Climbing Tokyo:
The Hinohara Grind to the Top
The Basics
When: Sunday, October 6 (2019)
Where: Hinohara Village in west Tokyo (about 75 minutes from central Tokyo). Start from the Shimo Motogo parking lot on the Hinohara Kaido, finish
What: 25KM (15.5mi) bike race with approximately 955m (3,133ft) of climbing. Now in its 9th edition, the Hinohara Stage takes place in early October each year and is the finale to the Tokyo Hillclimb Series. Participants may race as an individual or rally together a team of three for a collaborative effort.
The Start
Hinohara Village
Race Day Flow
• Six waves – first wave starts at 0630 with one wave departing every 2 minutes
• First mile is a no-pass zone and is an easy, rolling ride until the intersection
• After finishing, pedal over to Tomin no Mori
• From 0800 to 0845, group return rides depart Tomin no Mori every 15 minutes, stopping midway at the Kazuma no Yu onsen center for a warm meal
• From 0830 to 0915, group return rides depart the Kazuma no Yu onsen center to the Hinohara Village Hall parking lot where cyclists can collect their finisher entitlements and disperse
• Awards begin at 0915 at Kazuma no Yu onsen center; cyclists attending the awards ceremony must return to Hinohara on their own
The Good
• Immaculate road conditions
• Hearty Japanese meal after the race
• Early start means you still have the rest of the day
• Good finisher entitlements
Entitlements
• Black tech long sleeve tee
• Bag of locally-sourced potatoes
• Bottle of locally-sourced mineral water
• Free race photos
2019 Special
The Not So Good
• Early start means you need to stay nearby or drive/carpool in the early morning
• 600 cyclists on a 25KM uphill grind – you have to hope everyone’s bike handling skills are at least decent
• Confusing finish
• Long awards ceremony
Tokyo Hillclimb Series
• April: Hinode Stage
• May: Nariki Stage
• July: Okutama Stage
• October: Hinohara Stage
