And I survived :D
More later, a bit tired now. Many photos were taken. My crappy old bike is doing great, even though it's only got one gear. I managed to time things so I rode back along the coast during sunset, which was great fun. There's always so much stuff going on there. People playing games on the beach, surfing, swimming, playing music, walking weird dogs, playing with weird children..
Anyway, sleep.
I had been doubting whether or not to cycle to the lake this time, given that I am now on a crappy bicycle and it's been bloody hot every single day since I came here. In the end, I couldn't resist.
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It was tough, and I don't think I can blame it all on the bicycle either. My performance has degraded a lot since the cycling trip, and I had to walk some of the steep parts. I kept wishing for the ability to switch down a gear, but I was stuck in the single one. The weather didn't help either, as it was incredibly hot, and only got hotter as the day went on.
But I made it, and it was nice. There was no nostalgia-fest and I did not feel the need to reminisce about my trip, which is perhaps out of character for me. I just went to a park, relaxed there for a while, and then went back.
Going back is the real reward. It's almost all downhill. Even on a crappy bike you can go insanely fast. It's just such a great feeling. The whole day you suffer and die going uphill to try and reach the lake, and then you're finally there and you get the payoff. The downhill ride was amazing, relaxing and inspiring in ways that words cannot describe.
I guess that's the real thing I was missing from my cycling experience so far. It's not just the places that I used to visit, it's the long-distance rides that make me suffer so badly, yet ultimately end up being rewarding every single time. I love it.
Many years I cycled here. For exercise, for weekend relaxation, out of boredom, in frustration. Of all the places I've been in Japan this one ended up being one of the most memorable.
This morning I got up early and went out for a cycle towards the seaside. I was all ready for it, in full cycling mode about 15 minutes in when I felt the first raindrops. Dark clouds were approaching and it only got worse and worse, so I returned to the hotel in sad defeat. I spent most of the day indoors but finally around 5 o'clock it cleared up again, and I decided to venture out again. To the mountains this time.
And behold my luck: the weather was great. It cooled down quite nicely after the rain, and sunlight peeked through the thin layer of remaining clouds. Climbing up the hills on my little pony bicycle turned out to be less of a challenge than I'd feared, and soon I found myself going down my usual road. The gradual uphill culminates into a beautiful downhill slope that opens up into a valley in-between several mountains, and it always brings a big smile on my face to go down that road.
As I cycled along after the downhill I spotted a girl wearing a yukata. Then, a while later, another one. Soon I found the reason: there's a festival! My Japanese summer experience wouldn't be complete if I didn't at least randomly encounter a festival :D. So I went and took some photos, enjoyed the atmosphere and then cycled homewards along the riverside. What a great day.
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One of the main things I wanted to do here was get a bicycle and cycle to all the spots I used to go to. My initial plan was to buy a touring bicycle from Tokyo somewhere and bring it back with me to the UK, but as I soon found out there's not a lot of demand for those, and getting one I like would take weeks, not days. So I switched to plan B: buy the crappiest cheapest bicycle I can find.
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..and I'm so happy with it! Yes, compared to a proper (touring or other) bicycle it's not good at all, but compared to walking this thing is masterful. After I bought it I couldn't resist and headed for the mountains, reaching one of my favourite spots just before sunset and then realizing that the light didn't work. But not to worry! Now that I have a bicycle I can do a quick trip to the 100 yen shop and buy crappy-ass lights for my crappy-ass bike! On the way back I enjoyed the downhill thrill for the first time in over a year. What a great feeling that is.
Today I decided to cycle to the seaside. But today the temperature rose to over 32 degrees. Two years ago I might have been ok with that, but today I just couldn't stop sweating. I realized that my physical condition has decreased a lot since two years ago, and I gained a lot of weight. It's time to do something about that, and now is as good a time as any. Although next week temperatures might rise to 36C..
The trip didn't end well. When I arrived at the beach the wind had gotten so strong that there was massive sand spray, clinging to my limbs which had sticky sunscreen applied to them. It took only a couple of minutes for me to turn into a sand monster, so I decided to cut my trip short and go back, in traditional zig-zag fashion. All the streets seemed unusually quiet, but then again it's the obon period right now, meaning all Japanese go back to their home towns to visit their family. It was a good ride back, albeit too hot for me. I took solace in the fact that while I am here my stamina will only go up and my weight will only go down, so future cycle trips will only get easier.
Also, today is my birthday! As before, I have continued to fail at dying. This is good. Thanks everyone for your messages. Hope to see you all in the near future :)
How annoying. As I was cycling on the exercise bike indoors, I had yet to realize that someone has taken away my bicycle some time between last night and this afternoon. If you see this bicycle anywhere in London please let me know at mrhazard [at] gmail (.com). There's only two of them in London and I know for a fact that the other one is owned by my friend. Here's the most recent pic I could find.
Here's some nice long cycling videos to keep you occupied on your exercise bike.
I just came back from the third round trip to work this week. It wasn't pleasant. The only rule about cycling in London you should know about: there are no rules. Ignore the red lights, take the sidewalk whenever you want, drive on the left, right or center, it doesn't matter. Take up a whole lane when it's convenient or squeeze yourself in the tightest spot when you have to. I am not exaggerating when I say that, as a cyclist in London, anything goes. Back in Japan I used to think my cycling behaviour was a bit on the aggressive and rule-ignoring side. Now that I'm cycling in London I can safely say that I am a very timid cyclist.
