Japan

It all started back in November of 2016. Before then, I hadn't ridden my bike very much since arriving in Japan in the summer of 2014 (for reference, in 2015 I only logged a little over 600 miles).  I found a million different excuses to not ride; riding by myself was lonely, the summer was too hot, the winter too cold, the rainy season too rainy...I could go on forever.  If I had to pinpoint a single reason as to why I stopped riding, it would have to be the lack of motivation from the lack of cycling friends I have in Iizuka. My life from 2012-2014 consisted only of bikes.  I worked at a bike store, I rode nearly everyday, and almost every conversation I had with friends had something to do with bikes.  It was my life.  Then suddenly, it was all gone.  The motivation I had when I first arrived in Japan quickly ran out.  I wouldn't say my time from 2014-2016 was sad, but I definitely feel like a lot of time had been wasted. Back to November 2016.  My friends from ITB got