FREERIDE ADVENTURES JAPAN

HONG KONG ROCK

2014-06-18T14:08:00.002+09:00

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

2014-05-19T10:40:00.000+09:00

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

2014-04-22T10:01:00.000+09:00

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?

2014-04-08T11:36:00.000+09:00

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.

We spent the first day riding in a light snowfall, the trails were dry and the ride went well, it gave me a chance to see how they rode and make sure that they could handle the ride I had planned for the second day. A Hot Spring at our local bath house and dinner with Setsuko and her magnificent cooking set us up perfectly for the epic I had planned for them on day2. We climbed for almost 2 hours on one of the harder climbs I know in this area, before gaining the ridge trail that would take us back down to the valley. Perfect weather , great trails and even a glimpse of Mt Fuji made for a great day and has me in a very good frame of mind for this years MTB season.

When I said good bye to Chris and Stephan, they had big smiles on their faces and they told me they had had their prayers answered by the Mountain Gods

Searching for Spring

2014-03-21T12:06:00.000+09:00

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!

2014-03-03T14:46:00.000+09:00

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 !

2014-01-08T11:51:00.002+09:00

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

2013-11-15T12:39:00.000+09:00

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

2013-10-24T10:56:00.000+09:00

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

2013-10-09T14:15:00.000+09:00

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

2013-09-24T09:19:00.003+09:00

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

2013-09-03T15:12:00.004+09:00

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 !

2013-08-20T10:59:00.000+09:00

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

2013-07-22T21:39:00.001+09:00

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

2013-07-05T11:45:00.001+09:00

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

2013-06-10T11:20:00.002+09:00

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!

2013-05-30T21:34:00.001+09:00

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

2013-05-11T23:19:00.002+09:00

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

2013-04-18T10:43:00.001+09:00

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

2013-04-18T10:29:00.000+09:00

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.

2013 First Ride- First Race

2013-02-12T13:29:00.001+09:00

Last fall my friend Maki-san asked me to come to Mie Prefecture to participate in a new race series he was involved with . The race was a short 30 minute mtb criterium , one lap was a short hard uphill then we followed a fun roller single track acroos the top of the course and joined the bmx track to drop back to the climb again. Short, hard, intense is how it was and being as I had not ridden since the middle of December and had consumed many beers between it was not easy for me. I will go back to Mie sometime again once I have lost my 6 kilograms of winter fat and try again as the course and the people at the race were very enjoyable. The race was good for me as I knew I had been very lazy this winter and it has given me a bit of a kick to get going again. I hope to do a few more races this year , lets hope we can all stay healthy and have a good 2013!

Special thanks to Bucyo Coffee for the pre race coffee fix, tasted great.
Paul

Indonesia part 2

2012-12-30T11:14:00.001+09:00

After our second day of riding in Bali we flew to the City of Yojakarta, here we rode on Mt. Merapi an active Volcano that last blew 2 years ago. It was a hard climb getting up onto the Lava flows but it was spectacular to be there. There are some jeep roads that have been built in the last 2 years and we visited a place where they rent motorcycles and have built a small track to play on. They track was not made for MTB riding but I gave it a go and had the locals screaming. It got me thinking though that this area would be an easy place to build a great MTB trail down through the Lava fields, the dirt is a bit loose but easy to work with and already there are lots of natural features to play with. A nice massage at the hotel had me ready for the next day when we visited the World Heritage Sites of Prambanan and Ratu Boku, a mixture of an old 8th century palace and temples. Nice backroad touring around this area

Last stop of our trip was a mountain city called Bandung, the 3rd largest city in Indonesia, it is well know for the cool weather since it's located up in the mountains. We were met early in the morning and we rode right through the city with all its scooters, dirty trucks and cars, this turned out to be the most exciting part of the ride as once we got out of the city and started climbing the ride turned into a steep climb then a rest stop at the top and then we U-turned straight back down the road we had climbed up and back into the City. The rest stop at the top was something I had never seen before, bike racks were built everywhere and a couple of small cafes selling snacks to tired bike riders. We were told that on weekends this was the main destination for all the local and many Jakarta City based riders. Big billboards advertising upcoming events and ridng info and even on this weekday many riders kept coming by. I really would like to go back to this area and ride on of the big events that seem to happen quite often, I was told some of them attract 2000 riders with riders of all capabilities participating.

Overall I had a super fun and interesting time, the local culture is so much different than here in Japan and even further from where I grew up in Canada. Traffic was ridiculous but with its freeform stlye it somehow works. When I think about all the places that I saw with POTENTIAL for MTB riding and the amount of riders I saw I can't wait to go back again and see what progress the Indonesian riders have made.
Thanks to all those who organized this trip for us, we were met and picked up at each airport, driven to our hotels and riding spots and without them we would still be waiting at the airport wondering what to do !

Paul

Indonesia - MTB touring

2012-12-27T14:31:00.000+09:00

Last week I went to Indonesia to do a little MTB riding. Garuda Airways asked myself and Akira-san to travel down there and check out a few different places they are considering for using for a MTB tour. Over 6 days we visited 3 different locations, the first was the Island of Bali.

Bali is well know for its beaches and culture. We were met at the Airport and driven to our hotel in Kuta, watching all the scooters and cars work their way through the city was super entertainment , I was happy to be a passenger. There are a few adventure tour companies offering some whitewater rafting and MTB tours. After a nice breakfast with an excellent view of Lake Batur we were driven to our ride starting point The ride we did was quite easy, mainly downhill on dirt roads with a bit of single track through the rice fields. We saw villages and some beautiful countryside that you would not find without a bike and guide Personally I would like to spend much more time exploring the area around Mt. Batur where I saw lots of good looking roads and trails that I think would make for a more challenging ride. Day 2 saw us meet in the morning for our Balinese Village Tour. First we rode through an Elephant camp then through some typical rural villages. It was nice to stop and check out a local family's living compound as it was much different than anything I had experienced before. When we rode past some kids playing in the local swimming hole I wanted to jump in with them, the water looked perfect. The rides we did here in Bali were set up more tourists than cyclists , nice easy rides but for a cyclist with some fitness I think we need to work on making the rides longer and more challenging.

MIdori Yama Family Relay

2012-12-06T14:24:00.001+09:00

Over the years we have met many wonderful people through Freeride Adventures, it is usually quite easy to make friends because we all have one thing in common, BICYCLES. The last few years quite a few families have been coming to ride with us and we thought it might be nice to do something differrent and try and introduce our new customer/friends to each other.

We decided to gather at Midoriyama in Yokohama for a relay race. There was no presure to win the races our only goal was to enjoy the day. I was very happy when I warmed up on the course because it had a few challenging sections and each lap should easily be under 10 minutes for each of us. At the end we had 2 teams on the podium and smiles all around, a very successful day and we are looking forward to next years event. Thanks to those who came and played.
Paul

Winding it down with a Race

2012-11-06T13:47:00.000+09:00

This year Summer blended into Fall really nicely, not to much unstable weather just a gradual drop in temperature and a few weeks of beautiful colors. Now I see snow slowly coming down the mountain and soon the bikes will have to be put away for the Winter.

I usually do at least one race a year just to feel some real pain, but this year I have not done so yet. So this year we have decided to enter the race at Midori Yama on Dec. 2 in Yokohama. http://www7b.biglobe.ne.jp/~mtb/
We are going to enter a kids team and an adults team in the enduro race. Anyone who would like to join us is welcome, please contact us if you are interested.