I have to say that helping behind the scenes is always a fun experience!
I am always blown away when I turn to be out the responsible grown up out of the bunch. One would think that that would happen quite often when dealing with John but much unexpected when David is involved.
David succeeded in pranking me and made me believe that he, Ingride, Ted and Dina will be doing a local ride instead. When John heard about this he retaliated with a little prank of his own. Against my personal beliefs he got David to fall in the trap and convinced him that the ride was cancelled. The thought of David excusing himself from a meeting to figure out the last minute plans was quite funny and gave us all a good laugh.
After all the jokes and pranks the ride was on!
25 Cyclenixers pitched up this morning for a different away ride. While most away rides are usually more challenging than the regular home patch, this one was planned to be more leisurely with a stop at the bicycle museum.
Everyone succeeded in arriving without any problems which was surprising since I wrote two left turns that should have been right... another bulletin was sent out to correct my two wongs ;)
First we enjoyed a tour at the bicycle museum.
Alon Wolf, the owner of the museum, explained about the museum, the bikes and the history. I think all were quite fascinated, especially from the fact that he has a huge self built museum, which functions all on donations and it has all been done in a short period of 8 years.
So between all the old bikes in the museum the joke was that Alon might start collecting Cyclenixers...
The heat being our enemy of the day made us all hurry out to our ride for the day.
Led by Alon we rode from the museum in Herev Le'et heading south towards Givat Haim.
We then continued to Elyashiv going to Nahal Alexander to the turtle bridge. We had a nice stop there to enjoy the nature, the turtles coming out to say hello, a few photos and quick noshing on all the salty treats.
We got back on our bikes to start heading back. Through Geulei Teman and back to Herev Le'et. The ride back was shorter and all in all the entire ride was shorter than our usual and than what was expected but I didn’t hear any complaints.
When we got to our cars Yoavi proved to be a true Cyclenixer and asked me: "where are we having breakfast?" gotta love the kid!
Ted suggested that we go to Mishmar Hasharon to eat because there was a meeting of collectable cars and their owners. Almost all of us followed while some went home for other plans.
It was a great idea and we all enjoyed looking at all the cars. There were a lot of ooh's and ahh's! While Yoavi was amazed with the engines being in the rear end of some of the cars it turns out Ingride prefers the engine in the front. I found this amusing since I couldn’t care where the engine is as long as I have one that works! Can't be too picky now.
We continued to have breakfast at "Masada" where the food was nice and the waiters were great however it took too long for some meals to get out. The problem seemed to be that there weren’t enough waiters for the size and capacity of the place.
We didn’t let it bring down the mood though.
We only did about 15 kilometres but our day was full fun exciting activities. The vibe was kind of like a fun day when on holiday. So much to see and do that you get back home happily exhausted.
So now if you actually have read this far go into YouTube type in "Queen - Bicycle Race" (or press on the link) and pump up the volume!
22 of us set off in humid but cloudy conditions towards Hod Hasharon and the Yarkon. We went East instead of towards Tel Aviv. What a treat to ride in the bamboo tunnels shaded from the heat.
We headed towards Elishama and home in order to beat to avoid getting caught gasping and wilted....
Of course, the hot topic.... where to stop for coffee. Soooo overheard:
Ingride: where are we stopping for coffee?
David: oh... don't you know? Everybody is coming to us
Ingride: great (giggle giggle) we have nothing!
Michal: oh yes you do.... a headache!
Needless to say we had a great stop at Cup o' Joe in Kfar Saba. They were rubbing the sleep out their eyes and we were jumping up and down for coffee and grub. Good for them - they perked up and we enjoyed a lovely stop.
By the time we got home, we had covered around 30 km in good company.
So in the spirit of the Beatles:
We beat the sun, we beat the sun
And I say its alright.
BACK IN BUSINESS...GREAT!!!
15 cyclenixers met up for the annual wheels of hope ride.
The ride was supposed to have been two weeks ago but was postponed because of the extremely hot weather.
