Japan Cup 2009, who's been, who's going?



topherbd16

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Apr 16, 2009
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I plan to attend the Japan Cup race this Oct. Not sure if I will race amateur or just watch. Luckily I live near the course so I can ride it on the weekends when I can get free from the wife and kids. I will time myself this weekend to see where I stand.

Assuming I will pick up 1mph in the race opposed to doing it alone from drafting?

Anybody raced in it? Anybody going? Advice (other than keep training on hills)?
 
topherbd16 said:
I plan to attend the Japan Cup race this Oct. Not sure if I will race amateur or just watch. Luckily I live near the course so I can ride it on the weekends when I can get free from the wife and kids. I will time myself this weekend to see where I stand.

Assuming I will pick up 1mph in the race opposed to doing it alone from drafting?

Anybody raced in it? Anybody going? Advice (other than keep training on hills)?

Have you ever been in a pace line or peloton? If not, you need a fair amount of that experience, riding in close quarters with other cyclists, getting bumped, and etc. So get out on group rides.

You can go a lot faster than you think in a group. In general, you can expect to use up to a third less energy to maintain a given speed. You can maintain speeds with a significantly greater difference than the 1 mph you asked about.
 
You make a great suggestion, but I don't think I can organize a big enough group ride for what this downhill will be like. 100+ people bombing down a very windy/steep road, some w/, some w/o experience. I know the first climb will seperate it up a bit before the downhill, but do expect some chaos and a lot of bumping. Don't know how to prepare for that. I ride in small groups (3 or 4 people) every so often, but we don't ride side by side, rather just draft off eachother. Not too much room on Japan's fairly skinny roads to ride side by side when you know a motorcycle or car can come up on you at any minute.
 
topherbd16 said:
You make a great suggestion, but I don't think I can organize a big enough group ride for what this downhill will be like. 100+ people bombing down a very windy/steep road, some w/, some w/o experience. I know the first climb will seperate it up a bit before the downhill, but do expect some chaos and a lot of bumping. Don't know how to prepare for that. I ride in small groups (3 or 4 people) every so often, but we don't ride side by side, rather just draft off eachother. Not too much room on Japan's fairly skinny roads to ride side by side when you know a motorcycle or car can come up on you at any minute.

Make sure your insurance is up to date.
 
I'll be riding there... 120kms from my home.

Not a race for amateurs...the level is very high.
 
Oops.. I forgot there are amateur races in the morning... The course is very hard so unless you are very good and experienced there is almost no peleton. It breaks up fast. The downhill sections are very fast indeed...
 
JAPANic said:
Oops.. I forgot there are amateur races in the morning... The course is very hard so unless you are very good and experienced there is almost no peleton. It breaks up fast. The downhill sections are very fast indeed...

Yes, I'm planning to enter the Challenge Race the day before the Pro ride. There are several amateur races on Sat.

Sat.
-Free Run (one long lap, 14.1km)
-Challenge Race (one long, one short lap, 25.4km)
-Mens Open (5 long, one short lap, 80.8km)
-Womens Open (3 long laps, 42.3km)

Sun.
-Pro (10 long, 1 short, 151.3km). I can't imagine climbing that 'hill' 11 times in a row. Kudos to the pros!

This shows the course and should give a good visual explanation as to the difficulty.
コース紹介 | JAPAN CUP CYCLE ROAD RACE

I'm very new to road racing, but I will enter the challenge race and be more on the defense during the downhill. Not trying to win, just want to finish under 60 minutes so I can cross the finish line before the course gets shut down (also, having 'DNF' next to my name on the results page isn't exaclty a confidence booster).

I did it in 62 min. last weekend, but figure I can be 5~10 min. faster for the following reasons???
-I had 10 lbs. worth of extra gear on the bike when I timed myself (head and tailights, extra tubes, pumps, big water bottle, camera, all that I will not have for the race)
-The downhill course is currently covered in moss, leaves and is pretty wet in the mornings so I took it at 70% downhill what I would do in the dry w/ clean road. Should be cleaned for the races, but I guess it could still rain. It's so windy that hard cornering is a must if you want a good time.
-My brakes suck... planning to upgrade this weekend. Again, braking late and hard is a must in the downhill turns is a must for a good time. Suggestions are welcome. Mine are fading from the heat buildup.
-Drafting should help if I can find a few to tuck in behind at my pace. They allow 300 people to enter the challenge cup... sounds CRAZY, but I am crazy.

The course is just west of Utsunomiya Station by a few km and I live just east of the Station by a few km. Anybody want to meet up the Sat. night before the pro or to watch the pro race on Sun., just let me know. I'll be there enjoying the festivities as it will be my one and only time living here during that race.
 
topherbd16 said:
-My brakes suck... planning to upgrade this weekend. Again, braking late and hard is a must in the downhill turns is a must for a good time. Suggestions are welcome. Mine are fading from the heat buildup.

If you have alloy rims, use green Swissstop pads. If you have CF rims, use yellow Swissstop pads. If you have alloy rims with a ceramic coating, use Swissstop blue pads. Make sure your brakes are adjusted correctly, and DON'T go downhill with the brakes on. Use them when it's time to turn or avoid someone or something; otherwise, stay off of then. If you stay on the brakes going downhill to limit how fast you go, you'll glaze the pads, and they won't stop well at all once that's done. Moreover, if you're on the brakes all the time, you're just begging for a tire failure. Let the bike roll, slowing down only for corners and hazards (people or otherwise).

When the speedo hits 90 kph, you know you're having fun.
 
I try to stay off the brakes until the last second, but the course is a bit of a mess now w/ moss and leaves so it's really slick. Kinda have to pump the brakes or brake lightly, which I believe is amounting to glazing them over. I know the course will be cleaned for the race. If it's not I can see a lot of people going over guard rails and helicopters picking them up. I'll check into the Swissstop pads you are reccomending.
 
topherbd16 said:
I try to stay off the brakes until the last second, but the course is a bit of a mess now w/ moss and leaves so it's really slick. Kinda have to pump the brakes or brake lightly, which I believe is amounting to glazing them over. I know the course will be cleaned for the race. If it's not I can see a lot of people going over guard rails and helicopters picking them up. I'll check into the Swissstop pads you are reccomending.

Please don't pump your brakes. All that does is increase the possibility of locking up the rear, or in wet conditions, the front, either of which increases the likelihood of ending up on the ground. Anti-lock brake systems work because they apply the brakes thousands of times a second and can repeatedly apply the brakes with the force appropriate for a given wheel speed. "Human" ABS has been shown to be tremendously ineffective and to increase the chances of losing control.
 

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