2020 Race Blog - Keeping it Real (if not Rad) in Japan!

[Mikku]

Happy New Year Radsters! It's January which means that it's the start of my 4th, yes my fourth season of racing in Japan. Can't quite believe I've done (and more or less survived) 3 years already - doesn't time fly!! Certainly faster and higher than I ride, at any rate!

I've started things off early this year with a practice session yesterday at my old hunting ground of Gorilla Park in Kawaguchi. I was down in Tokyo for the New Year, so chucked the Crupi in the back of the Forester and headed the 26km up the expressway from where I was staying - much closer than my normal track commute! It was over a year (14 months to be precise) since my last visit there, so I enjoyed getting to grips with the track again. I also met up with an Aussie friend - another old school BMXer who's getting back into the scene after a 30-plus year gap and was rocking his '83 Redline Carrera. A few pics from the session are posted below.

The first round of the Oizumi winter series in Osaka is on 19th January, so hopefully the weather plays ball and I can get an early race under my belt. Before then I'm going to give the bike a pre-season clean up and possible brake swap. I'm also going to play around with seats. Pics to follow in due course.

So that's it for this first post of the year. As previously, I will try to update the thread with developments, pics and race reports as the season unfolds, and please feel free to add your comments, advice and suggestions!

[Mikku]

I've just received my new race number for the 2020 JOSF series. As shown in the screenshot below, I'll now be sporting a 66 on my Midoriyama plate. The question is, which plate, as I now have a handful to choose from!! I'll worry about that later, as I probably won't make it back to Midoriyama until March. Plus I can continue to use my number 15 plate in the KBU Winter Series, the first round of which is down at Oizumi this Sunday. At the moment, the Osaka weather forecast is looking ok, which is more than can be said for my neck of the woods, which is in the middle of a proper spell of winter weather. I therefore haven't been out on the Crupi as much as I would have liked, but such is life. Regardless of the weather, on Saturday I plan to give the bike a good going over and brake overhaul in readiness for Sunday. Watch this space!

[Drawn]

Have you ever been told "don't run a number you can read upside down"   
That's interesting that you get given a new number each year though.
One thing I like from here, unless you want to run a national or state rank (top you get to run the one number

Wonder what other new things you have in store for the year

[Mikku]

I've never heard that before! Is that an Aussie thing, being down under and all that?? In any case, I don't do anything rad enough to end up being a 99!

I also don't mind the numbers changing as it gives me a chance to mix up my plates. Photographic evidence below!

New things for the year? A win would be nice. Hell, I'd even take a 2nd! No big plans for the bike, unless I break anything! I'd also like to take in another track at some point, but they're all so bloody far away, so I'm thinking about a summer holiday trip to somewhere that just so happens to have a track nearby.

[Mikku]

We had a break from the rain today, so I managed to squeeze in a quick spin around the rice fields after work.

[Mikku]

So I've had my first race of the season and it was a fun one. Oizumi always has a good turnout in the over 30s mixed class and Sunday was no exception, with riders spread over 3 heats and the top finishers going into 2 semis to qualify for the main. Although I didn't make it out of the motos, I had a bloody good go. In the first moto I got out of the gate in 3rd but was soon demoted to 4th, which I held into the first berm. The other guy drew level with me on the outside of the second straight but I held my line (and my nerve) in the second berm and cut across his bows to keep the position. However, he tried again down the 3rd straight and this time made the pass stick, taking 4th and holding it to the line, with me just behind. Tbh, I wasn't too gutted as I couldn't have done much more than I did plus he usually beats me anyway! In the 2nd moto I was 5th away but managed to draw almost level down the 2nd straight, almost close enough to try the same blocking move down the inside of the second berm but not quite, or at least not without taking the other guy out, so I had to settle for 5th. The final moto once again saw me hot on the heels of 3rd and 4th and I was right behind them until the 3rd straight when I started to run out of steam. So despite finishing 5th in all three motos, I was close enough to get a sniff of 4th, so was happy enough with that. As an added bonus, I also picked up a 3,000Yen (?20) voucher for being one of the riders to compete in every round of the 2019 series. Just reward for all the mileage I racked up driving up and down the expressways to Osaka but still much appreciated! The question now is what to spend it on??

The next race is probably going to be in March, either the 2nd round of the Winter Series or the JOSF Kanto Open at Midoriyama. If time, body and money allows, hopefully I can make both of them!

