hanami cycling!

Due to the rather long and cold winter we had this year, spring has arrived late. But the best season of the year is finally in motion and the weather has been awesome! On Friday the details arrived for the usual Saturday ride. This time none of the other frequent participants could join except for, Iceman, whose got a reputation for some fast mountain climbing! Saturday's destination: Bisei Astronomical Observatory in Okayama.

The scenic ride to Bisei!

 

Sakura Mochi for the cherry blossom season!

The morning was chilly and the roads were wet from the previous nights rain, but the temperature was perfect during mid-day. At the foot of our climb was a lengthy rolling road where the pace picked up real fast. Anske-san and Iceman went off the front leaving Pei-san and myself. Figuring there's no point in chasing them down we took the time to enjoy the beautiful cherry blossoms along the road.

 Before climbing to the observatory we stopped for lunch. Since it was the first visit to Bisei this year and given the warm weather there was only one thing to eat!

Coke and a Bisei burger! (the mochi is not mine! >o<)

After some rest we headed to the Observatory with a little more climbing left to go. The climbing was difficult and the legs felt heavy, but the view at the top made it all worth while!

As clear as the skies were we were unable to see Mt. Daisen in the distance, but the view was still amazing! Because I had early afternoon plans for hanami with some friends the Saturday ride was quick and we sped our way back to Fukuyama. In a short time frame I was able to get a good 100km of practice in the legs! Today's beer is gonna taste mmm good! From early afternoon a few close friends gathered for some hanami at Fukuyama castle. Unlike the cherry trees in full bloom during our ride, the trees at Fukuyama castle have passed their peak and have already started turning green. Nonetheless, there was still enough pink among the trees to cap off an awesome day with friends!