TeamPerotSystems

2004-06-29T11:19:00.000-07:00

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2001-10-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

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2001-10-01T06:42:00.000-07:00

Last Day
Hello everyone, our last day (day 7) was an easy ride in the early morning first taking a 90-minute bus ride from Himeji to Osaka. Once arriving at our departure zone in Osaka where it was unfortunately raining we fetched our bikes and snuggled up for our last ride through the rain it was a 20 kilometer ride along the Yodogawa River of Osaka, riding in the rain isn't nice so it felt like an 80 kilometer ride but that was also because after a few grueling days our legs were starting to feel sore and tired. When we arrived in Osaka close by the famous Osaka Castle we all participated in a photo session slowly realizing that our week together was nearing its end. We (participants) were invited for lunch at a nearby restaurant and it was great to be inside, and out of the rain for a few hours with a warm bite to eat.

After lunch tee-shirts and rain gear was handed out by the organizers and we were requested to gather at 13:30 to participate in the famous Osaka Mido-suji Parade, this was a 3.3 kilometer walk through Osaka city. It was great to see all the spectators along the boulevard waving and shouting, even though it was raining.

We then headed to a nearby gymnasium for speeches from the Osaka Mayor and other delegates and were presented with a great warm and cold buffet with various kinds of food. By this time the emotions where starting to kick in and all participants where taking turns in singing songs in their native languages. Goodbyes are never nice, but the wide range of characters and personalities we had met during this trip was a great experience for us all, they where from 9 different countries I believe.

It was now time to hop back on the bus and head to our last hotel called the Rinkai Hotel Kitamise. This hotel was different from other as it was old but given the date it had been constructed (late 70's?) it must have been one of the most posh hotels in the area for that time, we slept on the 8th floor, close by the warm Spa with a birds eye view of Osaka.

The next morning we asked for a wake up call at 06:15 as we wanted all to get back on time home we headed out to the Airport earlier than required hoping to be able to board an earlier flight than scheduled, and as planned it worked.

It's good to be home again after being on the road for 8 days carrying our luggage and bikes around. I would like to thank Peter and Ben for making everything possible over the past months and working close together to try and gather as many donations and sponsors and last but not least all of you have visited our website in past month and weeks and posted your moral support thank you for all your help.

Regards Arch
Team Captain
team perot systems japan

2001-09-29T09:02:00.000-07:00

Day 5

Hi everyone, we headed out from the Jungle Baths hotel - real name was Hotel Oku Dogo. This day was by far the best in terms of sightseeing and had the most breathking views, as you can witness by looking at our photos. We were really ecstatic to see what is probably the most beautiful combination of land, sea, mountains, blue skies and bridges, in Japan. For those of you who are interested in where we were exactly, please check out information on the "Shimanami-Kaido" (Ocean Road), located in the Seto Inland Sea between the Japanese main island of Honshu, and the island of Shikoku. We reccomend this scenic route for cycling, walking (hiking), and motor scooterists (less than 125cc) for everyone.

One of the most astonishing design features of the route connecting all the points within this "Ocean Road", is the way to climb to the elevations to the suspension bridges along the path. From the start, a narrow, green paved path is clearly marked for cycling and pedestrian traffic, which spirals to height approximately 10 stories above the welcome centre. If you look over the edge, you might get a little shocked that you are so high above the starting point. The spiraling paths also changed to oval shaped inclines, which also got us to the point at which we could cross the water ways on the bridges. These bridges are also used by regular traffic, but they have to pay expensive tolls. Of course, in addition to all the breathtaking views, there was the thrill of descending these elevations, along similar spiral and oval, green paved paths.

We had to take real good care though to be safe when increasing our speeds - there was no chance to take any risks for safety, because if one of us miscalculated, it would probably have ended a life by dropping anywhere between, 30 to 80 metres or perhaps even more.

After cycling 76km on Day 5, we settled into a camping area on Sensui Island. We had to get there by taking a small boat, which only traveled 5 minutes, but seemed like it was going to sink due to all the people and baggage aboard.

