Japan Alps

  • |

    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…

  • | |

    Up And Away Over The Clouds On A Brompton

    My Brompton folding bike has proved to be more of a handful than I’d hoped with its unique parts costing a lot to maintain, but it is also lifting me to new heights in cycling, literally this month as I rode the Norikura skyline. The Norikura Kogen skyline is one of the highest elevation roads in Japan and I got a shock riding down a mountain for the first time, especially as I was carrying a heavy load. I rode my brakes nearly the entire descent of roughly 15 km, which started in pleasant sunshine, but ended in a mist. I had no idea how to descend properly, and when…