nonetheless. Just getting back to commuting, using the sometimes unfriendly ticket vending machines, packing myself into the train carriage with thousands of others, and then the grueling trip downtown where each stop means even more commuters cramming in with us. Getting into the office, I was rewarded with a swag full of company merch! Work has eased me back…

  • |

    Big Red Bike Tour Stage 13: Last Leg On Last Legs

    At long last, the Big Red Bike Tour is over. What a wonderful time it was! Originally, I’d planned to take some time off work and cycle across the Japan Alps and Nakasendo highway. But Dino falling ill put paid to that plan. I needed to stay close to home, but could also leave our rosy faced lovebird alone for long enough to take the short rides that comprised the tour. Even so, over the 13 stages of the tour conducted over the past 10 days (two days, including today had two stages), I racked up 595.29 kilometers ridden, which is about the distance of the original Alps trip. And…

  • Big Red Bike Tour Stage 12: Morning Glory

    With a commitment to mow the lawns at the retirement village where I live and work resuming tomorrow, this morning was supposed to be the end of the Big Red Bike Tour, but I am going to try and sneak in one or maybe two more rides if I can. Despite a late night, I rose as early as usual and got onto the bike. I’m pretty chuffed by the quality of my phone’s camera and the photos it takes in the dark. A glorious sunrise to welcome the day was the highlight of the morning’s ride. I’m not keen on getting out with the weed whacker, but literally cutting…

  • Big Red Bike Tour Stage 11: Mama’s Got A Squeeze Box

    With a return to work–and the commute to the office–imminent, the slow wind down of the Big Red Bike Tour started today with a chance to head into central Tokyo. I was there to catch up with some old mates and ply them with superb brownies Mrs. Kangaeroo baked. I had spent most of the day playing with Dino, who while still ill was in good spirits for most of the time and displayed a voracious appetite for both rice grains and neck scratches. My ride didn’t start until the late afternoon and ended in the evening to the accompaniment of The Who‘s Squeeze Box and other assorted tunes. All…