During the seafood BBQ near the beach, we were surprised to have a show of traditional Japanese dancing (Odori) by the locals. Arch and one of them are featured in one of the photos.

Day 6

Peter decided to sleep outside of the tent and let both Ben and Arch, along with another participant to deal with the smell and what surely must have been an aromatic adventure! It was cool outside but one of the leaders from the Korean group of participants provided an extra blanket to keep Peter from getting too cold.

After a small breakfast we boarded the boat and then rode the bus to Takahashi City in the middle of Okayama Prefecture, surrounded by lots of mountains. There, we saw some Taiko (Drums) played by a couple of JETs (English Teachers) with some locals, dressed as Tengu (mountain goblins). They were pretty cool.

This day's cycling of 54km was really tough because it was mostly uphill, up a pretty large mountain. Along the way, Peter dropped back due to being too heavy for mountain climbing (although he is improving by leaps and bounds) and took a slightly slower pace to climb... when a spoke in his rear wheel decided that it had had enough... thankfully, Peter was determined to not do as the spoke did. There were repair crews swarming around the rear wheel and in a matter of minutes, the part was replaced and break time was over.

Arch and Ben were waiting at the crest of the mountain road with the rest of group number one, when they were joined by Peter... they proceeded to take on extreme speeds getting up to 58.2 kph, which is quite fast considering the winding curves which forced us to slow down every 50 metres or so.

During lunch along the way, we were welcomed by a Junior High School Concert Band, who played "YMCA" and a couple of fanfares and marches. From there we cycled the remaining distance along the Kibiji Cycling Road, amongst rice fields and irrigation aqua paths as well as a number of other rural scenery. During the last stretch of the route, although this is not a race, Arch and another participant couldn't help themselves from attacking the last 100 metres. Arch won. The other guy was pretty good though.

Back on the buses headed for Himeji... we had some drinks next to Himeji Castle while it was illuminated at night, and then we walked back to our hotel. Dinner was in a local Izakaya (Japanese pub), where the food was delicious.

Tomorrow, we'll cycle along the Yodogawa River in Osaka, to stop at Osaka Castle Hall. We'll let you know what happens, during the next journal update.

We're looking forward to meeting Eizo Kuroda from The Children's Cancer Association of Japan during the start of the Midosuji Parade. So far it's been an honour for all three of us to represent their interests as well as participating in this "Peace Through Tourism" event.

See you soon!!

Peter, Ben and Arch

2001-09-27T09:17:00.000-07:00

Day 3

From the morning after a very nice stay in Taegu's Hotel Kumho, we visted a temple, and took some pictures. Please see them on our Day 3 link.

Afterward we had our last Korean lunch, and then rode to Pusan through heavy and at times aggressive traffic (especially the public buses) but we made it intact, to be greeted by another standing marching band (see photos).

We heard a very touching speech by Pusan's touristry minister, highlighting the recent incidents in the USA concerning world peace. The organisers of this tour chose the motto "Peace through Tourism" to help foster mutual understanding, peace and prosperity in preparation for both the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) Conference, and the 2002 World Cup Soccer games. Those incidents have indeed had a profound effect on people all over the world. The fact that this tour had been planned from a long time ago with world peace as the main theme tells us that world peace is something which all people are concerned with. The recent incidents in the USA just add to the need to really make world peace a reality.

We said our goodbyes to Korea that evening when we set sail for Shimonoseki, Japan. The ferry boat was quite rugged but got us to the other side safely. Everyone slept together, men and women, on the floor, in decks below. At around 5:30 am the ghost of sailor's past was pounding the hull below. We weren't really sure what he wanted.

Day 4

Our early morning arrival in Japan, went smoothly as we gathered all our belongings and quickly went through immigration and customs. One customs officer double checked my nationality - which assured me that he was doing his job well.

We hopped on these really decked out buses, the best so far, with a refridgerator, TV, bar, but no toilet and the seats reclined about 45 degrees... and then rode to Akiyoshi-dai in Yamaguchi-ken.

