Tour of Japan/ Oi Futo stage.



Oi Futo is a wharf area along Tokyo Bay in Shinagawa. Every year the Tour of Japan comes out and does this flat circuit to end their five day stage race. Nikkan sports holds an amateur race around the same course before the pros come and rip it up. If you have been following the ranting reports over the last few years you'll know that Oi is also one of my main training areas as it is only 45 minute ride from my home. However, I've never done this race before.

A few background things:
1. There is only one age classification race, it's for 50 years or older. There is one woman's category.
2. There are only two skill level races, one is for class B and C level; a 21km course and the other is for class A and S level; a 35 km course.
3. Entry fee is 6000yen
4. The course is not actually closed down until the last moment, so while warming up there are security everywhere enforcing the stop lights. In fact on a normal Sunday no one attends to the lights at Oi Futo.
5. It had rained almost every day for the last few weeks but race day was perfect weather.
6. The course is totally flat 6 point something kilometers and odd shaped. There's and out and back section with the start finish line, and a rectangular office park section. Our total distance worked out to five laps.


Seventy year old Suzuki San (in pink) doing the 50+ category race.

So I got up early and rode out to Shinagawa. When I got there I met my Japanese cycle club leader, Yama San at the parking lot. He brought his van and his wife and baby. He was puffing on a Mild Seven at the reg counter, so I knew he was not serious about the race, but being a local bike fixture and shop owner it was a good choice to show up and do the race anyhow. As for me, I was phyched to go hard and get in the fray. However, my previous experiences racing in Japan had been mild disasters, I was tense and uncertain of my ability but smiling.

I warmed up and got an early poll position. I was doing the "A" class race, though they mated us with the "S" class. I'm not sure how to translate that into US cycling terms for you, but it's a kind of general mid to high level amateur classes. On thing is that "S" class needs a license and can do some of the pro domestic races as pack filler, like the Tour of Hokkaido. The field size showed 80 riders.




Okay, were off. I immediately loose some spots. We hit a hairpin and come back down the same road. I start moving back up the field to a decent position to see what's going on. We were in a tail wind section and just jockeying around then the road swept right and they squeeze us into one lane, that totally sucked. Then we came right and rode a rectangle around a business park, then left back out and into a head wind straight away. I could see there were three dudes from the same team off the front already. They were from the Narishima team that was very well represented. They were just hanging out there so no one reacted. Then we hit the hair pin into the tail wind. I was in good position and no stress. A rider from another well repusented team made a bridging up move, and I thought it could be a good early break away scenario so I latched on. As soon as we joined up to the three breakaways from the same team they all pulled the plug along with the rider that bridged up. I was isolated out in front on only the second lap. So I did what I always do when I'm feeling good, I just kept my tempo. I got really far off the front. After about 3 kilometers the pack moved up and held me at about three hundred meters. I was having fun waving to the crowd and the video cameras, putting on a show A-la Bob Gardali. In hind sight this may have been my chance do just do a big TT like I do when I'm training, but I didn't know the ability of these riders and figured they could sweep me up at will. My cycling buddy Derrek mentioned something about letting yourself get caught and attacking again really hard as a good way to escape, so I pulled the plug and waited until a later opportunity. The third lap was uneventful.




The fourth lap again out of the hairpin into the tail wind an attack from a well represented club. A teammate was coming to join so again I reckoned this may be a chance. The team mate that bridged up was a monster, he was flying and accelerating really hard. It was most likely the right thing to do, but I'm a smooth tempo guy and was just getting blasted. The three of us flew past the reminents of another failed break away that I hadn't seen up the road. A rider from that break latched on so there were four of us. We were not doing so well and I realized for the first time that I was hurting. Coming out of the office park we were getting organized and yelling encouragement to each other. I had to admit I was not contributing how I wanted to and into the head wind I was losing hope in this break as well. To complicate matters we caught the 50+ age group right as they were sprinting for the end of their race. The marshals had us pull over left while the peleton took the draft from the back of the sprinting riders and caught us. Game over again and on to lap five. I was content that I had done some great work and was losing intensity as the pack was gaining it, translation; I was slipping towards to back. I realized it eventually and started moving up again, but it was gut check time and I was just too content with my performance already, so I just sat mid pack and focused on my safety. As the opportunities to try one last move faded I decided there was no reason to play the field sprint and just got far over and did my own acceleration on the left. It turned out to be the right tactic as riders who tried to do something from far back crashed spectacularly with each other. I had to brake and my bike shimmied again (read last blog entry) but I held it, re-accelerated and finished 38th place. It was fun. I recovered some confidence and am looking forward to doing something special at Oi next year.
Thanks for reading.
Thanks, Kishi San, for the photos.