Bike ride through beautiful rural scenery, rice paddies, orchards, and forests

Please join an easy approximately 50 km bicycle ride from Tsukuba Station to the northeast on Saturday 18 October. We will ride on mostly paved roads with little traffic, but there will be a few short sections of gravel (unpaved) and roads with traffic. The route has beautiful rural scenery, rice paddies, orchards, forests, and some small hills (maximum 100 m of elevation gain), but no long climbs. Along this route, I have seen peregrine falcons, black kites, tanuki, weasels (hitachi), rabbits, and other wildlife. We will ride at the pace of the slowest participant and nobody will be left behind. There will be a convenience store stop on the way out and a stop at my favorite local fruit stand on the way back.
Meet outside the Tsukuba Sogo Information Center at the south end of the Tsukuba Station plaza next to Saza Coffee at 9:20 for a 9:30 departure. We should be back by mid-afternoon. No signup is required, but you are welcome to email to rickweisburd@gmail.com with any questions. The ride will proceed unless continuous or medium to heavier rain or strong wind is forecast, in which case a postponement notice would be emailed to the TWMC mailing list the evening before.
Because brains are soft and helmets are hard, helmets are strongly encouraged. Bring sunscreen, water, comfortable clothes and a light rain jacket in case of rain. You could bring lunch or buy food along the way. Any bicycles in good working condition with properly inflated tires should be sufficient, but if you prefer a little help, you could rent an ebike: https://ibaraki-rentalcycle.jp/
They have junior (for 135-150 cm height), XS (for 150-165 cm height), and S (for 160-175 cm height. For those taller than 175 cm, before making your reservation contact the Cycling Support Desk [reception@drpedal.jp] by email to request an extra long seatpost for an S size rental. They also have bikes equipped with carriers that are convenient for using pannier bags; if you would like to use a carrier, please contact the Cycling Support Desk by email before making your reservation. The bikes can be reserved up to 30 days in advance and must be reserved at least 3 days in advance; they are often fully booked. I recommend reserving early and renting a hybrid (cross) bike or electric bike.
Reserve for 9:30 am to pick up your bike at the Tsukuba Sogo Information Center (number 2 on the reservation form) at the south end of the Tsukuba Station plaza next to Saza Coffee. If you are renting, then please arrive on 1 June by 9 am to organize your rental pickup, which is when the rental desk opens. There is no difference in price for returns the same day, so best to reserve with a drop off time of 16:00 in case you want to ride more on your own after the group ride finishes.
TWMC charges a 300 yen fee from adult participants (children are free) for day trips, which I will collect. Cycling entails some risk of accidents and injuries for which TWMC and I accept no responsibility.