It's a truly beautiful place. We were greeted by NHK camera crews... hopefully some of you caught us on the news on Thursday night. We were also greeted by the Yamaguchi-ken riding association, who whipped our butts (excluding Arch) and escorted us through the worst mountainous terrain that any of us have experienced as a group. None of us were expecting the brutality which they meated out in groups of eight. However, we completed the entire 49 km in 1 hour 45 minutes, with top speeds: Arch 68kph, Ben 61kph, and Peter 59.8kph. The downhill parts were really rewarding since the only restrictions on speed were those places where people waving large flags stood. Thanks to all of those good people for looking out for us.

... lunch was Japanese... good to be home, and then we toured the famous Akiyoshido Caves. We read in the brochure that this is the biggest cave in all of Asia.

After that, we scurried off to Yanai City to board the ferry bound for Matsuyama on the island of Shikoku. The people who greeted our group were very kind and gave us cookies, cakes, and juice as a welcome gift. The ferry was only 2 hours or so - and while boarding, Arch saw Peter on the NHK news in the cabin, proudly displaying our sponsors' logos - We're sure they will be very happy to know that.

When we arrived in Matsuyama, we got on a bus for our hotel, which has an onsen called the Jungle Baths! Relaxed in the hotwater, wrote this update... time for bed. Good night and will talk to you in two days' time, because tomorrow, we'll definitely not be able to write, since we will sleep in tents.

Peter, Ben & Arch

2001-09-25T07:59:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

We finished our second day in great form and saw a lot of interesting things - so check out our photos on the "Day 2" link from our homepage.

At 5:30 AM, there was calisthetics given by the sergeant and his radioman - these are two of the Korean riders' leaders who have an awesome way of dealing with people. The sergeant let everyone know from the first day, who exactly was in command... and we, as intelligent people, followed his every directive because if we fell out of line, we'd have surely heard his thunder. The radioman, carries a radio of course, and leads his people through a network of other radio carriers in the pack.

Now, getting back to this 5:30 AM business... We don't know who was there... but we can definitely say that we weren't! And... judging by the reaction of the Japanese and other foreign participants, we're confident in our assumption that only the Sergeant and his people attended. Truthfully, I admire their regimen and team oriented approach to this event - although due to varying levels of skill amongst the participants, the pace is somewhat restricted - mainly for safety.

As we mentioned yesterday, we have a police escort. You can see by the photos, that today we had the company of quite a few police officers on Harleys and in cruisers. The word which comes to mind is 'impressive'. These guys did a marvelous job at controlling traffic and keeping those drivers who have no clue in the correct place (at the curb). They let us sit on their bikes for photos, so please enjoy :-)

One of our stops today was at a war museum in remembrance for those who gave their lives during the Korean War. We also stopped at a Buddist Temple and had a nice walk on a mountainside. It was quite refreshing to exercise different muscles.

Our final stop for today was in the city of Taegu - quite a clean and modern looking place with wide roads, friendly smiles and another welcoming marching band which was not quite as stationary as the previous two, but played a marvelous Hawaii 5-0 theme ("book 'em Dano") and, well, just look at the pictures. We're staying at the "Hotel Kumho" which is the best one so far. At dinner, Ben sat with the mayor of Taegu and found out that he likes to try international foods and that he speaks Japanese quite well. The mayor is also quite excited about the upcoming 2002 World Cup Soccer games because his city will host some of them.

Tomorrow, we set off for more siteseeing in the morning, and after lunch we'll cycle to the city of Pusan... right onto to the boat which will bring us to Japan overnight (hopefully we'll be able to update our web site and this journal while we're on the ferry boat).

By the way, our total cycling distance for the second day is 57 km.

Talk to you soon! Arch, Peter & Ben.

2001-09-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

Hi folks!
Day 1 of the adventure from Seoul to Osaka had begun early on Monday Sept 24th. We stayed at the Olympic Park Hotel in Seoul and joined a group of about 200 cyclists just after breakfast.

After doing lots of circular patterned "formation cycling", we made our way to one of the government offices which houses the department of tourism here in Korea. There, we were greeted by a marching band (which was stationary - check one of the photos we uploaded).

