100.4 kms. 4hrs, 51mins, 20seconds of wheel turning riding time. One sore ass that was happy to dive into the lake at the end of this day.
What a ride! This Obon Holiday trip I have a support car carrying my necessary gear, meaning I can travel light, trailerless, and fast(?)er. The faster part definitely turned out to be untrue.
I was out the door by 9:30am feeling proud of getting my ass on the go already. I blew a bit of time though by staying along the Toyohira River too long and almost missing the branch off to Route 230. Thinking I could cut back, I climbed a long flight of red stairs carrying my bike, then got lost in a maze of a neighbourhood on top of a hill, in between 453 and 230. I didn't even know it existed, maybe it didn't, it was pretty hot already. It cost me a fair chunk of time, but this isn't the TdF either. After leaving Sapporo, I was reminded about the time of year, Obon.
Ahh Obon time, when each of the 120 million citizens of Japan take their vacation, or go to their small hometown, or go to their grandparents house, or just go to an onsen and call it a vacation...It's a nutshow and you have to be a nutshow just to want to travel during this time. I was never, EVER, happier to be on a bike then when I rode to the outskirts of Sapporo on the way to Jozankei, and saw a slow moving crush of vehicles. I passed at least 100 cubes/minis/civics with hot smoking sweaty people raising their stress levels up a notch. It reminded me of a NYC video I saw where a guy on a bike decides to prove how dumb all the car drivers are and rips through a tunnel with a video cam attached and gets it done in far less time. When I learn how to link, I'll put it on here, for now, just imagine. Getting to Jozankei was no problem, and I stopped at the Seicomart for a bite to eat and at the Onsen Foot Bath for a quick soak in the 31 degree sunshine. I realized I had downed 2 litres of water already. It was going to be a hot one. Jozankei Onsen Town was the 32k point, about an hour forty in. From here I knew the uphill to the summit of Nakayama Toge was next, and after that, a long downhill to Rusutsu and on to Toyako.
Feeling refreshed and refueled, the climb started out not too shabby towards Nakayama Toge. It was a long climb, and the heat started to break my spirit down a little. Its almost 20k from Jozan to the summit of the pass (831m), and took me about 1h 21mins. Heart avg 144 on the climb. A few of the tunnels wigged me out but good times nonetheless. At the summit I was sitting at 54kms, and drank down 2 pocaris and a milo (that's good shit!). I didn't realize just how good a chocolate milk in a vending machine can could taste. A massive crowd of people were on hand to eat up the local 'famous' delicacy, Jyaga-Imo (potatoes fried and skewered, tasty and they stick straight to the hips). It was so hot.. But the downhill was coming...
Down down down... Passing the odd car, concentrating on the shoulder lines, and cruising from the summit to Kimobetsu, 20kms only took 33mins! Max speed was 55.3kph. Funny how my heart was at 143 on a long downhill, mustve been too jacked up. It felt good to be already at 75 kms and not too tired out. From Kimobetsu, I was riding past Rusutsu when I heard a few people screaming. I looked up and just then one of the amusement parks rides was tipping a group of tourists upside down and they were all staring at me, back down at the ground, while they were tipped up 90 feet up...trippy. The rest of the ride was fairly flat, about 26kms taking an hour and 18 minutes. Once I caught site of Toya Ko, I was on fire though. There's a nice downhill winding road into the town, and then I swung right to the campsite (forgot the name). The tent was set up and lawnchairs out. I peeled outta my bike clothes and dropped into the lake next to some awesome kids who were acting out the last samurai with the 'swords' from their bug catchers. After an onsen up on the hill to relieve the chafe, I felt good, but sleepy. Didn't even last for the daily fireworks show at 845 at the lakeside, as I was in bed at 830 and asleep at 833.
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