Happy New Year! 2010 Last Ride

What an end to a great season, Fresh Powder for our last ride! This season is the first time we didn`t cancel any rides in November or December. On Dec.29th,a record for riding so late in the season! I had a group of 4 beginners come riding, I had been worrying about the weather for this ride ever since Noguchi-san made thier reservation back in early October, we ended up riding in 5 cm of fresh powder snow and it was a super fun day in the sunshine. What a great sport mountainbiking is!
Next year makes it 30 years of riding a Mountainbike for me, it keeps getting better for me. I still feel like a kid when I ride, I still improve my skills and am enjoying watching my 2 young boys riding thier MTB`s. I hope it as good for you as it is for me. Thanks to everybody that came riding with us year and we are looking forward to seeing you all again next year.
HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

summer came and went

This year is the first year in the near 20 I have been living in Japan that I can remember such a hot and dry summer. It lasted even here in Nagano until just recently and now the colors are beautiful here at 1300 meters. A few pictures from the summer.

North Shore

I just returned from a 10 day trip to Vancouver. I managed to get in a few rides with some friends who really know the North Shore trails. I am always surprised at how many trails there actually are so close to the city. I had one day at the bike park in Whistler and was shocked to see so many people riding at a very high level. It took me almost the whole day to find my rhythm, but once I found it and gained trust in the trail builders I was in heaven! If you really want to increase your riding ability then a few days at Whistlers Bike Park is definitly the best way to do it, they have practice areas for jumping , riding tecknical stunts and just riding the berms. I tried to get some shots of some local riders but they seem to be going a bit quicker than what I am used to and my shots were not to good, sorry.

My Bikes - Hooker

I bought my first MTB from the Cove Bike Shop in North Vancouver, B.C. back in 1982, it was a Specialized Stumpjumper and it changed my life. I haven't stopped riding since that first ride on the now famous North Shore. Bikes have come along way since then and I am fortunate to be the distributor for COVE BIKES here in Japan. Being the distributor means I must have some demo bikes available so I get to ride all sorts of different models. Cove Bikes specializes in high performance, Canadian made Mountain bikes. Over the next few months I will introduce some of my favourite rides,starting with the HOOKER, a bike designed as a short travel, big air, play bike. It is a one size only, 4 inch rear travel bike that our pro riders use in events like the Crankworxs Slopestyle event held in Whistler every summer. I can't jump very well myself but when I ride this bike it definitly feels like it wants to play! Very quick through the turns and super fun on the small jumps.
This is Cove rider Erik Lawrenuk playing with his Hooker:

Spring!! Winter??

This past weekend David and his son Brian came to Freeride Adventures for 2 days at the end of thier trip to Japan. The plan was to do 2 days of MTB riding but 20 cms of fresh snow on Saturday morning forced us out onto the road. At least the cherry blossoms were in full bloom and Matsumoto Castle looked fantastic with the blue sky and white mountains for a backdrop. This year the weather has really been crazy with summer like temperatures one day and then snow the next, I myself am ready for some warm weather. The snow was pretty well all gone by Sunday and we ventured out onto the trails. A bit of snow in the shaded areas kept us on our toes, and I learned a few things about the handling of my new ride. My son Nesta joined us for the afternoon and we all enjoyed an afternoon in the sun. Special thanks to Brian and Dave for being so flexible when mother nature was not cooperating.
Paul

Onbashira

Held every 7 years,on the year of the Monkey and Tiger only, the Onbashira festival, one of three festivals considered National Treasues, is held. First held about 1200 years ago the festival spans about 2 months from start to finish. Here are some shots I took while trying to pull the Onbashira "honored pillar" on its first part of the journey to its Shrine. The first day "Yamadashi" the village I live in along with the folks from nearbye Hara-Mura started in the rain and ended up in sunshine. Along the way our energy levels were kept high by the crowds on the side of the road plying us with local beer and sake. The second day we pulled the log down a steep bank . The third day found us crossing a river. Many people say this is the craziest most dangerous festival in Japan and they could be right but after spending three days inside the festival I have become motivated to ride the log in the next festival! It is amazing to feel the power of so many people working together, much like it was 1200 years ago.

Young Guns

I took the Izumino Speed Skate Team for a Mountainbike ride this week. Last year I took them out for a day and was really pleased when they asked me to take them out again this year. I am convinced there is a future Olympian somewhere in this group, they all look great on the bike even though they spend 300 days a year training for speedskating. We did a couple hours out on the trails and did one good climb in the middle of the ride, no complaints , no crying, just smiles,lots of hoots and hollering. A couple of good crashes along the way just to keep them in the game and some hamburgers for lunch made for a great day. Thanks to the kids for bringing thier A-game and the moms for bring the dessert.

City Riding, helmets or style?

Recently I have been spending some time riding around some cities here in Japan. I am happy to see so many people using bikes these days. It could be the economy or enviromental issues that have gotten more folks riding but it does show that the bicycle is a very good solution for this world.
When I ride in the city my biggest concern is safety, I need to have good vision, good brakes and quick reactions. I almost always ride my Mountainbike, I am sat up on the bike looking at all my surroundings , the disc brakes will stop me quicker than anything else available especially if it is wet, and with the high volume tires I can at least try some sort of manouver if a car happens to attack, and attack they will.
I consider myself a very good cyclist, I have ridden as a courier, a pro-racer and now as a guide and I always ride with a helmet. Why I wonder do all these smart well educated people ride around on their fancy bikes without a helmet on? "I don't want to mess my hair" is the answer I hear most , second is "helmets don't look cool". Whatever the reason it doesn't cut with me, I have crashed many times over the last 20 years, both my fault and sometimes caused by others, 3 helmets have been demolished during this time and each time I broke a helmet I walked away, and each time I crashed were times that I would consider low risk riding, you just never know when you will go down, but you will.
I urge you to wear a helmet ask any doctor they will back me up, you are putting yourselves at an even higher risk than we already are.
Paul

Winter Olympians

Every 4 years the Winter Olympics arrive and evry 4 years I have been amazed to see banners across the roads congradulating local athletes on thier selection to the games. Speed Skating is the sport around here and every year there seems to be a local doing well at the world level. Last year my then 7 year old son Nesta decided to join the school skate team, so my skate education began. Yatsugatake Mountain is quite well know for its cold dry winter air, we don't get lots of snow here but it stays below zero for a good 3 months every winter, good for making ice. As an ex-pro bicycle racer I am very impressed by the coaching and infrastructure of the local skate clubs. I now understand why the level of cyclists is so low here in Japan, they have no support, by the time an apsiring cyclist figures out how to train properly they are already well into thier 20's and it is too late. Here are a few shots of last weeks Izumino Elementry School Skate Race. The skate club members and PTA were out on the ice every night for 2 weeks getting the ice ready. The sign in the background is a fight banner for local girl Sayuri Yoshi recently 2nd in the world speed skate championships.

Happy New Year ! First Ride

A little bit of snow greeted us on Friday the 1st, it made for perfect snow riding conditions. We wish the best for you all for 2010.