After hearing some very inspiring speeches, and being photographed by at least 3 Seoul newspapers, we shook the hands of the dignitaries, including the deputy mayor of Seoul, got on our bikes and high-fived three of the dignitaries including the deputy mayor, who was really genki about the whole trip and said that if he were available, he'd be cycling next to us.

... And then grueling part started.... no big mountains, nor treachorous routes... only that we then started to cycle a total of 50 km at a snail's pace, being led by a police escort whose wailing sirens kept us awake! One of the coppers on a Harley reminded us of the dude from Terminator II.

Our destination for the first part of the day was The Korean Folk Village just outside of Seoul. We ate an awesome lunch which looked like Japanese "nabe" but with lots of other ingredients and tons of garlic and kimchi. Needless to say, it was delicious.

After lunch we boarded the buses and our bicycles were loaded onto two trucks, and we said our goodbyes to about 120 cyclists who only joined for that first stage. Not long after, we slept for about 90 minutes.

A change in plans had us cycle an additional 26 kilometres to a city called Taejon which is famous for its hot springs and will also be one of the cities to host 3 World Cup games in September of 2002. The additional ride was invigorating as the roads winded through some foothills but most importantly, was mainly downhill.

When we arrived at our final destination for the day, we were met by another stationary marching band, which looked a lot like the first one, but we're not really sure. They were pretty good.

Dinner, speech by this city's deputy mayor, translations... into English and Japanese, and then the onsen and relaxation.

We'll try to take some good pictures tomorrow for your viewing pleasure, the following day. Take care, Peter, Ben & Arch.

2001-09-20T17:39:00.000-07:00

Two more days to go!

2001-09-16T08:11:00.000-07:00

Riding nearly 80KM on Saturday. I headed out to Chiba and up my favorite cycle root under the expressway. After doing 37KM, I made a u-turn and started heading back the same route. My legs feel great and 100% ready for this trek. Plan to get at least another 100+KM under me this week, just to prove I am ready.

2001-09-16T06:40:00.000-07:00

Well it's just one week to go and we will be of for our trip, we did 80k's yesterday the weather was nice and cool in the morning but once the sun burnt through the clouds it was hot again. However riding back in to Tokyo on the 246 it looked like it was going to start raining, we made it home dry and it felt good under the shower after another 3 hour and 50 minute ride. Cleaned my bike today and checked all parts, everything looks ready for the trip the legs the bike and the moral.

2001-09-08T23:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was great. We traveled to Chiba, then upto Saitama. We met a guy (maybe in his 70's) on the way. He showed us his special cycling map. It was pretty cool! It's hard to beleive we did over 90KMs, but I felt great when I came home.

I woke up this morning and did about 20KM more, as my legs were a little soar and needed to be woken up. I got soaked from the strange weather we are having today in Tokyo. It's sunny one hour and rains down neko & inu the next hour. Going to try to whip another batch of beer tonight for the guys, so we have something to drink when we get back from our tour....

2001-09-07T22:12:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful day in Tokyo , we did 90 k's don't ask me where we went I just followed Pete & Ben, I feel great. I'm looking forward to take it easy the rest of the weekend.

2001-09-06T21:29:00.000-07:00

Another trip of 45ks around Komazawa Park last night, my legs are really tired today as it was a short but fast trip. We meet at Shibuya station tomorrow morning at 7 o'clock for a trip around Tokyo again, feel free to join us if you want.
Take care all !!

2001-09-01T23:22:00.000-07:00

With our normal at 7AM in Shibuya, then we headed for Shinjuku, passing through Otemachi, Kasai Seaside Park and did a circuit around Tokyo Disneyland in Chiba. It was a great 80+KM ride. That evening Arch had a house party.

Today, my new SPD Shoes and SPD Pedals came today. Couldn't wait to try them out! Everything fits perfectly!

I look forward riding into work everyday this week!

2001-08-31T22:55:00.000-07:00

Another kilogram shed... now down 5kg from 116 to 111 since starting training. We did 85 km today and all before 12:30 PM. See ya at the park on Tuesday night... if you can keep up to me.

