Freedom Philosophy

Some of us watch the olympics and rather than just feel the awe and inspiration of watching top athletes at the top of their careers we think, “hmmmm, betcha I would really enjoy that.” Watching the Nordic skiers battle it out in Feb 2010, I was awed by how fit the athletes were. Then my wife, Asako, saw that look that means two things…that I have new idea and that it is going to cost us money.

Now Nordic skiing for a guy who lives in hot and humid Yokohama, Japan is not exactly the most accessible sport. As a kid I used to either XC ski or play hockey almost every day after school during the winter. Here the options for snow are non-existent but roller skiing would be a definite possibility. I started the quest for the perfect equipment set-up.

The locations where I knew I could ski were the country roads in Nagano where we spend much of the summer, the docks out in Isogo not far from home, and the cycling road out at symbol tower overlooking Tokyo bay. I knew from cycling that none of these locations are particularly smooth. I also knew I wanted skis with some hefty speed control features for the hills in the country and brakes for the people you suddenly encounter living in a city of 9 million.

It didn’t take long reading blog articles and forums to hone in on Jenex’s V2 Roller Skis. They had everything I was looking for including a skate/classic model that would enable me to take the sport in any direction I felt like. 

The other detail to sort out was the boots. The most important thing was to get something for skating that wouldn’t be too hot during the summer months. I came across Alpina’s roller ski skate boot and once I accepted fate about the price tag I ordered up the whole set including Swix poles with the roller ski tip replacements.

After a few sessions in one of the biggest parking lots in the area to bring back what little muscle memory I had from when I was a kid, I was ready to tackle some more open terrain and a bit more of the public eye. I can accept that a guy with ski poles and gear charging down the road is going to get some stares but even well into my mature adulthood, my ego wouldn’t allow me to look like a horse with ice skates on. I practiced up until I was ready then hit the open tarmac.

Now several months into this new hobby I am loving everything they bring to my fitness training. I love the fluid side to side skating motion and the opening extension upward into the glide. I love the challenge to balance. I love double poling with my arms and abs propelling me forward. I love the fact that in well under an hour I can crank through over 1000kcal and feel a quad burn like no other. On days when I am back on the bike, I can feel the power I am picking up with these as cross-training and can audibly hear the curses coming from the guys in my cycling club as they wonder where all the speed is coming from.

This is the conversion rig for the kid trailer that I use to bring my skis out to the docks where pavement is plenty but car parking not so much. Inventions like this are almost reason alone to get into something new. AC

Health, Wellness, & Nutrition, What's Fun, Winter Sports

photo by Lynette Chiang

Having returned from field studies in Izu, we were set to head to Nagano on Saturday night. With my Scott Road Bike off the road thanks to some issues with my relatively new Easton Wheelset, I was happy to take my Bike Friday Pocket Rocket to Karuizawa for a week of play in the mountains.

I regularly follow YAK which is BF’s email based message board. On Friday night I got an update from Lynette Chiang, who I knew had been in Tokyo the week before, saying the Bike Friday group was heading to the mountains of Japan. Curious I checked to see where they would be staying.

Much to my surprise, they were in Karuizawa and further that they were staying at a pension less the 1km from our family place out there. Not certain what their internet access would be, I sent off a last minute invitation for anyone in the group to join me for my typical 60k morning ride that runs the ridge from Karuizawa 72 golf course out to Uchiyama Farm, with fantastic views of Mt Asama and down a spectacular 12k descent into Saku city, then along the foothills of the same ridge back to Naka-Karuizawa.

Mt. Asama from the Shimonita/Saku Super View Road

I swung by the Pension at 6:30am to see if anyone was awake but save a dozen Bike Fridays snoozing in the back, all was quiet around the place. After completing my ride, I stopped by the pension around 9am to see what was going on and enjoyed the shock of all particularly Lynette Chiang aka. Gal from Down Under or Bike Friday Customer Service Evangelist. I guess an unknown foreigner rolling up on a pocket rocket wasn’t what they expected to see. Apparently I had just missed the rest of the group departing for Karuizawa station.

Hearing that the group’s experience with Karuizawa had pretty much been limited to the major roads, I took it upon myself to at least share a bit of Karuizawa’s back road charm as they headed into town. Under pending drizzle, we climbed into the edge of the mossy forest that characterizes this region. We lucked out with a bit of beautiful fall color on this short 4k back way into town.

With Jeff and Miki taking in the leaves on a chilly Karuizawa morning (photo by Lynette Chiang)

It was good fun to connect with other Bike Friday people. I’m not usually one for networking with people just because we own the same brand of something but there is something unique about Bike Friday that makes it a bit of a exclusive club. For one, as Lynette pointed out, it takes bit of security to ride around on small wheels. As she said, most people want to look like Lance and a foldable doesn’t quite cut the image.

The bikes the other members of the group had were great to see. A couple of Tikits, which I had already seen around Yokohama, and Jeff’s Air Friday – my first to set eyes on. That really is an interesting frame design.

After a quick little descent along the golf course adjacent to town, we rolled along some of the old foreign vacation properties. We ended up in the old shopping district of Kyu-Karuizawa and finally onto to Shinkansen Station where we would rejoin the rest of the Bike Friday traveling contingent. It was great to meet some others who are passionate about these little bikes that fly like the wind.

With a classic Karuizawa drizzle settling in and my low blood sugar levels from the longer ride that preceded this gathering I zipped back home to a hot shower and full breakfast.

Thanks for the warm welcome from all the people on the Bike Friday Japan Tour. For more photos of the gathering click through to this link.

What's Fun Bike Friday, cycling

OK for all the skeptics and myth busters out there here is a picture with real UFO sighting caught on film. Other than putting this image into the panarama maker I have not altered it any way. The UFO is flying over the mountain on the right side of the image. They tried to abduct me into space but using the knowledge I gained from the “Worst Case Scenario” books I resisted mentally and poked one of them in the eyes when it tried to grab me. Any bets on what this really was? I’ll post a higher res jpg. of the UFO. Hint -  It was an actual object.

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Uncategorized, What's Fun