I was stuck in traffic for most of the time today. Two lanes full of cars and buses crawling along at a shit pace, and hardly any space left, right or center to pass. It was mostly zigzagging from lane to lane, sometimes crossing over on the oncoming traffic lane because it was simply too fucking crowded to move anywhere. This is NOT what cycling is about. Why anyone would tolerate this is a mystery to me. Cycling is about long-distance travelling in the countryside, not getting stuck behind buses and dump trucks in a dirty city. I've thought this before, and not just in the cycling context: Why do people choose to live in London when there are so many better places than this?
Anyway, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's talk about helmets. People who know me know that I am the most unorthodox cyclist you can imagine. My bike is shoddy and old and makes creaking noises when you press the pedals too hard, I have hardly any pro cycling clothes (and I would never wear that tight spandex stuff) and I most certainly would never even consider the thought of wearing a helmet. Coming from Holland where everybody cycles and nobody wears a helmet I find the concept ridiculous. I've cycled half of Japan without a helmet and never for a single moment felt that I was in any danger. Simply put: before this week, the word 'helmet' did not exist in my vocabulary.
Obviously that changed. The very first time I drove in central London this week I was amazed by the chaos, and perhaps slightly overwhelmed by how it all seems to work without any accidents. The second time I got used to the traffic flow, knew where the dangerous points were and was able to prepare for them accordingly. The third time I nearly got hit by a fucking bus.
It was indeed no fault of my own. It's happened many times this week that a car, taxi or bus came a bit too close for comfort and I had to prepare to take evasive action. But today I really nearly died. The bus driver really did not see me at all and just cut me off so sharply that if I didn't come to an immediate halt, I would've been crushed. I've had only one closer near-death encounter in my life, and that was when in Japan when I switched lanes from sidewalk to car road, and that was entirely my fault. This one was entirely not my fault, and it made me realize that this thing can happen very easily. Given the complete and utter lack of skill drivers in London have it is not an exaggeration to say that there are at least 10 times per trip where the chance of sustaining serious injuries is just too high. If I am to continue cycling in London, I need a helmet.
But, given that I now convinced myself that I need a helmet to cycle here, perhaps this is just not the place for me.
tl;dr: don't do it!
The weather was near-perfect today, so I decided to cycle to work rather than take the horrible tube. I grabbed my stuff and set off, intending to drive leisurely and find my way to work when reaching central London. The road is pretty much straight up until the very last bit so navigation wasn't too difficult. My route takes from Ealing to the Victoria, either via Shepherd's Bush or Hammersmith. Either route is about 14km. I tried both today.
Finding the right way in London is not very difficult. Actually getting on the right way is fucking impossible. Some of the square roundabouts have such a weird get-in-lane system that its flat-out dangerous to even try and get in the right lane on a bicycle. Hesitate for a split second and you lose your spot and you're surrounded by cars that are actively trying to kill you. I exaggerate a bit, and my exaggeration wrongfully makes the alternative seem like a viable option. Instead of driving on the road for these crossings, you could theoretically take the sidewalk instead. The problem is time: staying on the road takes 5 seconds to cross, driving up and down stupid pedestrian tunnels takes 5 minutes.
Some colleagues of mine who enjoy cycling have told me they quite like driving in central London, or that "it's not so bad". It is. London is just not meant for bicycles. I've been around central London by car (as a passenger) many times. I've observed other drivers' behaviour. It's far from perfect and sometimes downright dodgy, when in a car. On a bicycle those cars turn into kamikaze pilots trying their very best to get you off the road. I can't tell how many times I've been cut off at roundabouts or even just on a straight road. London cars don't know how to deal with bicycles.
I have to mention the road quality. Because it's not very good. There's bumps and holes everywhere. When you're at speed and see a hole coming up you can sometimes swerve, but usually you have to brake massively because the driver behind you is making it clear that he won't tolerate you taking up another centimeter of road. Also, there's glass everywhere.
Then there's the buses that pass you and then stop 5 meters in front of you to let passengers out. Passing the bus on a bicycle is yet another lifethreatening experience because the drivers behind you won't look ahead to see you changing lane. If you do manage to survive then the entire process repeats itself 1 minute later.
I could live with any one of these nuisances (except perhaps the many-many-bus problem), but all put together it's just right there at the border of being enjoyable/unenjoyable. And I mean right at the border. At some stretches it's really great to make progress at speed, but then junctions and buses and traffic jams (that leave no space for bicycles to pass) happen just a little but too often for comfort.
Consider the alternative: taking the tube. It takes about 2/3rds of the time, could be boiling hot and packed full of people, and costs money. I am a lazy person by nature. That is why I know that I can't allocate a lot of my free time to exercise, because I simply won't do it. But replacing an already annoying commute by something almost equally as annoying, yet providing exercise, that might be something to consider.
If only it didn't always rain in London...
I cycled to Horsenden Hill today, apparently the highest point in Ealing (my borough of London) at 84 meters high. I have nothing else to say about it.