2001-08-30T18:07:00.000-07:00

We decide to hit Komazawa Park yesterday for the second time this week. I thought it would be a nice casual ride around the park however i was trying to hang on to the back of Peter's wheel , is somebody putting something in the guys coffee ? Progress is now visible , i've got to start gearing up or i'll be tail gating soon :) But this is great fun and the weight loss is kicking in not long anymore and I'll be wearing suspenders.

2001-08-30T05:21:00.000-07:00

A nice day at the office to drain stamina, breathe recycled dust mite infested filtered air... what a nice way to get rid of all that stress by doing some lung strengthening exercises on the track with our bikes at Komazawa Park... Tuesday we did about 35 km and tonight about 42 km. Legs, two words:

Thunder Thighs

Later

2001-08-26T19:14:00.000-07:00

I was contemplating the old addage, "no pain, no gain" and was trying to figure out how I am gaining by torturing myself like I did on Saturday... it is now two days 'after the fact' and now I realise what I've gained... in addition to the 'high' of having surpassed my personal limit of kilometres traveled per day (now 95), I can honestly say that my thighs feel as solid as smooth precambrian Canadian lake-side rock. Less than four weeks to go to the main event :D Look Out!

2001-08-26T19:06:00.000-07:00

Saturday’s ride on August 25th was 85 k’s around the Mount Fuji area again, up and down hills and around the beautiful lake area. We had the power band all the way open for the first 60 k’s and in the end we could feel it too. The bus ride home was 2.5 hours due to heavy traffic but gave us the chance to count some sheep. We realised by then that we had been on the road for 12 hours. Two times training this week Tuesday and Thursday night. The form is showing as we get stronger, we received a letter from the tour organisers this week, reminding us to make sure we are in good shape when we show up in Korea next month. I wonder what they have in line for us.

2001-08-19T18:53:00.000-07:00

With a 70KM ride under our belt this past Saturday, it has put all of our bodies to the test. We met at the same spot in Shibuya (Hachiko) at 7AM. The rain started to come down pretty hard. I think it was a test of will, as we will be cycling in the middle of Typhoon season when we do this... The rain stopped however and the air heated up and the sun came out and we all got sunburned.

We were home by 1PM and took a nap before we had to head out to "Ron and Midori's 37th Tri-annual Booze and Grub Fest"... I couldn't beleive how many people showed up, with live music playing, it felt like a Fuji Rock Fest...

I look forward to riding into work 3 times this week, plus joining a night time ride with Pete and Arch as well... We are feeling really good now and the team bonding is getting stronger!

2001-08-18T00:54:00.000-07:00

Someone tell me how many kilometres we did today! After realising that my onboard tiny cycling computer, does not like rain, by giving crazy readouts like a maximum speed of 996 km/h, I decided to ignore it until after the rain stopped - but all the stats are distorted so I will just have to reset it later. Maybe I really was going that fast, because as soon as I got home today I fell asleep for a couple of hours. Gotta wash the bike now... see ya later.

2001-08-12T17:32:00.000-07:00

Last weekends ride was a 90-k tour from Shibuya to Tachikawa, the traffic was heavy but once the rain kicked in it didn’t really matter, the rain also provided a nice cool down. It’s taking a little longer than I anticipated recuperating, which means we will have to train more on longer trips moving forward to the big event.

2001-08-05T19:03:00.000-07:00

Saturday's test was a good one. Completing 65KM in 3 hours and 20 minutes of cycling time. It's amazing how good a ice cold beer tastes after a long hot ride!

We feel the team spirit growing stronger each time we train together. The response from our sponsors have been great! We are very confident to reach our goal of 3 million yen.

2001-08-05T17:26:00.000-07:00

Saturday’s day out was a 65 k tour out to Odaiba, the temperature had picked up during the morning and we were obviously in need of fluids. We took the long tour out meaning we stayed longer on the mainland before crossing over too the reclaimed land of Odaiba. The three of us had a good ride and are meeting each other’s goals in fitness, still a long way to go put the progress in obviously there.

