October is finally here and cycling season is upon us. Although the COVID-19 has limited our summer outings, the GOTO Campaign has begun, and the desire to ride is rising! I took an early trip to Oku-Nikko in Tochigi Prefecture, where the beautiful autumn foliage is just around the corner.
In the previous issue, we reported on our challenge to ride 111 km around Lake Kasumigaura. The day after an overnight stay, we will report on a 63-km ride along the old Tsukuba Railway course, where the peaceful atmosphere will soothe you.
With the spread of the new coronavirus, cycle events around the world have been canceled, including the 2020 Bike New York and Brisbane to Gold Coast Cycle Challenges, which have now been unavoidably cancelled. On the other hand, many of us may have become more closely connected to bicycles in our daily lives, such as commuting by bicycle or taking up indoor cycling. Still, we are not the only ones who would still like to “travel by bicycle”…! It is also true that it is still difficult to travel long distances. So, we asked ourselves, “Where are some rides that are close and easy to get to, but still allow us to fully enjoy the feeling of traveling?” Here is what we came up with.
Bike New York, to be held on Sunday, May 3, 2020, is a ride event that will take cyclists around the five boroughs(boro) of New York State: Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. This is why it is called the “Five Boro Bike Tour” in the U.S. mainland. Although little known to the Japanese, the event is of a very large scale with more than 30,000 participants from all over the world. The course is 40 miles (about 64 km). The course is closed to traffic, allowing visitors to drive at a leisurely pace. This article introduces the highlights of the course, which is full of attractions that New York City has to offer.
The Second installment of a Brisbane travelogue by popular bicycle youtuber, Kenta-san. Kenta-san participated in B2CG 2019, and his video from Brisbane is now available. This time it’s finally the day of B2GC! Roadie’s ideal world (?) Click here to watch the video of the B2GC!
The first installment of a Brisbane travelogue by popular bicycle youtuber, Kenta-san. Kenta-san participated in B2CG 2019, and his video from Brisbane is now available. This time, we’ll show you everything from visiting local bike stores to checking into a hotel.
On the first weekend of July, two cycling events were held in the Niseko area of Hokkaido. One is the Niseko Classic, a UCI-sanctioned citizens’ race, and the other is the Niseko Yotei Fun Ride, a loop around Mt. Yotei. With many entrants from overseas, the two-day event had a rich international flavor that is typical of Niseko.
The Niseko Classic has become so popular that there was a waiting list of over 100 people. 4 categories of 49 years old and under are eligible for the UCIGFWS for the 140km course (elevation gain: 2,362m) and 5 categories of 50 years old and over for the 70km course (elevation gain: 1,125m); all other categories are open to participants. It is interesting to note that the 70km course attracted the largest number of participants in this category, namely those aged 19-49, an open category not covered by the UCIGFWS. This is probably an indication that many people want to genuinely enjoy road racing regardless of participation rights.
Now, one of the fun parts of a fun ride is the refreshments at the aid stations. AEON Hokkaido was a special sponsor of this event, and a large amount of AEON PB jellies, drinks, bananas, and other items were distributed to support the participants’ run.
The Gold Coast is Australia’s largest tourist and recreational area. Brisbane, also in Queensland, has just launched a new cycle festival. Here is a report on one of the main events, the “Tour de Brisbane,” a fun ride that everyone is sure to enjoy.
