Japan

NS Traffic Frame Bike Frames

Posted on June 26th, 2010 in Bikes

NS Traffic Frame Bike Frames Price: $299.00 Sale: $239.20 Economical Street/Dirt frame based on the 2007 NS Suburban . Double butted Japanese 4130 CrMo steel tubing with downtube gusset. Horizontal 135mm OL dropouts, removeable brake studs, derailleur … From Bike.com

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Tags: frame-based, frames, Japan, japanese, jpg, removeable-brake, steel-tubing, street, suburban, the-2007, traffic

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Britannia Heritage Shipyard, Steveston, BC

Posted on May 19th, 2010 in British Columbia

Britannia Heritage Shipyard located in Steveston, BC, Canada is truly a unique step back in time. Steveston was the world’s busiest deep water fishing port at the end of the 20th century, dotted with 15 fish canneries, hotels, saloons, and gambling dens. Her boardwalks reflected the voices of Japanese, Chinese, Native Indian, and European immigrants, as well as sailors from around the world. The Britannia Heritage Shipyard is now a National Heritage Site . There is a cannery, boatyard, net loft and restored residences here. As you slowly wander along the boardwalk, you can hear the cries of seagulls, eagles, and hushed echoes of the past. Or was I only imaging the past cries of fishermen who loved the sea and make their homes along her shores?

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Tags: boardwalk, chinese, european, heritage, homes, India, Japan, japanese, loved-the-sea, native-indian, past, the-boardwalk, tracks, water-fishing, world

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Ben dices his post-race data in Garmin Connect

Posted on May 5th, 2010 in GPS

Garmin-sponsored triathlete Ben Collins shares his training and racing experiences with the Edge 705 bike computer and Garmin Connect. The 2010 triathlon season has officially started. This year marks a tipping point for triathlon in that our sport’s increased popularity and media exposure have made it impossible for anyone with digital cable, a smart phone or the internet to escape the overwhelming joy being expressed by some half a million triathletes in the U.S. alone. As an athlete, you understand the feeling of relief that comes when months of hard work – indoor workouts, training through a pesky cold and spring allergies, skipping out on Friday night social events so you’ll be rested for Saturday’s long ride – are finally being rewarded through the first races of the season. Or perhaps your twitter voice, like mine, is not so joyful after your first race of the season. I just returned from two World Cup races on back-to-back weekends. They were in Monterrey Mexico (nope, I wasn’t kidnapped) and Ishigaki Japan (southern-most city of Japan). I placed 19th and 10th respectively, and crashed exactly once per race. Yup, you read that correctly. I crashed my bike in both races, and in both races I had to get back up, wipe the blood off my bars and keep going. Surprisingly, however, the crashes are not what bothered me, and the results – while not my dream finishes – were not bad at all. It was my strategy that I was disappointed with, and that’s not something that can be improved only by experience; not by hours of winter training. In Monterrey I came out of the water in a small breakaway, and I thought that I could turn that breakaway into a victory. I pushed as hard as I could on the bike, and took some risks too – I cornered so sharp around one corner that I clipped a pedal and landed on my side. I was scraped a bit, but I got back up so quickly I didn’t even lose the pack I was riding with. But even with hard work and risks we only managed to start the run a meager 40 seconds ahead of the main group – where a larger number of riders meant nobody had to work as hard as I did. My legs were out of gas before they hit the pavement and in over 10km of running I went from 1st place to 19th. Comparing data from my Garmin Edge 705 with an athlete from the main pack, I found that I averaged 20% higher wattage per kilogram than him for the 40km bike course. Oops!! No wonder those 40 seconds were overcome so quickly! The following week in Japan I was determined not to be a hero on the bike. I had learned my lesson. But plans change – as they should – when the right opportunity is presented. I was in another breakaway out of the water, but I wasn’t the only one trying to conserve energy and the rest of the men’s field quickly caught us. That moment in which we were caught presented a perfect opportunity for the stronger cyclists to break away from the group and take advantage of the lull in pace that inevitably happens when two packs become one. I was the second man to sprint off the front, following an Aussie and, unfortunately, dragging a Japanese athlete with me, who had not shown great talent up to this point in the race. It was within a minute of this breakaway attempt that the Japanese rider swerved recklessly and managed to knock me to the ground. This time my wounds were significantly worse than in Monterrey, but my bike was only mildly damaged, and still capable of forward motion. It took me about 5km to catch back up to the main group, but by then the Aussie off the front had already put a minute on the rest of the group. My opportunity had passed. I started the run with a group of 30 other athletes, and finished a respectable 10th. Take a look at the heart rate and power charts from both races. You’ll notice a huge difference in the HR data in Ishigaki where I was trying to be as conservative as possible for most of the race (Can you spot the 5km where I had to catch the group after my crash?). In Monterrey my HR is high and stays high for the entire 40km. It’s hard to run off an effort like that! The power data is spiky in both races – a testament to the technical nature of the courses – but you’ll notice that in the Ishigaki chart the valleys are quite a bit wider than in the Monterrey chart. So again, the results were not what bothered me. It was how I came to those results. I would have loved to have started the season with victories, personal bests, and a consequential doubling in my twitter following. But in a way, the lessons I learned in these races, and the frustrations I have for failing to meet my own goals are exactly what I need to motivate me through the next month of training. The season’s just started, and how we race in April and May rarely determines the success of our season. I’m excited for the people who accomplished their goals in the season openers, but if that’s the case, it’s time to raise the bar.

