Riding for Sasayama's specialty 'black bean bread'! An impromptu intense morning ride through Sanda and Sasayama!!

Introduction

We had a team ride planned for the 16th for a while.
The weather forecast the day before was unstable,
and since the afternoon forecast also predicted rain,
the team ride was unfortunately cancelled...

Thinking, "I can just laze around all day tomorrow!"
but still wanting to ride my bike a little...

When I checked the weather forecast again in the evening,
more forecasts were predicting "cloudy".
"Maybe the forecast has improved since I woke up!?"
With that faint hope,
I got my gear ready the night before and went to sleep.

On the day, I forced myself to wake up early and checked the weather forecast...

The weather forecast has improved!!!

Yes! It turned out as planned!
So, I set off around 4:45 AM.
For the first time in a while, heading towards the Hokusei region with no plan!

Met up with my usual riding buddy!

Starting while it's still dark!
For now, heading towards the Hokusei region as usual.
Tweeted, hoping someone would join me.

The team ride was cancelled but it doesn't look like rain, so I'm going for a ride. See you all in Hokusei! pic.twitter.com/SdiWLVk5MZ

— DARUMA (@moonjb1984) 15 August 2017

Always pass by Johoku Park.
At this time of day, there's an old man feeding stray cats,
so be careful of cats darting out! (← Important)

The view from Johoku Ohashi Bridge is still dark.

The usual route, going through Tozui from Uchikan,
and heading north on R176.

I thought the road might be wet from the rain the day before,
but it wasn't too bad, which was a relief.

As I ride, dawn breaks.
The sunrise has been getting later recently,
making me wonder if summer is coming to an end,
while pedalling in the early morning.

And after about an hour,
I arrived at the usual Lawson in Ikeda.

I had equipped the
"ASS SAVER",
which I hadn't properly used since buying it,
but it might not have been necessary today.

Suddenly...
I met up with "my usual riding buddy" here!
Special guest, Rose-san!!

He saw my morning tweet
and even though he was riding towards Kameoka,
he made the effort to come south to meet me!
Ah, I'm so grateful!

And so, it was decided that Rosé and I would ride together! (Are we just doing this pair all the time lately?!)

I was in agony on a familiar road!

Completely unplanned. "Shall we just head to Mita for now?" With that, we headed north towards Mita.

I headed north on R12 as usual, but it felt a bit too fast for me...

On the short hill next to Triton, Rosé dropped me, and I realised.

She's in turbo mode!

Basically, I tried my best to keep up, but my efforts were in vain, and I was dropped. On a perfectly ordinary road, my legs died, a truly melancholic sight.

I climbed R324 towards Nishitani, a road I usually only descend. Climbing this road, it's actually quite a tough one...

We entered Takarazuka City~. The borders in this area seem complicated.

Then, from Nishitani, we rode on R33, but again, she was in turbo mode and I couldn't keep up... Without even crossing any mountain passes, it was truly gruelling.

I was thoroughly beaten, so I requested a break at "Nishitani Fureai Yume Plaza". "P-please let me rest...! "

It wasn't open yet, so while drinking Welch's from a vending machine, we had a leisurely break in chat mode. Welch's is surprisingly low in calories, you know.

After that, we headed towards Mita on "R68 Hokusetu Satoyama Kaido". I wonder if it's used as a detour for the congested Chugoku Expressway, but there seemed to be more cars than usual.

We passed through the Sengari area.

From Shitebara, we proceeded on R49 towards Habu, and instead of taking the pass, we headed north along the lake.

Yeah, this feeling is the best!

Speaking of which, there's a cafe here called "Aprikose", but I've never been there before.

Aprikose http://aprikose3.crayonsite.com/

From the Shimoaono area, we headed north on R308, and for the first time in a while, we climbed to Habu from "Amntaki".

This is a road I love. The understated river and the rural bus stop are also wonderful.

I remember being taken by my father to Habu-Oike when I was a child. (↑My family home is in Sanda)

We climbed through the trees. After the rain, there's a sweet smell of sap, but it was a shame there wasn't any this time.

The gradient gets steep just before Amntaki, but we managed to climb it.

In this photo, Rosé is in the distance, having dropped her bottle.

This time, we passed the waterfall without stopping too.

Habu (Moushi)

The tea fields, a specialty of Muko, came into view.
It’s an ordinary landscape, but
I still love the atmosphere around here.

Climbing to the top here leads to the Muko settlement.
I considered going from Muko to Eishoji, but
this time I decided to head to Sasayama by crossing the R49 "Minosaka Pass".

This is a steep climb if you come from Sasayama, but
if you come from Sanda, it’s just a slight incline, making it
a convenient pass for heading to Sasayama.

Let’s head into Sasayama!

Be careful on the downhill from the north side!
It’s hard to tell, but the road is also winding,
and it’s a road that often gets closed due to rockfalls.

I remember crying my way down on TIAGRA brakes years ago,
not knowing any better.

However, after this downhill, the rural landscape typical of Sasayama unfolds.

Ah, it’s wonderful!
Even the man cutting the grass looks picturesque.

Taking a break at a convenience store on the Dekansho Road.
I hadn’t thought anything through, but where should I go now!?

Eating local bread in Sasayama!

