So up around six and off I go. CP Three here I come. This shouldn't take too long... unless you are good at faffing around... not sure what time I hit it... maybe around three hours after I should have... that's three hours, only if you ignore the two days already behind schedule of course.
I didn't get to CP 3 that day though... and really I don't remember much... and I didn't take many pictures.
The first part of the ride was city riding - busy roads, loud traffic - not much fun. Flat for the most part but brutal all the same. I vaguely recall seeing some amazing structures and thinking maybe I should take a picture... as I passed.
The first part of the ride was city riding - busy roads, loud traffic - not much fun. Flat for the most part but brutal all the same. I vaguely recall seeing some amazing structures and thinking maybe I should take a picture... as I passed.
Busy roads, industrial area, brutal highways... Google... hmmm apparently Google does not completely understand the option it offers to ’avoid highways’. Nope, cos it told me to go on one… and I did… wtfai (where the… am I) I think a number of trucks were trying to gently inform me by blaring their horns... "yes, yes, I think I understand... 17 of your mates told me, oh, go on, you can do it too..." Bugger! Or… help…
Wait... I see a gap between the walls... can I get down that? Not much choice, hoof the bike over, tippy toe on my road cleats, almost, almost lose the bike, I just manage to save it by jamming my shin against this nice sharp, jaggedy thing... relief... wait... fuck, that hurts... oh and blood too... cool. Not.
I navigate (yes, getting better) back to the real road; the one running parallel. The one Google should have told me to ride… The one with the cops screaming by… horns, lights, traffic swervy thing… you know doing that ‘chasing a criminal’ gig... I wonder what could be the rush... not much crime in Japan, I bet they never get to do that... I bet anything could get them excited... maybe even just a cyclist... oops, I'm er... I’m just gonna go this other way...
My nerves settle and I am off up the 28 towards Iga, beautiful road following a river... Aww... look the road is closed. The Japanese are so polite when they are telling you to f*** off, the road is closed. They bow, smile, cross their arms in this X shape... (I eventually discovered it means "no, sorry, you fogging, foreign idiot" I smile bow... and tell him to look the other way... 20 mins later and he does! I told him I would go around the road works... he laughed... I discovered why - it was either a 20 foot vertical drop to the river... or a 200 foot near vertical climb - the work crew were using climbing gear. Less negotiations to get through this time.
I keep riding - looking at my tracking it looks like I backtrack about 30kms... brilliant eh? I continue and around 7:30pm and I am going through a town... I'm in a supermarket to stock up and I ask 'any restaurants?' This is in my broken Japanese which strangely sounds exactly like Northern English… “Local House" he says in his broken English, which sounds exactly like Northern English without the ‘Northern’ bit. Closes at 8pm… he seems to indicate. Yes I was telling fibs, it is in almost zero english... Another customer comes who is apparently the ‘Local House’ matriarch... 'yes yes come with me' I follow…
Local House? I had no idea what a Local House was but I discovered I love this 'local house' - cozy, warm, rustic, smiling owners and customers…? Yes. I love local house. Three old guys are eating, and the patriarch seemed very interested in me - "Riding? From? Wow? What do I want?" (that's the abbreviated version obviously) I have no idea how to order anything, I shrug my shoulders, smile, both palms up… it is the international body language for anything. Rice? Beef? He asks. A nod and a smile... and a big beer please... Beeru! I deserve Beeru I think.
Food was Fantastic! Yes capital F. I ordered another to go… then I was on my way. It is amazing how a hot meal can change how you are feeling - my energy levels were in the ground, I was tired, cold, miserable, hungry... it was dark, getting late, I was in the middle of nowhere, with nowhere to sleep... and then a good hot meal, a friendly face, a smile and my perception changes. I am off again, feeling re-energized - few more hours on the bike will be okay.
But... I still hadn't reached CP3.
I keep riding until around midnight… it is getting late… some riders keep going… some make other choices - I eventually get to the point where I can either climb up this pass, late at night or try and sleep... I found this park area with a toilets and a temple or a shrine... I'm not sure whether it was a shrine or temple… but it was the kind where idiots can sneak in and pitch a bivvy... you know, that kind. Sleep came easy, 14 hours in the saddle helped. I was awoken a couple times during the night by some critter (monkey I think) screeching and causing all the local dogs to start yelling. Japanese dogs are like my dogs, they like to be the last one to bark... it took these twenty or so dogs about 40 minutes to find the ‘last-to-bark winner’. Glad I was able to wake up for that… oh, wait… round two…
And the stats? Another 180kms, nine hours moving, not much elevation gain. It was a mentally tough day, lost, illegal highway adventure, closed road, backtracking... it is not really bothering me though, I know it is just part of the experience.
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