Japanese Odyssey - The prep.

The Ride.

Maybe... I should start by telling you about the Japanese Odyssey eh? That may make sense.

Hell! It's Hell I tell you.

A visual of Hell.

Wait, would prefer more detail...? Oh okay then.

It is a self supported ride around (this year) the southern half of Japan. Some points...

• It is self supported. I know I said that already, I'm just emphasizing... in fact, I'm gonna emphasize even more... it is a self supported ride and on my bike I carry-
• Sleeping bag, bivvy bag and sleeping mat.
• Food - I buy from wherever I can and load up my frame bag 2-3 times a day.
• Spare parts, tools and repair kit. All the bits and pieces I could reasonable carry - spokes, inner tube, chain link, multi-tool etc.
• Cold & wet weather, and spare cycling gear.
• Spare footwear - sometimes road shoes does not work. Lightweight tho like flip-flops.
• None cycling clothing - a shirt and climbing pants
• Heat pads - I had nine of them on one night.
• Bike lights, one dynamo driven, one rechargeable and three rear USB.
• Electronics - phone, wifi modem, GPS tracker, power banks x2, plugs and a shit load of cables.
• Dynamo hub - to run the front light and charge said electronics (well, the light worked).



Locked and loaded.

• The gear weighed about 30lbs - not too bad.
• There is no set route, just a series of checkpoints - 12 in this case; which were really 20...
• Emmental and Gouda organized it... they cannot count.
• Time allowed - 10.5 days.
• Estimated distance 2600kms
• Estimated elevation gain... 40,000m. My first route plan called for 119,000m.
• Mostly road, some gravel - my bike was set up for mostly gravel. Cos I'm a dumbass, that's why.
• There is no safety vehicle, route markers, checks at the check points... nothing - you are on your own.

Why did I, or why would I want to do this? Not sure. I have asked myself this question many times... the best answers I have come up with...

Why...? Why would we do this?

• I'm in the middle of a mid-life crisis and I cannot afford the expensive version...?
• I wanted to challenge myself...?
• I wanted an adventure?
• It was there... it became and option... did I want to look back one day and say 'glad I didn't do that...?' nope. So I signed up.

The Gear.
It required preparation... a lot.

I had six weeks... to train, to source, select and purchase all the equipment to be used/carried - even the frame-bags to carry the gear (Apidura by the way, fantastic, but not the waterproof top tub bag - the closure is rubbish).

 And in addition to all the gear, I had to modify the bike - 

• Smaller wheels (650b).
• Wider tyres (47mm WTB Horizon's),
• 46 tooth rear cassette (from a 40)
• New chain to accommodate the cassette.
• Clip on TT bars
• Endurance seat - 
• more comfy you see, the one I got lasted three days before it felt like a brick wrapped in sandpaper.
• Dynamo hub.

The bike itself is a Giant TCX Advanced (Carbon) with a SRAM 1x11 drivetrain and 160mm disc brakes. It's a cyclocross bike, but modified to be less race and more gravel.

My bike is where...?

I had some challenges, my wheels, dynamo and dynamo light were coming from the UK and they were delayed by a week. Hunt Wheels, the supplier, did overnight them which was great, they left their facilities on Thursday, London Heathrow on Friday and hitting Vancouver Friday night... not bad eh? One thing I have discovered about Canada is the shipping or postal system is not quite as efficient as anywhere else in the fogging world... except for maybe the odd, third-world country. My wheels arrived Wednesday, my flight was Friday... I had to instal the brake discs, buy and install the new cassette, road test the wheels, dynamo and light, install new chain, adjust, dismantle and pack. A proper road test...? Not really... maybe I could do it in Japan - I landed on the Saturday and with the race starting Wednesday 6am, it should be no problem...

Unless of course the airline loses the bag... apparently it stayed in Canada... which meant it would not arrive in Japan until at least 7pm the next evening... It did arrive eventually - Sunday evening. Monday morning I unpacked and rebuilt the bike. Monday afternoon I went for the first proper test ride - the bike, wheels, dynamo, tires, cassette, chain, gears, dynamo light and... my navigation software...

Of course I had the option of testing the navigation software in Canada... but the thing is though, I live on a mountain - there is one road... pretty easy to navigate. The first real test was Tokyo - the biggest city in the world... a proper test. Maybe I should start with an easy challenge... I know, I'll ride the 15kms to the start. Noon I started... 3 hours 40 mins and 35kms later... I get to my planned destination. Hmmm... it does not bode well for a 2600km race. It was a steep learning curve tho and I made the return journey in 50mins or so. But that leads me on to my actual route planning...

Route Planning.

I used a combination of Google Earth, Ride with GPS and MapOut - they all had their pros and cons. This bit is not that interesting... I wouldn't read if I were you - look at the picture of the beer instead.

• Google Earth
• Pros
• Great for looking at roads/routes in Japan from here in Canada.
• Free
• Quick route planning including roads, public transport, sometimes bike, hiking.



Hmmm... Beer.

• Great for finding services - convenience stores, bike shops, hotels etc.
• Cons
• Really heavy on power
• Really heavy on data
• Requires internet connection, and thus limited in remote areas.
• Ride With GPS
• Pros
• Lots of other users and their routes are visible
• Easy to download kmx files to Google Earth
• Easy to download kmx files to MapMe
• Cons
• Expensive monthly subscription.
• I found it complicated and hard to use - it appeared I would need to spend a whole bunch of time (that I didn't have) learning how to use the software.
• MapMe
• Pros
• Simple
• Easy to use, I could trace a route quickly, follow and modify on the fly.
• Cheap - $7 for the app.
• Easy to modify memory use - you can download/delete global maps.
• Cons
• Elevation gain was inaccurate - it overestimated.
• Limited detail.

I think it is this way...

If you have one get the MapMe app. However, I have since discovered Komoot... on the next adventure I will use Komoot for planning. 

Logistics.
Or getting to the start point... 8,000kms away... with my bike. It is not that difficult really, a good bike bag (thanks Josh) and a couple of flights. But, you also have to consider pre and post ride accommodation, luggage storage building and dismantling your bike.

Most airlines will carry bike bags - they are usually heavier than regular luggage, especially if bike touring, mine weighed 73lbs at check in. FYI I discovered 70lbs is the max.

For accommodation I used AirBnb; I found a place about 15kms from the race start. I was also able to book the same place post ride and they allowed me to store my luggage during the ride - bonus.

Pre race.
It is Tuesday evening, 6pm and I arrive at the 'pre-race' meeting. Pick up my cap, water bottle, gillette; eat some food, drink a beer, listen to the briefing and leave.

Suddenly I am exhausted. I realize all the urgent planning, preparation, research, purchasing, organizing, training and traveling stress is over. All I have to do now is get up a 4am the next morning and ride my bike. I don't have to think or worry or plan or stress or test. As my head hits the pillow, I realize the hard bit is over...

Next is day one...