I hadn’t thought about it at all,
and since it was early in the morning, most shops probably weren’t open.
I don’t know much about the cafe scene in Sasayama either...

As I was thinking about various things, I remembered.
"Come to think of it, there was a bakery I wanted to visit!"
I decided to head there and started cycling.

Getting lost, I rode alongside the castle moat.
There were decorations for the Dekansho Festival.

Riding through streets with a castle town atmosphere.
I don’t think these roads existed like this in the past.
(I graduated from high school in Sasayama... etc.)

Ta-da!
I’ve arrived!!

Konishi no Pan

dekansho.city

Page Not Found – Tamba Sasayama Dekansho Selection

http://dekansho.city/2017/04/20/丹波篠山産黒大豆たっぷり小西のパン（黒豆パン/

The shop had just opened,
so only the famous "Kuromame Pan" (black bean bread) was on display,
but that’s what I came for, so it was fine~.

So, I purchased it.
Apparently, the black bean bread only comes in packs of three.

There’s no eat-in space,
so I ate it sitting on a nearby bench.

Delicious!
The dough is chewy, and the black beans are sweet and tasty!

Rosé also seemed to need to get back soon,
and I received a call from home...

Thanks to the black bean bread, I felt a sense of accomplishment,
so I decided to head home.

There are several roads leading south from Sasayama,
but this time I decided to simply take R12.
(My policy is not to climb too much...)

But it feels great to run in Sasayama! I'll come back for a proper run when I have more time.

I'll run towards Kawanishi on Route 12. The gradient gradually increases. I hate climbing!

Let's go, the final tough section!

And then onto Koisaka Pass! Once again, I gritted my teeth and pushed on from behind, but Rose disappeared from view in no time.

Was this pass always this long? I wondered, as I climbed with all my might...

I experienced the depths of agony, but I safely passed through the Joto Tunnel and headed for Kono.

Here we come to another fork in the road.

Towards Nose, Inagawa, Sanda, or Eishoji...? After much deliberation, I chose the route home via Sanda on Route 37! The reason was simple: 'Because it's my favourite road'.

The anticipation of riding my favourite road. As expected, Route 37 is best ridden heading south! (Not really)

Riding the pleasant road in Sanda!

Now, with the "Hatsukagawa" river, where I took a dip the other day, on my left, I ride the downhill-dominant road. It's my favourite Route 37!

This road really is special. But perhaps it's best ridden in the summer.

I saw children playing in the river along the way, a truly heartwarming summer scene.

The "Sanda City Outdoor Activity Centre" we passed on the way was full of families enjoying the river. I should come here to play sometime, not just on my road bike.

As we leave the river behind, the road widens. And the scenery changes to the typical Sanda landscape of running through the mountains.

From here on, it's a downhill-dominant flat section. There was a headwind, so as usual, I'm the beast who asked Rose to take the lead.

A bit cloudy, but fantastic!

Holding on as if I was about to be blown away, I rode to the junction of Route 37 and headed towards Inagawa on Route 312.

I tried to take a break at "Hansho Cafe" along the way, but unfortunately, it was closed today.

In that case! I thought, let's take a break at "Toge no Chaya"! But as it turns out, that was also closed, a classic Obon holiday situation. I desperately need a break.

Even so, I climbed Osaka Pass, tears streaming down my face.

And without even being able to rest, I crossed another nameless pass and headed for Inagawa.

From here, I headed south on the usual Route 12 and finally got my much-needed break at the popular spot "Michi-no-Eki Inagawa".

The soba soft-serve ice cream was soothing...

'Phew, I'm exhausted today,' I said, as we took a leisurely break here, with only the ride home left.

I descended the Triton slope, which had caused me agony earlier, and headed for Route 12 along the river.

Along the way, I said goodbye to Rose and rode solo along the Inagawa river on my way home.

Still, what was that about the rain forecast?
In the end, we weren't rained on at all.

Perhaps many people's Obon holidays have just ended,
so it was deserted along the river.

As we entered along the Kanzaki River,
the clouds thinned, a little sunshine peeked through,
and the temperature rose again.

Our last break was at a vending machine.
Boosting our energy with sweet café au lait!

After navigating the confusing city streets, we somehow returned to the Yodo River.
When all was said and done,
it was a relatively cool and easy day to ride.

Today was fun too!

Conclusion

This time, I was in agony at various points,
my eyes rolling back from the start,
but it was incredibly fun in its own way.
I feel like I've discovered something I shouldn't have... (misconstrued)

I had actually intended to ride a bit further home,
but I was already worn out early on, and
I got a call from home,
so I decided to call it a day a little early and headed home.
It might have been good to stop when I did. (Worn out)

As always,
many thanks to Rose for accompanying me!!
I've really come to rely on you lately.

However, since last year's peak,
I've stopped riding my road bike,
or I can't ride with people due to work,
and the number of people I can ride with is decreasing.
It's truly a shame.

Although I have time constraints,
you could all invite me more often!?

Speaking of which, it seems I was using GPS+GLONASS mode on my Edge520.
When I turned off GLONASS this time,
the battery life improved dramatically.
So you were the culprit behind the battery drain...

This time's route

The descent on Route 37 with Mother and Child is the best.
I was reminded of that.

Distance: 161.59 km
Time: 6:25:11
Average Speed: 25.2 kph
Elevation Gain: 1,326 m