No one was happier than me about the delay. Just two days before the event I received the okay from my doctor to ride... with a list of don'ts to make sure that my collarbone stays relatively in one piece.
For some, the day started an hour before the ride. For others, before the crack of dawn.
Some tried to sleep while others felt the need to text with some...
We all managed to get there before the starting time and to find one another in the crowd.
It was the same route as last year, first six kilometres on road till we took a right turn into the fields of the amazing valley. We rode past Balfuria, Hayogev and Kfar Baruch each at their own pace but more or less all together.
The ride is not a hard ride but the weather did make it a bit of a challenge. It was hot and humid! The organizers were smart enough to add on extra water stops to be on the safe side.
The scenery though showing more signs of late summer than late spring was as always beautiful! Sunflowers were in full bloom! The fields have already been harvested but there were a couple of hay stacks left for us to climb!
Being a leaderless ride, every so on our riders in the front would stop and wait for a head count and we would all continue. At one stop as we were just about to continue I realized that John was missing. Stuart and I rode back to search for him and found him and Uri trying to fix his chain that was jumping. With no immediate solution he had to continue the ride without using his highest or lowest gear. Luckily for him you didn't really need to change gears on this ride.
We all enjoyed the easy fun ride and the great company. After approximately 33+ kilometres we all continued to Landwers in Afula for breakfast.
Riding the local area can be tedious as we ride almost the same routes but with slight modifications from time to time. We used to call it variations on a theme as in Paganini etc. When David in recent weeks remarked that he would welcome the idea of different riders leading the rides (changing the routes) it indicated a time for change. So what has that to do with Sat's ride?
If you want to stretch a point this was a ride in the spirit of change. Firstly Shaul for a change. came along for a birthday ride in changing from 85 to 86. David reversed previous week's ride in reverse so that's a change. Then we had Haim taking us on a new route to Green beach with a different routes to and from the Breakfast spot on the beachfront resulting in two changes. And to add to the atmosphere or spirit of change many were quite happy to remain under the canopy in easy chairs for the entire day and leave the riding to others. In the spirit of change I had a beer along with Haim…we were in good" spirits" after that!!!! We toasted Shaul over breakfast (burnt to a birthday crisp) and we look forward to his future rides and birthdays with us and may they be numerous!!!!
Where we ride is not so important as John and I agreed. It is the very ride and the company that is important but we actually ride because we are content with the rides and the company so why change?
The June weather was also uncharacteristic (a change from the norm) with a delightful cooling Southerly breeze and low humidity providing perfect visibility. I could even spot David's orange red riding top from my regular position at the rear end (no dirty minds permitted so stop laughing).
We rode almost 40 kls but the weather and the extended breakfast stopover made it feel like20. It did however warm up as we neared Ra'anana but it was bearable?
David and Haim...thanks.
If you have ideas for a ride route or you want to lead the ride simply call David or John. Change is always welcome.
We started at approximately 7.30am
Participants : 10. (it would have been 11, but Uri pitched up just to say he’d already ridden for an hour, and to wish us a good ride!)
Weather Conditions: Hot and getting hotter (in fact, bloody hot!). Probably reached 40deg. No wind (except for the puffing of the riders)
Track conditions: Sandy in parts, but not too sandy!
Distance: From the parking area starting point and back - approximately 20 kms
Accidents: One minor accident when Frances' knee had an unscheduled meeting with the ground resulting in a minor scratch, made to feel far worse after John cleaned it up!
Puncture Stops: None (yayeeeeeeee J)
Breakfast stop: Michal wasn't there so it wasn't a "breakfast stop", just a "snack stop"!!!!
Conclusions: We should have started earlier! Lots of the bike trails are disappearing and being replaced by macadamized roads. Boo hoo L, but that seems to be the price of progress. Despite the bloody hot conditions it was an enjoyable ride and the company (as usual) was great. Here's hoping for slightly cooler weather next week!
