Sunny Chiba

Its been a hot and humid July, too hot to really enjoy the cycling, and far too hot to type up blog reports of rides. The weekends since Oshima have still seen plenty of mileage, but when I get home Ive been too hot and bothered to write about the days efforts - especially after the longest of the long rides at 212km.
Also, since the last report Ive been to the UK for a couple of weeks for a friends wedding, but also managed to get plenty of mountainbiking at Innerleithen/Glentress and also a mountain bike marathon through the limestone gorges and stunning scenery of the Yorkshire dales from Grassington, close to Malham cove. But this blog is supposed to be about Japanese rides, or should I rename the site? Ill stick to the orignal plan for the moment at least - but theres another 2 week respite from the summer heat starting this coming weekend, with the Aberfeldy middle distance on the 15th August....

Anyway, 19th July was 海の日 Umi no hi or day of the sea, and so another of the numerous Japanese bank holidays. A post on Tokyo Cycling Club for a ride around the back roads of Chiba was inviting, and I met up with the group at Honda station. Holiday ride, holiday start as we cycled 1km to the first convenience store stop. But this is OK, as Phil the organizer points out there wont be any more stops for 60km so we stock up with drinks and food.

At the next crossroads, Petes tyre punctures so we get another break from the ferocious sun rays. The TCC elite sprint to the only shade at the top of the hill, a small bus stop. They are able to laugh at the unfortunate few who must idle outside the booth with no air movement whilst waiting for the inner tube to be replaced.

Rides in Chiba are tough. Totally different from a Tokyo west side ride, Chiba doesnt have the high mountains but is certainly not flat. I've worked out now that the big mountain stages are half uphill, and half downhill. But here in Chiba, we seem to be up hill most of the time, but the descents are not steep enough to freewheel, so we end up cycling the whole distance, proving more tiring at the end of the day.

At the southern most point of the planned route, I say goodbye and head off west to Kanaya and the ferry to Kurihama, Miura hanto. The roads through the center of Chiba are really nice, little traffic - its the coastal roads which draw the heavy traffic. Especially on a long sunny weekend like this, the surf beaches of south / east Chiba draw large crowds and are best avoided.

I was so glad to get onto the ferry, dive into the air conditioned lounge and drink as much as I could from the vending machines on board. The ferry runs every hour every day of the year, and takes about 40mins so not much time to eat your yaki soba and rest before exiting the ferry back into the heat of southern Miura hanto.

On previous rides, Miura hanto has always been a ride cicumnavigating the coastline, which is a great ride in itself, but today Im on a mission to get to the final point, Zushi beach, as soon as possible. I eventually found route 27, somehow this was confusing leaving Kurihama. Must have been the heat, but I was heading up different roads with the usual 6th sense of road navigation telling me this was the wrong route.
Miura hanto is normally a ride of beaches and scenery, even if the last section up to Kamakura is busy traffic, but today route 27 was far more urbanised than I had expected. Virtually the whole length from south to west coast was at least lightly built up, so not a route I would recommend except to get you from Kurihama to the north as fast as possible.

So the day of the sea, and I finally got to my goal - Zushi beach. An utterly different place to the same beach we visited for swim training back in April. Now its July/August, the official beach season so the whole beach front is covered in temporary bars, restaurants, basketball courts and plenty of peaches as far as the eye can wander.
A huge area is marked off for swimming, and I dive in. A huge area is marked off for swimming, most unused of course so if you swim beyond the waders its clear ocean for yourself - and the jellyfish.  But what to do with the carbon bike whilst Im in the water? Oh just leave it by the vending machine. It'll be fine.