Lake Biwa is the largest lake in Japan and is one of the best cycling routes in Japan. They have protected shared pedestrian / cycling roads around most of the entire lake.

In today’s ride, we are starting in Maibara and riding South East towards Oohashi (the big bridge) near Kyoto.

Full cycling route on Strava – https://www.strava.com/activities/6172851405

Gopro 4k cycling video

The post Cycling Lake Biwa – Bike Touring on Folding Bikes appeared first on Two Wheel Cruise.

This is the full 4 hour bike ride tour video filmed in 4k for your viewing pleasure.

This video is part of a West Japan Cycling Trip series we did in September 2020.

See our full playlist here.

Today’s ride on Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/4057663844

Gopro 4k cycling video

The post Shimanami Kaido Cycling Route, Best Bike Ride in Japan appeared first on Two Wheel Cruise.

I’ve been wanting to cycle in the Taroko Gorge ever since I first heard of it from the Taiwan KOM challenge a few years back.. The footage I saw had to be some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever seen someone ride their bike through.. Today, that dream is finally coming true.

We arrived in Hualien (花蓮), Taiwan last night by train after my wife Thuong arrived in Taipei. We quickly woke up and went to the nearby GIANT Bicycle store to pick up our rental bikes to begin our Taiwan Cycling Trip. In today’s ride, we’re riding from Hualien to the Taroko Gorge in the Taroko National Park.

There were so many beautiful sights to see and attractions along the way, so this video is a bit longer than normal..

Our bicycle rentals only cost about 1,700 NTD for 4 days, and we later used those for our ride down from Hualien to Taitung. You can pick them up at one store and drop them off at another (highly recommended service)

On today’s ride, we visited many of the attractions within the Taroko Gorge, including the Eternal Spring Shrine, Swallow Grotto, and more!

The post The Best Cycling In Taiwan | Taroko Gorge With Giant Rental Bikes appeared first on Two Wheel Cruise.

The first part of the ride was very cold and cloudy as you can see. Nevertheless, that didn’t stop us from taking some selfies.

After about a 45km ride, we arrived to the race venue at Hirata Riverside Plaza Park. The racers had already been doing time trials in the morning to determine race categories and starting positions. We arrived with good timing, right before the main races were starting.

I quickly went into vlogging mode, and started filming the race action.

I actually participated in this race last year, and won, so coming back this year and not racing was a little bit tough. On the other hand though, it was nice to be able to relax and enjoy watching the race and cheering on my friends who were participating (and suffering).

If you want to read about / watch last year’s race, click here.

Unlimited Class Start (Elite)

The fastest class of the day was “unlimited”, which was limited to the top 15 fastest riders of the morning.

The course here at Hirata for the sfiDARE Crit is half technical with some narrow turns, but also requires power with some very long straights and corners that can be taken at full speed.

This was Thuong’s first ever time seeing a race, and she quickly turned into a super fan with her cowbell.

In the end, Kodama-san, who had the fastest morning TT, also won the unlimited category race by riding solo away from the field with a strong attack halfway through.

The pack riders put in a really hard chase, ultimately shattering the pack, with the sprint for second coming down to a group of 3 who couldn’t quite close the gap to Kodama-san.

All in all, it was a really fun race to watch and it was great to see some big growth and interest in the race compared to the previous year. Kodama-san is actually a professional keirin racer here in Japan and together with his wife, they are making big strides to make fixed gear racing popular in Japan. They’ve even started their own dedicated fixed gear racing time that is racing in fixed gear races throughout the Asian circuit (and even Red Hook Brooklyn).

The Long Way Home, To Ichinomiya Tower!

Rather than going back home the same way we came, we (I) decided to take the long route back, and check out the cycling path along the Kiso river and Ichinomiya Tower 138 Park.

This was my first time coming here up close, and I was really glad we made the extra effort to come here, but I think I pushed Thuong a little bit too hard..

Nothing a quick little nap can’t fix..

We ended up getting over 100km in for the day, and the cold cloudy morning turned into a pretty warm day with some strong sun. I hadn’t prepared for such weather, and ended up getting really sun burned. Was going to happen sooner or later though.

Today’s Ride on Strava

Be sure to check out today’s VLOG as well.

sfiDARE Crit 2018 Cycling VLOG

The post 100km Ride to sfiDARE Crit 2018 Japan’s First Fixed Gear Criterium appeared first on Two Wheel Cruise.

So it was my birthday weekend, and what better way to celebrate than to ride up Mt Norikura… twice..

Mt Norikura is located on the border between Gifu prefecture and Nagano prefecture. Both of these prefectures are famous for being mountain country. The main road goes from one prefecture to the other, so you are able to climb both sides of the mountain.

One of the best parts of cycling up Mt Norikura is that there are almost no cars on the entire climb. There are shuttle buses spaced out every once in a while, but other than that, no cars, which is great.

The more popular route starts from Nagano prefecture, and it is a nice smooth and steady ride all the way to the top, with a bunch of beautiful switchbacks.

The gang made it safely up the Nagano side and took a mandatory group shot at the mountain peak sign. Left to right: Sean, Bradley, Cruise, Max

The peak’s rest area elevation is about 2,700 meters.

We the proceeded to descend down the Gifu prefecture side and ride back up.

It may have just been because I was tired from the first climb, but I felt that the Gifu side of the climb was way way way harder than the Nagano side. It is not as smooth of a gradient and features some very steep sections, so definitely not recommended for the faint of heart.

Nothing a little trip to the onsen (温泉) hot spring can’t fix.

Grabbing some snacks on the road back home.

I didn’t take many photos from this ride, but thankfully Bradley documented the entire ride on his YouTube channel. Be sure to check it out!

Link to today’s ride on Strava
https://www.strava.com/activities/699788439/segments/17162112551

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