The second day started from "Yuigahama," a classic Kamakura location. The first half of the course is along the sea, and the second half is from Yabitsu Pass to Miyagase, a favorite of hill climbers. Continuing from the first day, we also continued with a comparison of Giant's two major road bikes, the PROPEL, an aero bike that is unbeatable at cruising on flat terrain, and the TCR, which seems to be stronger on changing courses. On this day, we switched both bikes to the latest top-of-the-line carbon wheels, CADEX 36 DISC TUBELESS, hoping to compare only frame performance. It was impressive to see how much lighter the PROPEL looked with its rim height increased from 50 to 36 mm.

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It was another sunny day, and although the sea breeze was cold, the weather was pleasant for riding a bicycle. Even though it was a weekday morning, there were a lot of surfers at Yuhigahama beach. It was a fresh sight for Tsucchi and I, who usually ride in Saitama, a prefecture without a beach.

Mr. Shibui guides us toward Gokurakuji Station, leaving the coastline at a spot where we can ride alongside the Enoden train on a "combined track". According to Mr. Shibui, the best part of cycling is to enjoy taking shortcuts along such routes.

We procured breakfast at KOMO PAN, a bakery in the westernmost part of Kamakura City. It takes about five minutes to get there by riding slowly down an old back alley from just before Koshicho Station on the Enoden Line. Inside the fashionable store, Kenta's favorite hard breads are lined up. Since there is no eat-in space, we put the bread in our jersey pocket and move to the Enoshima beach.

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Returning to the sea side on the prefectural road from KOMO PAN, the Enoden line is laid in the middle of the road from the intersection in front of Koshigoe Station to the Koshigoe shopping district. This is also a "combined track," a section that symbolizes the Enoden line. A train came at just the right moment, and not only the train enthusiast Tsucchi, was excited but I was too!

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On the way to Enoshima Beach, we stopped by Katase Enoshima Station, where a statue of a golden dolphin, not a golden shachihoko, stands on top of the new station building to be completed in 2020. It will be illuminated at night to create a different atmosphere.

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We rode near Katase Station and finally went out to the beach for breakfast. As the three of us were eating bread with a view of Enoshima, the avocado bread that Shibui-san was holding suddenly disappeared, splattering sauce all around us. A second later, we realized that it had been snatched away by a bird. The beaches around here are notorious for Black Kites that target the food of tourists. I had been caught off guard by the sunny weather, but they must have been watching us from the sky all along the beach. Luckily, my camera happened to capture the moment when the bird took the bread from Mr. Shibui. That's what you can expect from a YouTuber... (see the video for the decisive moment)!

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After breakfast, we took a brisk ride on Route 134 toward Chigasaki. The traffic had calmed down in this area. With two lanes in each direction and few traffic lights, Kenta-san on his PROPEL aerobatic bike was back in full throttle. He blasted Mr. Shibui and Tutchie far backward, enjoying the performance of his aerobike to the fullest.

Passing through Chigasaki City and entering Hiratsuka City, turn right off Route 134 at "Hanamizu River" just before it turns into Oiso Town, and head north toward the mountains. After about 2km, the name of the river changes to "Kanamegawa" (Kaname River), and from here you can take a leisurely ride along the river on the cycling course for a while.

After riding about 15km, we arrived at the entrance to Yabitsu Pass, the main event of the second day. We took a break at a 7-Eleven at the Naganuki intersection, a saving point for riders challenging the pass. We replenished our citric acid to prevent our legs from cramping up and prepared for the hill climb.

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Starting at the intersection of Nakogi, Tsucchi and I started the first section, approximately 12km of the Yabitsu Pass (a.k.a. Omote Yabitsu). The average slope is 5-6%, but immediately after the start, we were greeted by a hard slope with a gradient of over 10%. Here again, I could climb effortlessly, leaving Shibui-san and Tsucchi behind.

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On the way to Yabitsu Pass, we switched from PROPEL to TCR. Compared to the PROPEL, the TCR is lighter and has a more versatile frame, and and I think it was easier to climb the pass because it was closer to my usual bike. The temperature at the pass was quite low due to the 600m difference in elevation, and a windbreaker was necessary.

After crossing the Yabitsu Pass and descending a 16km slope (a.k.a. "Ura Yabitsu"), we arrive at Lake Miyakase. We had a late lunch at Misato Keizantei, a dumpling shop by the lake. We three hungry riders ordered "Gohei-mochi," "Mitarashi dango," and "Tonjiru," the store's recommendation. The hot tonjiru soaked into our cold bodies.

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My original plan was to leave Lake Miyagase and head for Hashimoto Station in Sagamihara City, the goal of the second day's ride, but since I had less time than originally planned, I decided to finish the ride at ZEBRA Coffee, a cafe along the way. The first coffee we had at the cafe today helped us recover from the exhaustion of the mountain pass.

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A two-day bicycle tour of the sights of Kanagawa Prefecture. Beginning in Chinatown, the tour enjoyed the sights of Yokosuka, Hayama, Zushi, Kamakura, and Enoshima, and also traversed the Yabitsu Pass, a well-known mountain pass for cyclists, from front to back. While it is common for the cycling media to organize bike-riding comparison events and test-ride events, it is rare for cyclists to spend one night and two days on a real course. It was an interesting experience to ride on a flat course, hill climbs, back alleys, and various other places to experience the characteristics and differences, including the feeling of fatigue. This time, I had the support car pick us up from ZEBRA Coffee because I didn't want to ride after sunset, but if I wanted to complete the ride by bicycle, I would have carried a bike bag and run another 10km to JR Hashimoto Station to take the train to the station. During the season when the days are long, this should not be too much trouble. When I visit again, I would like to ride all the way.