[Mikku]

Crappy weather and a dicky knee have put paid to any on-the-bike training recently, so I decided to flex my wallet instead and spend the 3,000Yen that I received at Oizumi! I've been looking for some new race pants, not because there's anything wrong with my current ones but I wanted to find something to better-match the Burham BMX top that I picked up last summer. The result is some Faith Eclipse pants which I picked up on Yahoo's Japanese auction site. Got them today and they fit great, with the exception of the knees, which are a little too slim-fitting for my chunky 661 knee pads. They go on over them but leg movement feels a little restricted, so I'll have to see how they feel when riding. Alternatively, I could wear the pads over the pants. That aside, they look and feel great plus match the Burnham top perfectly. In my eyes at any rate, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

[Mikku]

Nothing much to report from the Land of the Rising Sun. At least nothing good, as the weather's still sh*t and so is my knee. Think it might be a bit more serious than I first thought, so may have to see the doc next week, particularly as the regs have just been released for my next race - the Kanto Open at Midoriyama.

[Mikku]

A few developments to report. First up, the left knee problem I've been suffering with since the last race has just been diagnosed as inflammation of the patella tendon, otherwise known as patellar tendonitis or "jumper's knee", which is ironic given my lack of jumping! The doc says that it will recover with proper rest and rehab, namely muscle strengthening exercises to help reduce some of the stress that I've obviously been putting on my knees. That obviously means no racing for me for a while, which is actually not that much of a problem at the moment because there are no races to race at! That's because the ever-spreading Corona Virus has caused the cancellation all of the races I had planned to do this month. I'm therefore now focussing on a return to the track on 12th April. That gives me 5 and a half weeks to fix the ol' knee and for the Corona Virus to run its course! Not sure which of those is more likely but we can but try!

[Mikku]

So 8 weeks further on and not much has changed. Well, not on the racing front anyway, with all racing over here still suspended because of the Coronavirus. A state of emergency has now been declared by the Japanese government and although they don't have the powers of enforcement enjoyed by other governments, everyone is being advised to stay at home and away from public places, etc, etc, so am not sure when racing will resume. Not that it really affects me that much because I'm still recovering from the tendonitis, though the good news is that my daily muscle-training (and yoga) routine has started to produce results, with the knee getting stronger and less painful. In fact, this week I was able to stand up and pedal a BMX (as opposed to sitting and pedalling) for the first time in over 2 months. I even managed a light sprint!

Random bmx meets tractor pic below!

[Mikku]

A few weeks on and there's still no racing to report on, though the government is relaxing the restrictions on movement, etc, so I reckon there's a chance of tracks reopening within the next month or so. Here's hoping!

In the meantime, the knee's coming on well. Not yet 100%, but I'm riding most days (one benefit of the extended period of working from home), so am hoping that, as and when racing does resume, I won't be far off race pace. With that in mind I took the Crupi out today for a sunny spin in my local rice fields. I usually do a figure of eight course but this time I kept going. And going! Rode on for about 40 minutes - about 10km I reckon. Then I stopped at a vending machine, bought and drank a can of Coke and rode back. Scores on the door:- 20 km round trip, one sunburnt face and one sore as hell backside! On a positive note, the knee feels ok, though we'll see what tomorrow brings!

[Mikku]

The knee's holding up to my the recent riding exploits, so today I thought I'd try a bit of start practice! Last year I picked up this stand in a box of spare parts and today I FINALLY got to use it in anger. With a 9-minute loop of start cadence in my pocket (what we do without YouTube?), I spent 20 minutes remembering how to balance and snap! My video skills are on a par with my starting ability, so below are some screenshots! As you can see, I took the Quamen rather than the Crupi - perhaps a sign of things to come but we'll see how that pans out. First, I need to get myself back on a track!!

[Mikku]

Different day, different bike, different socks, but same routine! Not sure if it helps but I enjoy trying plus listening to the start cadence puts me in the mood to race! Talking of which, the tracks are re-opening and races are being scheduled, so hopefully I can get back out there soon!

[Picklez]

... and same cool os Vans, keeping it real 

Different Q, did you ever get anywhere with that 'manual' jig you knocked up? That one got me interested, as I'd love to be able to manual better, though my good lady's banned me from riding at the mo, still waiting for the spinal surgery. Weather's magic here at the mo and I'm dying to get out, even just to cruise around on my mtb. 

[Mikku]

Vans all day, every day!

