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.