HONG KONG ROCK

  I just finished up a hectic and enjoyable 3 weeks of MTB  tours, I had 3 separate groups of Mountain Bikers come through here for some fun trail riding in the mountains of Japan. Hong Kong is not the spot I would think has a big MTB population but I am told it is growing and that there are some fun trails to ride there

When I organise tours for Mountain Bikers I arrange for airport pick up and drop off as pretty well 100% of them want to ride there own bike. I met them at the Airport and loaded out gear onto a bus and travelled straight through Tokyo and up to the Mountains Here in Nagano Prefecture. We stay at the same pension for the duration and drive out to different riding areas each day.

We spend between 3-5 days of riding on all sorts of terrain, including a day shuttling some private trails, a couple days at local bike parks and some good long xc riding put some serious smiles on tired bodies. Each group seemed was well balance with riders of equal capabilities which enabled us to ride the right trails for each group. I renamed a Rock at the exit of B-course at Panorama MTB Park last week as it managed to take down one member from each group. No one got hurt badly but they will definitely remember Hong Kong Rock.

  

Big Smiles

Last weekend I spent 2 days riding some pretty advanced terrain with some talented riders. They are capable of pretty well anything I can throw at them, big climbs , technical descents even a little rock climbing to get to the trail head. When we stopped for lunch a few of them still had big grins on their faces and my youngest son said "They had fun , I want to go there". I am not sure if he is capable yet of such an adventure but can't wait to let him try. I get quite a few children coming for a ride with their parents and love to see their smiles as we ride through the forest. Not many sports can put the same smile on a 9 year old as well as a 69 year old all at the same time. I am a very lucky man to have found the sport of MTB so many years ago. Keep the wheels turning,,

Golden Week Cycling

After a long deep winter finally the sun came out and warmed us up here on Yatsugatake, the trails now have no snow on them and are drying up nicely. We still have a few days open during the Golden Week Holiday, get in contact with us and come on out for a ride!

The Kami-Sama's House or his World?

I spent the last 2 days riding with 2 clients who are over here visiting Japan for the first time. They started in Fukuoka and have traveled the main "Tourist Line" up through Hiroshima , Kyoto and Nara. When I met them at the train station they told me they didn't need to see any more Temples or Shrines. I told them that where we were going that would be no problems, we were going to spend our time in the Kami-sama's world not his house.

Searching for Spring

It has been a long winter this year, much more snow than I have seen here in the 20 years I have lived on Mount Yatsugatake. I just said goodbye to a family from Toronto , Canada. They came to me looking to ride some nice easy rides in a warm area. I decided to take them to the Seto Inland Sea and Shikoku for 4-5 days of riding. It ended up being a perfect match for them and also myself as I hadn't ridden for the last 4 months. We used ferries and my van to avoid any urban built up areas and managed to get in 4 very good and different rides. We started following the famous Shimanami Cycling route that follows the highway over to Shikoku from the main Island, 2 days following the coast and beautiful rivers then back towards Hiroshima over some forgotten islands. The weather stayed cool but nice for us and we even saw some early blossoms mixed with the citrus fruits as we rode along quiet backroads. We finished the trip in Hiroshima and spent a day being tourists at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and Museam. I have now visit the Park 4 times and it never gets easier for me emotionally to deal with it but, I truly feel that every human should visit here at least once in their lifetime , It would make the world a much more peaceful place.

Warming Up!

The weather has changed quickly here this year, we have gone from a full on winter season to nice warm spring days quite suddenly here on Yatsugatake Mtn. 2 weeks ago we were riding snowboards in 120 cms of fresh snow and now we are riding the bikes at the lower elevations! This year I was hoping a long break from the bikes would help my body get over all the aches and pains I had lingering on from a few good crashes I took in 2013, but as the new year rolled in I seem to have found ways to abuse myself even further and now am looking forward to some serious recovery on the bike! Looking forward to meeting and riding with you all in 2014, lets have a good one !

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year !