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Tags: bars, goals, group, ishigaki, Japan, japanese, mexico, monterrey, people, testimonials, time, water

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Is There a Market for Expedition Stuff?

Posted on April 23rd, 2010 in Hiking Trails

Obviously someone things so. Here’s a listing from Jennifer Gaspirini, a Minnesota woman who was involved in promoting past Steger Expeditions: Celebrate the 20 th Anniversary of the 1990 International Trans-Antarctica Expedition with this authentic expedition anorak, designed by expedition co-leader Will Steger and manufactured to his specifications by The North Face. This jacket containing Gore-Tex is identical to that worn by the team on their 3,741-mile, historic crossing of the Antarctic continent by dog team, a National Geographic cover story in 1990. The jacket features reflective patches – on back and front – with the six country flags represented on the expedition: US, China, England, France, Great Britain, Japan and Russia. Stitched-on logos for expedition sponsors Gore-Tex and UAP of France appear on both shoulders. Pull cords at waist, bottom and collar make it adjustable to all weather conditions. A zipper on the hood provides for a zipped-on fur ruff. Full pocket in front is sealed with flap, zipper and Velcro closure. This bright orange jacket was part of a set provided to expedition support staff, but never worn. Selling for $1,500 with free shipping. Contact: jgasperini@iphouse.com

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Tags: antarctic, authentic, conditions, expedition, France, international, Japan, Minnesota, specifications

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Suhua Historic Trail@朝陽國家步道蘇花古道連走

Posted on April 13th, 2010 in Hiking Trails

Suhua Historic Trai 【 Type of attraction open for tourism 】 Length of trail: Ilan Section (From Suao to Dazhuoshui) of 50km and the entire trail (From Suao to Xincheng) extends some 115km. Time required for the trip: A deserted trail with collapsed sections, it is not possible to give any exact time for a trip at this time. Difficulty: High difficulty. 【 Management 】 Environmental limit: Not sensitive to ecological environment. Intensity of development/Type of facility: To keep the area as this is, the area should be banned from major exploration and only local repairs shall be provided to the trail at this time. When necessary, number of tourists shall be kept under control, as this is a Type 2 National Trail. During the Qing Dynasty, 3 main trails were built in Taiwan for freight. The one in southern Taiwan is the Kunlunyueh Historic Trail , the one in Central Taiwan is the Batunguan Historic Trail , designated today as Class A ancient remains and the one in northern Taiwan is the Suhua Historic Trail , which has not seen visitors for over one hundred years. The Suhua Historic Trail begins at Suao in the north and it goes by Dongau, Wushihbi, Nanao and ends up at Xincheng in Hualian. Over the past decades, some experts have been insisting that the Suhua Highway is actually the so-called North Trail opened by LUO Dachun in the Guangshu Years of the Qing Dynasty. LUO Dachun, who led an expedition force and country army, started the road-building work in Suao. The work took 2 years and when ready, it became the first mountain trail in east Taiwan. The North Trail of the Qing Dynasty is a valuable trail both in communication and historical significance. WU Yunghua, a local field investigator, presented hard evidence in his investigation report on the Ilan Section of the Suhua Historic Trail , suggesting that the Suhua Historic Trail is not related to the Suhua Highway we know today. The one that is related to the Suhua Highway is the coastal highway built later by the Japanese. With the coastal highway built by the Japanese and the widened Suhua Highway, part of the Suhua Historic Trail is either lost or abandoned. The paths we see in Suao, Dongao and Nanao and the remains of the Qing Dynasty Army barracks are living witnesses. The Shihqiangzai Trail, opened by the Qingshui Cliff and vulnerable to typhoon, earthquake among other disasters, is the southernmost part of the Suhua Historic Trail . With the coastal highway built by the Japanese and the 3-time-widened Suhua Highway since 1945 as well as repeated destruction by the local mining industry, the entire Historic Trail is nowhere to be found. The sector between the south entrance to the Zondeh Tunnel and Shihqiangzai is the only one preserved, as we can see stone stairs with writing and the zigzag line. The Seaside Steep Stone is the most characterized one. The trip along the trail allows one to overlook Zondeh, Xincheng, Liqu Rivermouth and the Pacific Coast. Far below is the Suhua Highway with inviting views. In the woods, one would see boars, monkeys and crabs. http://www1.forest.gov.tw/NationalTrailSystem_En/TR_F_01.htm 朝陽國家步道蘇花古道連走朝陽國家步道為斥巨資所完成的步道，可遠眺海天一色的太平洋岸美景，配合著烏石鼻海岸線，南澳漁港等景觀實令人心曠神怡，盡除塵囂，蘇花古道為日據時蘇澳至花蓮的古徑，行走其上極目望去，湛藍的海岸山脈及隨處可見的先人遺跡，皆令人深切感動，兩大古道連走，歡迎報名參加。 ============================ 公里: 15K 集合時間/地點: 4/11 6:30 火車站西三口下車地點: 南澳交通: 中型專車交通:山友 500 食宿: 午炊 m230.myweb.hinet.net/activity/timetable.htm

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Tags: batunguan, coastal, entire, historic-trail, Japan, kunlunyueh, management, north-trail, qing, suhua, suhua-historic, time, Trail