Funny you should mention the manual jig/rig/training thing because yesterday and today I've been watching YouTube vids about people making and trying out the same!! After I first finished it, I tried it out but my knee wasn't playing ball, so I stopped. However, with the knee getting stronger, I've been thinking about giving it another go, hence the video-watching. May have to don my helmet and give it a try!

[Avro]

...find out if it breaks, not you but the jig!
If it does not break then post us if you improve.

[Mikku]

I'm fairly positive that I will break before the chunky manual trainer!

So with Japan, like everywhere else, now easing COVID-19 restrictions and things re-opening, I've been itching to get out on a track again for the first time in 5 months. Not only to test my now, almost fully recovered knee but also Project Q, aka the Quamen race bike build that I've been working on for the past year or so. I had been thinking of visiting my two nearest tracks in Niigata and Osaka, these being the tracks that I predominantly raced at during 2019 but then yesterday, I suddenly remembered a third option - the amusingly named Gonzo Park. This is actually my nearest track at only 165km (about 100 miles in old money) from my house. It occasionally has races but there is no regular season as such, so I had forgotten about it until I was randomly reminded by something one of my students said in their homework! A quick check of the Gonzo website revealed that it was now open, subject to the weather, so with sunshine forecast for tomorrow, that's where I'll be heading, hopefully with both bikes in the back of the Forester, though I've yet to see if they both fit! In the meantime, here are a few Gonzo pics:-

[Mikku]

So I made the 100-mile trip down to Mie Prefecture (county) on Sunday for my first track outing in 5 months and absolutely loved it. Mainly because the knee held up fine but also because a few of my regular rivals from Oizumi were there as well, so we could have a good chinwag. The venue itself is really cool with a water jumping practice area for skiing and snowboard freestyle, as well as various cycling options including mtb trails and dirt trails, both for kids and adults. All of this, coupled with the fact that it was a sunny Sunday and the day after the Japanese government lifted restrictions on cross-prefectural travel, meant that they were having to use the overflow car parking areas. So much for social distancing!

Back to BMX, the track itself has been modified with access to the third berm basically having been cut off, so that you're left with 3 rather than 4 straights to play with. However, the third straight is now looking a bit rough and less cared-for plus using it means a longer (and uphill) ride back to the start hill, so most people (me included) were lapping the first 2 straights and looping back to the start hill. It was short but good fun, and great to be back riding again. I also gave the Quamen its track debut and man, does it feel different to the Crupi! Although it ran well, the smaller frame and I guess the different geo meant that I felt a lot less stable in all areas. It became better the longer I rode it but switching back to the Crupi, I instantly felt more confident. I'm not giving up on the Quamen just yet, as I'd like to try it on a track I know well but if nothing else, it has restored my faith in the Crupi as my tried and tested (not to mention, trusted) race steed! Some pics from the day posted below.

In other race news, Niigata has just announced a limited race schedule, with the first race next weekend. Unfortunately it is only open to existing club members or riders from Niigata Prefecture, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, so that rules me out on both grounds! The organisers are going to review the situation for the race scheduled for July, so I'll have to see what pans out then. In the meantime, I can see myself heading back down to Gonzo!!

[Mikku]

Another 7 weeks down the line and not much to report. Racing has started back in my old stomping ground of Midoriyama but not yet at Osaka or Niigata. The Osaka racing schedule remains suspended due to COVID-19 and although the Niigata track is now up and running, a particularly long and wet rainy season meant the first 2 rounds of the year were both rained off, as were the postponed race dates. "It never rains but it pours", springs to mind! There's another race there on the 23rd, so fingers crossed that it goes ahead AND I'll be allowed to enter, though that has yet to be confirmed.

It's not all bad news though because I'm continuing to keep fit by riding round my local rice fields, almost on a daily basis, and on Sunday made the trip back down to Gonzo Park. It wasn't busy, due to a combination of summer heat and increasing COVID-19 infections, which meant that I could take my time and practice where and when I wanted. My goal for the day was to get smoother and therefore faster over the jumps, in particular to see if I could manual some of the doubles there. With plenty of time (and water breaks) to practise and review what I was doing, I was eventually able to consistently manual the first straight double and occasionally manual some of the bigger ones on the second straight. For "occasionally", read once or twice! Pretty stoked though to see an improvement and I plan to keep that momentum going by heading back down there again next week for more of the same plus I aim to get my money's worth by attending the weekly gate practice session. Unfortunately that's between 8pm and 9pm, which means a late return home but beggars can't be choosers!

[Bob_Acid]

Looks like fun, good luck for the 23rd 

[Mikku]

Thanks Bob, though I'm STILL waiting to hear more about this Sunday's race. They should have posted what's happening by now, so hopefully no news is good news, but we'll see.

Definitely not good news, however, is the announcement by KBU (the club that runs the Oizumi track in Osaka) that they have cancelled this year's race series! Whilst other tracks have started running races again, the majority of them are on private land, whereas Oizumi is in the middle of a huge public park. According to the announcement, both the park and surrounding neighbourhood have had to cancel various summer events due to COVID-19 fears, so KBU doesn't feel it would be right to start running race events again given their close relationship with them. Am gutted, though it's understandable given the situation. Plus the track is still open, so I definitely want to head down there for a practice session over the next few weeks.

To get over the disappointment, I went back to Gonzo on Tuesday for their evening gate session. To make the most of the journey, I went earlier and had the track entirely to myself for a couple of hours. That meant I could practice manualling at my own pace. It took me a while to get back into the swing of things but eventually was able to manual the first jump, as per the pics below. I then had a break before the 8pm gate session, which was quite busy, mostly with younger riders, many of whom I know from Oizumi. It was also the first time on a gate in 7 months and man, did it show! I was wobbling like a newbie for the first few gates but gradually got back into it, though I still have a long way to go before I'm happy with my starts. More pics below. It's a bit of a trek down there but I'm planning to go at least once a fortnight, so that as and when I do actually get to race again, it won't be too much of a shock to the system.

[Drawn]

Its a shame about on racing, but i guess you have to look at the overall big picture.
Good to hear you're still getting better and quicker on the bike. It takes time.

As for the riding around the fields, Have you been finding any fun small jumps or similar to play around on?
We havent been racing here since about early March, and even practice has been on hold for some time, So have been trying to do a daily ride where possible and have come across so many fun small jumps and the likes from street riding the race bike, Things like longer speed humps and between driveways some of the gutters make for some fun gaps.
The main thing is just keeping the legs ticking over, makes for a massive difference when returning.

Doing well Mick, keep it up 

[Mikku]

Thanks mate! You've been following and advising me since the beginning of this journey, so it's good to know you're still tuning in! I'm slowly but surely been improving, though my biggest hurdle is the lack of track time. I have already thought about making some jumps but tbh, it's not much fun on your own and I'm not sure the local rice farmers would be up for it! Their grandsons might be a different matter though!

There was no racing for me on the 23rd, as entry was limited to local riders, as expected. There's another race scheduled in Niigata for 27th Sept, so fingers crossed that's opened up to miscellaneous others like me! I may actually take a trip up to the track before then, just to have a whizz around the place. It's a fun track - just a bit far but it does give me the excuse to test-ride my new acquisition, as pictured below. In fact, if the weather holds (we're now in typhoon season), I'm planning to head back down to Gonzo this week for their gate session, so will take both the Crupi and the UB2!

[Mikku]

Still no race news to report but in the last week I have managed to squeeze in 2 track visits, to Niigata and Mie respectively. Niigata was just a short 1-hour session in damp (after 3 days of rain) conditions, but it was worth going to stretch the ol' legs and also to give the UB2 its track debut in my hands. First impressions were good, though I couldn't give it too much welly for fear of coming a cropper on the damp track. I therefore headed down to Mie last Sunday for another try and was treated to some dry conditions, meaning I could give both the Crupi and UB2 (as well as the rider) a decent workout. After warming up and getting a feel for the conditions on the Crupi, I swapped over to the UB2 and could finally give it some stick. The result:- I now have a race bike dilemma because I love how the GT feels!! It needs a bit of work to get it dialled in but it feels just as roomy as the Crupi, despite the shorter tt (21" to the Crupi's 21.5"), not to mention lighter, especially at the back end. I'm therefore tempted to swap over the carbon Daggers to see how much of a difference that makes to the overall balance, not to mention weight of the bike. A couple of pics below, one from each track.

On the racing front, Niigata is still holding races with COVID-19 restrictions in place, meaning that whilst I can practice there, I can't race, though the organisers say they might relax that for the final round next month. I'm not holding my breath, but you never know. Due to work commitments, I'm unlikely to make any other race this year, so that'll probably be my last chance of a 2020 outing! Here's hoping, though in the meantime, I can focus on getting the GT dialled!

[hotdog]

Lookin' slick man.