Good Bye 2013 and Hello 2014! Here at Freeride Adventures we hope all our friends have a wonderful and fulfilling 2014. After having a big break, almost 5 weeks without a ride! I feel refreshed and ready to start up again for the new year. I feel a lot of cyclists , especially all the new ones here in Japan would really benefit from a break from the bike instead of going hard at it 12 months a year. As I get older I feel I can still ride very well and think if I got in good shape I would not be too slow in a race but recovering from little aches and pains is impossible unless I take a break from my bicycles. I don't stop exercising but try and do something different. My boys have been Speed Skating for the last few years so for me skating 3 times a week is my workout. Skating is probably not the best as its the hardest sport I have ever tried. I have gained much respect over the last few years for all the kids and their parents who brave the -10 degree nights to go out skating. Not only is it cold , skating around a 400 meter ice track trying to be as low as possible hurts, there is no easy way to do it. Back in the day when I was an elite cyclist I would swim through the winter and still feel that this is one of the most benificial sports for any athlete, the bouyancy of the water makes for a very low impact cardio workout. 2014 is going to be a big year here on Yatsugatake , come visit!

Winding down the Season

Today I put the snow tires on my Van, I am hoping that it was a bit premature as I still have a couple more weekends of riding booked and would love to finish the riding season properly. Now the riding is super fun with most of the leaves on the ground , it makes for a magic carpet ride! Hopefully we will have a few more warm days before winter really sets in before I put the bikes away for another year.

Sore Legs- Riding with the Lady's

I woke up this morning and my legs felt tired, I wondered why and then thought about the ride I did yesterday. I met my clients at 9 in the morning and we were climbing into the forest right away. At 12:30 we stopped for a Soba Noodle lunch and were back on the bikes by 1:30 . Rode all afternoon and got back to our cars at around 4:30. Our pace was good, always able to talk as we rode but 6 hours of MTB riding will make anybody's legs tired. At least 50 kilometers and 1400 meters of climbing probably more and no breaks , 2 very strong fit Gals. I am now 14 years into Freeride Adventures and in the last few years have really noticed a big increase in female riders here in Japan, not girls just tagging along with their boyfriends, but girls who ride because the love it.

I mentioned to some girls once that I was sad that I had a female customer tell me she wouldn't continue MTB riding because she might scrape her legs, they told me that girl was "Tadashi Nihon no Onanako" (proper Japanese girl) and they were "Warui Onanako" (bad Japanesse girls). I am happy to find more that there are more Bad Girls riding MTB in Japan!

Fujimi Adventure Race

I had a chance to race the Fujimi Adventure MTB race last weekend, it is a 40 kilometer loop that includes a very hard 15 kilometer climb right at it's start. I was happy to be able to enter this race as it is very close to my home and has'nt been held since the 2011 Earthquake, which also happens to be when I last raced. The climbing is the challenge on this course and once I got my beer gut over the first climb I was able to enjoy the fire road downhill and then the last 7 kilometer ride down Panorama Ski Areas C-course. I highly recomend this race for anyone wanting a good challenging race . The first climb takes you up through private land that is only open for the race giving racers an great chance to see into the Southern Alps of Japan from a great vantage point. The course is not a technical course(one crazy rider rode it on a full carbon road bike) so any reasonably fit rider should be able to ride the course within the time limits. Look for this race sometime next year as I was told they were going to do it again.

HARD CORE MTB RIDERS

I have quite few groups of riders who come for a ride once or twice a year. I really enjoy meeting them again and seeing how much better riders they all seem to be getting. Its also interesting to see some customers meeting and joining into different groups over the years. Once such group sent me this link to a video they made when they last visited us, over the years I have watched them all become realhard core MTB riders, not just Downhill, or XC, they just enjoy riding anywhere, anytime and anyway. Check out their video

Summer- Fall - Summer

 The weather has been very strange this year, it has been very hot in the Mountains and quite dry. When it rains it pours, not very good for the trails or the riding. When  one months worth of rain falls if 2 hours it turns the trails into rivers,  a good time to avoid riding off road. We got caught out last week and were lucky enough to be able to get off the trail and wait for the rain to stop but for 10 minutes it was quite a downpour. It cooled down a bit but once again I am sweating at 1300 meters today as summer wants to hang around a little longer. Soon my favorite riding season should be here but for now

 It cooled down a bit but once again I am sweating at 1300 meters today as summer wants to hang around a little longer. Soon my favorite riding season should be here but for now the mountain is still green.

