Saturday, June 26, 2010

150km Swim???

Today I joined two others to ride around Lake Biwa. The weather forecast said 'maybe rain, maybe clear up' so we decided to go anyway. As we drove along the expressway, the rain got heavier -aargh.

When we got to Nagahama (http://bit.ly/bh60p0) it wasn't really raining, so we set up and headed off. The road was still wet, but not so bad. However, as we rode further, the rain started to get heavier and our clothes and shoes got soggier.

Most of the way around the lake there are cycling lanes, so on a day like today it was lucky to be off the busy road.

Unfortunately as we were so wet and the cloud was quite low most of the time, we didn't take any photos along the way, so you will have to imagine as you read this. Just think of sitting on a bicycle in the shower for eight hours and having your legs, arms, face and clothes covered in sand and dirt.

Overall, it was great trip, but here are a couple of memorable parts:

The Tsurube's Kazoku ni Kampai-style greeting with an old man and lady in a small village and asking for directions.
The policeman in the Koban who advised us not to follow the shoreline past Omihachiman Kyuka-mura as it was too narrow. So we went on the cycle lane next to the main road which ended up being overgrown with flowers.

Have a look at the map: http://bit.ly/96XzE3




3 comments:

  1. What affects people for cycling so much?

    ReplyDelete
  2. The former comment was not sufficient. Now what I really like to ask is;
    what attracts you, so much for cycling and affects you by cycling?
    Looking that Cycling seems quite a sweaty sport,
    sei10se31

    ReplyDelete
  3. Cycling is a great way to get/keep fit and be exciting at the same time. Riding around Lake Biwa is a nice challenge, like walkers aiming to climb up Mt. Fuji. Just like any other sport or hobby, I think most people want to improve themselves or increase their level/ability.
    But, it's entirely up to the individual as to how much effort he or she wants to put into the activity depending on what they want to achieve.
    So I guess 150km is excessive to some, but to others it's no problem.

    ReplyDelete