Magical Mystery Tour on 29 October

Update October 27th, 2022
The weather forecast for the Saturday tour is looking perfect. Assuming that the wind direction is as predicted, then we'll probably ride north and west; I'll decide tomorrow evening.

As of now, 2 participants are definite and 2 others are maybes. Even if you have not reserved, feel free to turn up at the bus station at 8:45 Saturday morning and join us.

More details

Come join an approximately 50 km cycling loop tour on Saturday morning 29 October.

Meet at the Tsukuba Center bus station at 8:45 for a 9:00 am departure.

Unless the weather forecast is for rain, I will decide the direction and route the day before to try for a tailwind on the way back; there are terrific routes in every direction.

We will ride mainly on small rural roads, but there will be some stretches on roads with traffic. If rain seems very likely, the tour will be postponed with an email sent Friday evening.

We’ll aim for a 20 km/h pace, but won’t leave anyone behind. Be sure that your bicycle is in good working order and your tires have appropriate air pressure.

There will be a convenience store break along the way, but bring water. We should be back by early afternoon.

Only those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or have a medical excuse from a physician are eligible to participate. Mask are optional while riding, but bring one at least for the meeting spot and convenience store stops.

To sign up, email to rickweisburd@gmail.com with your name and keitai number.

We were blessed with perfect weather for cycling: sunny skies and very little wind and all four riders who signed up were at Tsukuba Station early: Daiming, Brian, Atom, and Matt. We departed to the east before 9 and soon turned north, almost entirely on tambo roads and other small rural roads with very little traffic. Our first stop was a 7-11 about 18 km away. From there, we continued north and west until we hit and crossed Kokaigawa. From there, we continued south along the west bank, stopping to rest next to a big field of cosmos. After crossing the Kokaigawa again, we continued to the U. of Tsukuba and down the pedestrian way back to the station, arriving about noon. The total distance was 52 km. I’ll attach a pdf of the route to this email and will try to upload it to the TWMC website. If anyone is interested, I can export the route to various formats; contact me by email.