Mount Fuji / After leaving Tokyo by train, we began our first big day in Fujiyoshida at the base of Mount Fuji. Rather,
after a mandatory 7-Eleven stop for cans of iced coffee, Pocari Sweat, and packaged pancakes, we began. The climbing
started in the town’s quiet streets, and a few miles in we stripped to just bibs under the heat and humidity. We struggled
to pedal our loaded bikes in the lowest possible gear, but the dense forest road led to spectacular views of the valley and
lakes below Fuji. To avoid the tour vans and cars most cyclists endure, we hopped a gate, ignored the warnings of hikers,
and took a single-lane path up to the highest point you can ride on the mountain. Toward the end, the pavement turned
to dirt and volcanic ash. After three hours, we reached our summit at the Fujisankomitake Shrine elated, sweaty, and
now cold. We had another nine hours of riding before we’d set up camp on the edge of a park, but first we layered up,
raised cans of peach Coca-Cola, and descended 4,000 feet back down the quiet lane (almost) without seeing a single car.
60 BICYCLING.COM • ISSUE 1 | 2020