Summertime Rides !

  It has been a very hot summer this year,
 August has been  the hottest that I can remember here
 in Nagano, we are very lucky to have it cool down at night
 or I wouldn't be able to sleep.  Before I got into the MTB rides I spent a week riding the Noto Peninsula with a family from the USA , it was the second time  that they came riding here in Japan and it was super fun to show them the Japan Sea side of this country.

 This season I have been kept busy with all sorts of riders and rides.  Each day seemed to be super fun, some were with Families enjoying MTB riding with their kids,  groups of Hard Core Riders wanting to get their fix of Adrenaline and also riders who just wanted to ride all day in the forest.

 

  A few people have asked me a funny question recently "Paul-san, What type of rider are you"? Answer-" I am a bike rider" ! It is all good enjoy the ride!
 

 

Time to get some Altitude

 The temperatures are rising above 30 degrees even up here on the bottom of Yatsugatake. Last weekend we rode up to 1800 meters and the cool breeze was fantastic. As  we descended back down to the valley not only was the riding heating up  it felt like the furnace was also cranking. I drank about 2 liters of water during the 4 hours of riding and it still wasn't enough, take care out there this summer

Rainy Season at Panorama

    I usually don't ride Panorama in the rain, living near bye lets me pick the good dry days and stay clean. Yesterday I had a 16 year old from Australia here and we only had the one day to ride. I pulled out the rain gear, put the bikes in the car and got a quick start before I started to hesitate about riding in the rain.
 As we were riding up the Gondola, Henry could not hide his excitement. He keep telling me about the 1 minute DH tack that him and his friends practice on. He was shocked to find that he had a 7 , 5 or 4 kilometer course to play on. First we rode C-course and I warned him about it getting a bit slippy further down but it took him one crash to learn himself . After is minor crash he was ready for the day, we rode all day in some ugly weather , I realized that I was going a bit slower than normal but actually felt like I was riding really well , you have to concentrate 100% when the conditions are not perfect and it really is good for your focus. I hope next time the course is dry I can keep the focus and get some good flow happening ! I won't wait another year for my next rainy day session!

 

KIds Train

Yesterday I took Dayna my 8 year old to Panorama MTB Park for a bit of fun. We met Yuka-chan, 9 and her Dad just as we were getting on the gondola. We talked a bit at the top and then did a run down C-course together. I was amazed to see how well the 2 of them could ride and found myself wishing I could have been doing that at such a young age! Today Dayna asked me to take him back again as soon as possible!!

First Crash of the Year!

 I usually fall off my bike once or twice a year , this year my first tumble was a good one! Even better was Mike from visiting Japan for some riding got it all on Video. I ride this section all the time but somehow I got it wrong on this day. Happy to walk away with only some blood flowing!
  Enjoy

4 Days in the Mountains

  I just had a 4 day mini camp with Jonas from Belgium. we spent the 4 days riding in the mountains that surround us here in Nagano. Jonas is a very fit 26 year old and he and I put in some good kilometers and lots of vertical. I lost a couple of kilos and feel a little bit better on the bike just a few more and I might actually be in good shape. I realized during this time that I had been spending more time on the Mountainbike lately and had forgotten how beautiful the riding is around here.  Jonas was riding my Classic Tange Tubed Italian Colnago road bike , check out the picture , nice fit Thanks Jonas!

Golden Week

 We still have a few days open during Golden Week , drop us a line and come and spend a day riding Yatsugatake.

Spring on the Japan Sea

    I spent last week riding the Noto Peninsula with a couple from Australia. The weather was tough on us for a few days but with the Hot Spring Baths waiting for us every night we had no problems getting a bit cold. Quiet roads and fresh seafood makes the Noto one of my favourite places to ride a bike. The Cherry Blossoms were spectacular once we got inland , a perfect way to end the tour.