16 (or was it 17) of us arrived at the "launching pad" for today's ride. The weather was good, not withstanding the fact the it looked as though we'd be caught in the rain before the end of the ride. In fact, a couple of riders who had come from Hod Hasharon told us that it had been pouring with rain in Hod Hasharon! A short while after we started there were a few drops of rain, but that was it. Except for the wind (I have a hang-up about wind! I don't mind cycling in ANY kind of weather except windy conditions) the weather was great.
The route along which we cycled was a well-worn one that we had often traversed in the past. The ride was without incident except for two bikes that had to have their shock absorber air pressure upped a wee bit and one tyre that need some additional air pressure. It's almost a habit nowadays to finish off our local rides at Landwers and today was no exception. We were joined there by Michal (who will be back riding with us next Saturday after her serious fall a few weeks ago... It'll be good to have her back) and Cyclenix's youngest rider, Yoavi, who brought along some of the medals that he'd won in recent races. The ages of our riders today ranged from nearly 10, to nearly 80! That's quite a range, much wider than, I am sure most other cycling groups can boast! Cyclenix really does cater for everyone. We ended up covering over 35 kilometres of enjoyable cycling in excellent company.
Remember, next Saturday is the Annual "Wheels of Hope" ride where we will be fielding a large delegation
Twelve of us met outside Kibbutz Horshim, at the entrance to the nature reserve. We set off along a rocky road which climbed gently through the forest. The group had covered about five kilometers, when Haim announced that he was feeling queasy. We took a path which closed a circle back to the cars, and waited for Haim to feel better before letting him drive home. David then ushered us off again, before we succumbed to the temptation of sneaking home and back to sleep ourselves.
We continued up an extremely steep hill until we reached two adjacent lookout points at the summit. The view was so spectacular that it made the climb worth the while. One lookout had a placard with the names of the nearby towns, all of which are in the West Bank. Yael said that there had been a fire where we were standing the day before, and signs of it were still visible around us.
We took advantage of a picnic area on the hilltop, for light refreshment and a lively discussion about the events unfolding in the government. Nearby were the remains of an old Arab house, and some small caves. It was then time for some hair-raising downhills followed by an even more hair-raising single, which most of us tackled by foot. Arriving back at the cars, we decided to continue onto one last short single nearby, which was very enjoyable. We then reached the cars for the last time, with some people driving onto By The Way for coffee.
It was an 8-shaped ride of 14 kilometers, but because of the hills we still got an excellent work out. We passed hikers, joggers, picnickers and cyclists, all enjoying the scenery. There were no injuries, although Dina almost had a close encounter with a cactus (luckily managing to veer away).
I was surprised at how vast, beautiful, and totally different this region is, literally fifteen minutes from Ra'anana. It was an amazing ride and I hope we head that way again soon.
It seems that David had the tune "Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream..." floating around in his head as he chose the route for the ride. Mr. Sandman lived up to his name and not the request - so there were no dreams, but TONS of sand.
We were a group of approximately 16 riding off into the early morning heat. I guess there are still people who are undaunted by the elements and the threat of 30+ temperatures in the morning.
Although we rode in the same basic Ga'ash, Sheffayim region where we often ride, the route was quite different with a lot of it being in the opposite direction to the one we usually take. It is interesting, but when you ride the same route in the opposite direction, it seems completely different.
We went past lots and lots of avocado trees with little buds all over beckoning to me.... "Merrill, please wait a few months and we will be ready for you...". I just added that to satisfy all you jealous people who do not know how to climb trees like Megan, Michal and myself.
We made a short stop by the cemetery to wait for Anna, who was running a little late, due to a plastic bottle recycling mishap (at least that is what I think she said) and then continued onward, choosing the sandiest route possible to make sure we would reach maximum pulse rates and learn how to gear down in a split second.
The ride was pleasant, albeit warm, and we landed up in Arcaffe in Ra'anana for refreshments. Here we pulled out our telephones to show all of our cute pictures of our 4 legged children, canine and feline, whilst imbibing of the java nectars.
