Just when I thought I was on the Flat...

I think I will have to stay away from the Izu Mountains now. It’s getting colder and I have no experience riding in the cold. Winter on the Gold Coast where I come from has day time averages of 20C to 25C…early morning rides you might have to deal with 5C to 10C but that doesn’t last long.
The cold temp is Ok while climbing but I get very cold on the descents… I seem to spend a lot of time taking off and putting on clothes…
Today, to avoid any altitude induced hyperthermia I managed 100km on a flat coastal road to Zushi near Kamakura and back to Odawara. On the way back I was ‘sitting on’ a truck from Enoshima to Oiso along the beach front …Apart from knocking over the km’s, it was warm close behind the truck in the ‘draft’ and I could enjoy a 45-50kph ride. The truck started to move to 70kph. I thought… gee this guy is trying to drop me…then I realized I was on a TOLL road…I wonder what the cars behind me were thinking…? I pulled over and went back to HWY 1 and 30kph….It was a good run. It felt good on the flat moving fast after all the climbing I have been doing along Izu.

The post are getting out of sink with the pic... after writing the above I went for another ride in the Izu hills for xmas...Here's Fuji-san from above lake Hakoni '900somethingmeters'
what a pretty sight!

Another spotting...

Hakoni Lake...is at '700somethingmeters' and there is a cycling road right around it. That's Mt Fuji's slopes in the background...

This sweet little place is called Manazulu...is 30minutes pedal down the coast on HWY 135 from Odawara.

Now this is the 'Flat Ride' I was talking about

. This is near Enoshima.

THis is a shot from the coastal run to Manazulu...they are manderins growing on the steep slopes overlooking the osean...It's beautiful !

Well it's Christmas Eve...! This guy was going laps of Ugawara. He had little raindeer antlers on his headlight...reminds me of sitting in a certain cafe in Tumbulgum on the Tweed River and seeing Santa go past on water skis... Santa's into multisports !