2001-08-02T08:38:00.000-07:00

Mid-week torture... Arch and I must have circled Komazawa Park about 20 times. I cycled 35km and Arch did about 40km. Tomorrow will be a day of rest, because the next day will be a grueling one just like last weekend... or perhaps even more tormenting since the muscles are starting to last longer. We've invited a couple of other friends to join us at Shibuya's Dog at 7:00 AM.... let's see if they are up to the challenge!!

2001-07-30T17:40:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday's trip was a test to see how we would adapt to a long ride, all 3 of us met up at Shibuya station at the famous dog statue, Peter was the first to fire off like a bullet and was racing down the back streets of Tokyo. Ben and myself had the time of our lives chasing him through the winding back roads of Tokyo dodging Taxi's and Pedestrians. Once we arrived in Odaiba we headed for the Park area, all three of us ride Mountain bikes and we started trying to out smart each other by flying up and down stairs cases and engaging on high speed down hill runs whilst laughing our heads off. Once we got out on the main road again, Peter blew a tire again. He's had 3 punctures in the last 3 rides - "bad luck" Pete !! We were by then up to 50 k's and our stomachs where ready for refuelling. After lunch we started heading back to Tokyo and by doing that we noticed that the traffic had picked up since the morning. We took our time riding home and kept an eye open for unwary vehicles. Reaching home, I noticed on my speedometer that we had ridden 75k's - a good start to our preparation for the big event.

2001-07-29T16:49:00.000-07:00

This weekend's training circuit had no mountainous terrain to climb, but was just as challenging. Two days afterward and my legs are still stiff. I guess that is a good sign. Doing 75 km seemed to have brought me to another level in my cycling training. I hope to do as much, if not more, next time.

2001-07-29T16:19:00.000-07:00

Well this weekend was a great trail ride. We headed out to Odaiba, we ended up doing about 75KM.

2001-07-26T00:33:00.000-07:00

Our website is 99% complete. Big THANK YOU to Kristen for her talents. I just need to upload our team picture, which will be ready by Friday.

2001-07-23T23:55:00.000-07:00

Well it look like we can't make it Kawaguchiko this weekend. The transportation out there is sold out for the morning. So we decided to leave at 5:30AM on Saturday and head out to Odaiba and do a few circuts around that area. We should still be able to get in 50KM on Saturday.

The reasons we need to leave so early, is TRAFFIC, SMOKE and HEAT. All the hazzards of living in a big city like Tokyo. However 50KM is still pretty good.

We look forward to speaking with our vendors to seek some sponsership from them in exchange for advertising.

2001-07-22T22:24:00.000-07:00

As the Team Captain I would like to take this opportunity to emphasise on how keen Ben & Peter are in making this event a success, on our weekend rides it’s not just a day out anymore their pushing hard to prepare themselves for the event. Watching them progress every weekend and push their goals more further and further brings us all together and makes a uniform team, their motto is “ No Pain No Gain ".

2001-07-22T22:06:00.000-07:00

The excitement is unreal! We have so much support in our efforts. We want to thank you all for your continued endorsement. We have schedule another go around the Five Lake of Mt Fuji for this weekend. We should complete about 70KM on this journey, not to mention one leg of this test is 15KM straight up hill!

2001-07-22T21:55:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I am extremely pleased about the opportunity to make this challenge a reality. Training has been in progress now for about seven weeks. Results are now becoming visible.... for example, old clothes fit again :)

2001-07-04T18:46:00.000-07:00

teamperotsystemsjapan begins preparations for a 350 km, 7 day charity ride from Seoul, South Korea to Osaka Japan.

Who is teamperotsystemsjapan? Arch, team captain, is from The Netherlands and works as purchasing manager for PerotSystems Japan, an IT company partnering with investment bank UBS Warburg; Peter, a Canadian citizen, distributes NT applications to thousands of investment bankers and support teams at UBS Warburg; Ben is part of Perot Systems Japan's NT systems administration team and is originally from the US.

The three will be training for their September journey and are currently soliciting donations for the Children's Cancer Association of Japan (CCAJ).