Eat the Head.
After our visit to Bonsai Cycle in Sendagaya, we made our way to the train with Kaiko Shimura, better known as the girl who is polluting the internet with images that would best be kept off the internet.
Thanks, Kaiko.
The train was crowded.
And unbelievably quiet! Seriously, no talking. Silence. Except for the click of my camera shutter. Whoops.
We got off the train in the hip neighborhood of Tokyo called Shinjuku. There is a mix of fine shops and sketchier streets here.
There is also a famous department store called Setan.
They had shoes.
And light bulbs.
The basement level of this department store is amazing. It’s all food goods, particularly confections and candies.
And whiskey.
Suntory Time.
On this occasion, it was ridiculously busy with women rushing to buy their men Valentine’s gifts. Yes, you read that right. Take note, America. Take note. Tim broke the mold and purchased items for his wife.
The customer service was outrageous. Each confection was delicately wrapped and placed in a special box. After paying, the clerk came around from behind the counter and handed Tim his receipt to confirm the price and then hand-counted the change due to ensure Tim received the proper amount.
And then with a bow, we left for Tempura.
There was pickled eggplant.
Tuna Sashimi.
And shrimp faces.
I balked at those beady little eyes, but the consensus at the table was to eat it. So I did. I ate his little head.
As seems to be the case at every meal, we finished off with Miso Soup and Green tea and then we headed back out into the bright lights of the Shinjuku neighborhood.
And then back on the train, where Tim refused to sit next to me.
How About Some Hardcore
Before the Cyclo Cross Tokyo 2012 race on Saturday, we were introduced, by Daisuke Yano, to the owner of Bonsai Cycle, a special bike shop in Tokyo.
Upon meeting the owner, he told Tim Johnson he made “replica helmets.”
“This one?” Tim asked, pointing to his Red Bull helmet?
“Yes,” he replied, “This one is very difficult.”
We were intrigued by this and looking forward to the opportunity to meet him at his shop, especially since we had also been told, via THE INTERNET, to visit this shop for it’s coffee. Coffee, mmmmmmmmm.
Two days later, our hosts, Hiro Ito, Hideyuki Suzuki, and Koichiro Nakamura, brought Tim, Kaiko Shimura, and me to Bonsai Cycle. It would turn out be a more amazing experience than we could have ever expected.
I am pretty sure that says, “Bonsai Cycle.”
When we had first met the owner, he was dressed in street clothes and a traditional cycling cap. He looked like a bike messenger. When we met him again, this time in his establishment, he was dressed to the nines, in a fine white shirt, sweater vest and bow tie. The pride he took in his business was obvious.
Upon entering Bonsai Cycle, we were welcomed to cyclocross-themed muffins and espresso drinks made by the shop’s barista.
In broken English, the owner explained that, to him, cyclocross was all things brown; Mud, Coffee, and Chocolate.
The muffins were tasty. And brown. And chocolatey.
I am a fan of hyperbole. I do not use hyperbole when I say that I had the best macchiato I have ever had at Bonsai Cycle. The Barista was more skilled than I have ever seen, as was evidenced by her cappucino art.
After sitting with our muffins and drinks, the owner then gave us a tour of his shop.
He then led us to the replica helmets he had made. BY HAND.
First, we saw his Jeremy Powers Team Rapha Focus Edition helmet.
And Tim tried to steal it.
Then he led us to the Tim Johnson Red Bull Edition helmet.
We saw the inspirations for his creation.
And the materials he used to create it.
The visit to Bonsai Cycle was yet another amazing experience in this visit to Tokyo. After finishing off what remained of our coffees and muffins, we headed into the streets of the small neighborhood that housed Bonsai Cycle with Koichiro and headed to Shinjuku for Tempura with Kaiko.
Cyclo Cross Tokyo 2012 GoPro
Some video from the handlebars of Christian Heule during Cyclo Cross Tokyo 2012.
Cyclo Cross Tokyo 2012
I didn’t realize this, but this was the first ever Cyclo Cross Tokyo, and to say it was a success is an understatement.
We all woke up early to be at breakfast in the hotel by 7am. We were at the course with bikes, wheels, trainers and other supplies by 8 for the 40 minute course inspection, since Tim and Erik had not yet ridden the course.
There was still roughly 1.2km of sand on the course, so there was that. Knowing that, I took great pleasure in not racing.
Crowds were already starting to fill in and there were tents already raised for manufacturers and vendors.
The guys were immediately bombarded by requests for autographs, photos, interviews and introductions.
The prevailing mood for this event was excitement; not just for the fans and spectators, but for the competitors as well. The local, Japanese racers seemed thrilled at the opportunity to race along side some of the World’s elite cyclocross racers.
Cannondale’s Japanese MTB rider, Kazuhiro Yamamoto, and the local Cannondale guys offered their tent, tools, and anything else we needed to make the race go as smoothly as possible. Here, Kazu has his number pinned by his wife, Erina Yamamoto.
Our hosts from Champion System were very busy with the days duties, particularly Ryoji, who was promoting his first ever cyclocross race!
Chiharu was also busy and kept us on task with where we needed to be and when, since we understood none of the instructions and information sent out over the loud speakers.
Before we knew it, it was time to race. Hiroki Ito, Watase Yoshiki and the Cannondale crew helped out immensely by running the spare bikes to the pits while I met the guys to take their gear at the start.
The whistle blew, and the guys headed down the start stretch, immediately into a double set of barriers. On the pavement. Tim almost killed himself, but didn’t, and it was off to the pits for me.
I have some video of the race, but that will have to be posted later since internet speed at the hotel makes uploading video very difficult.
To quickly summarize, a local Japanese racer, Yu Takenouchi, took off like a bat out of hell and put a sizable gap into the entire field, making Ben Berden, and every other racer say, “Oh S***!”
Ben eventually caught Takenouchi, who appeared to have gone out a little too fast from all the excitement of the huge hometown crowds.
In the end, only five racers finished on the lead lap, with Tonkin being the first lapped rider. The final results were Berden, Johnson, Heule, Takenouchi, Driscoll, and Tonkin.
After the race, I caught some photos of the women’s podium awaiting presentation.
Spectators.
And the fun on the podium.
Champion System threw an amazing race, and the fact that this was the inaugural event is extremely promising for the future of cyclocross in this great city. This event proved that cyclocross is more than just UCI races and World Cups and SuperPrestige. Cyclocross is what you choose to make it and Tokyo has made something special with this event.
Enjoy these final, few images I think best summarize this great race:
Wait up, Sven Nys
Here’s your chance to ride behind Sven Nys.
This is 3:28 of the Worlds course in Koksijde. Some of the sand dunes seem more rideable than in the past.
Thanks, again, to Christian Heule:
