Posts Tagged ‘Matsumoto’

GEKISAKA hill race – Tour de Utsukushigahara

July 4th, 2009

The Tour de France?  No, the real tough hill climbing cycle event is the Tour de Utsukushigahara, with its gekisaka (檄坂 – severe slope).  The race is only 22km in distance, but ascends 1,270 metres up to Utsukushigara from Asama Onsen (in Matsumoto) – the first few hundred metres of the race ascendup an 18% incline.  Last weekend, I headed up to Asama Onsen, with a group of friends – Phil, Matt, Bruce, Naoko & Dan) to take on the mountain and join the Tour.  Most of them had done the race before, but I was a first timer anda little unsure whether I’d make it.  Matt is an around-the-world cyclist who has just arrived from England by bike (see worldwidebikeride.com), and was not going to rest up too much in Tokyo when there was a mountain to race up!

At the finish! From left to right: me, Matt, Naoko, Bruce & Phil. I was the last of our group to finish, but had a rosy feeling of satisfaction inside, and a look of being totally stuffed on the outside.�

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Tour de Utsukushigahara

June 30th, 2009

A 22km bike ride in the mountains?  No problems, put my name down.  What, a 1,270 metre ascent up the mountain?  What was I thinking?  Japan’s “gekisaka” (severe slope) hill climb event – the Tour de Utsukushigahara.  What a way to celebrate the first anniversary of my arrival in Japan.  I haven’t had time to post all the details yet, but to keep you interested, here’s a link to a photo album.  All you need to know for now is that I survived, but my legs are still sore.

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