No great stories - nobody had any collosal falls, there was no mud to make us look funny and there was not even one puncture along the way (even though I was VERY tempted to pull a thorn out of David's tire).
All in all, a nice ride, good company and home before it got REALLY hot!
In the true spirit and culture of the predominantly English mother tongue group of riders, influenced somewhat by over 100 man years of collectively living in Israel, we started pedaling on this 07:30am ride at precisely 07:48.
I have no idea how many riders joined the group; the ride photos will tell in due course. But certainly, this ride will be known as the ride of 3 or 4 groups, not just one. Probably because of the large number of riders, all riding at their own pace, meant that at our most extreme, we seemed to stretch out all the way from Metula to Eilat.
It's not that I wrote 3 or 4 groups because I can't count. It's all a matter of definition. When the group seemed to split in different directions, our great leader, David, was left on his own. My point being, when poor old David was by himself, phoning anyone who would reveal their coordinates, was he, by himself, still a group?
Oh, I suppose I'd better to write a little about cycling, too. It really was a glorious day, with the slightest chill when we started soon being replaced by a wish for that chill. The weather, whilst really warming up, was glorious, and we need to enjoy it before summer arrives.
It's a while since I've ridden with my Cyclenix friends, and one noticeable change, in addition to some new faces (for me), was several new bikes. It seems there have been quite a number of upgrades, with Ilan nearly unrecognizable 3 inches higher, on a black and yellow machine, rather than his 26" red Specialized, and Ted boasting the deal of the year, on a carbon bike so light, a breeze might have turned him 90 degrees.
I clocked up 48km, but I'd also ridden from Herzelia to the normal start point in Ranaana, so I guess the ride itself was about 10km less.
Really varied surfaces, from a little tarmac, to gravel, brief singles, some uphills and great downhills (uphills are never great!), to sand, with the latter always reminding me to have less air in my tyres for the next ride, yet I never actually quite get round to it.
Today, was also the day of the walking wounded. The most dramatic new member of this elite club is Ilan, who whilst "chasing" me down a hill rather fast, misjudged a small roundabout, didn't quite get round, clipped the pavement, and quite worryingly, went flying into the center of the road, at a time I could see a car approaching the roundabout from the other side. This really, really wasn't a good time for him to be motionless. He made 2 seconds seem like an hour, but soon semi recovered to get off the road. By "rather fast", well, Ilan's phone boasted 55kpm, so there's some extra respect for walking away from that mess. (My phone recorded 53kph, but given he fell and hurt himself, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.). I'm sure part of the reason for the fall was Ilan not yet being used to his new bike and 29" wheels. Without wanting to get into the conversation of it seems that size does matter, he seemed very positive that he's got the first fall out of the way, and this afternoon will probably read the new bike's manual about why and how to use the brakes and when and how to turn the handlebars.
One incident itself wasn't enough to label the ride the day of the walking wounded. It needed arrival at Landver, Ranaana, to meet up with John (big plaster on his head; I didn't ask), and Michal (broken collar bone, "operation or no operation, that is the question").
As to where we actually rode, dunno, but see the provided map! I was just following our great leader. Talking of which, when I happened to start to lead (or more precisely, overtook our leader, and continued cycling aimlessly), that's when the problems started, in that soon we found ourselves split up into 3 or 4 groups.
Merrill and a few more of the ladies were noticeable by their absence, today, apparently as a result of being tired from a great ride yesterday, in aid of cancer. Still, riding through the orchards Merrill normally raids just wasn't the same without her, and several of us took a minute or so to discuss if the trees were empty of avocados today because they were out of season, or because Merrill got up early this morning. (I might join the walking wounded group as a result of this comment !)
A few people either left during the ride, or are still out there somewhere. Anyway, the table at Landver wouldn't have been big enough for too many more, so either way, worked out very well in the end.
To finish on a rare note of seriousness, we shared 4 hours of riding, talking, laughing and trying to put Ilan back together again. A really enjoyable morning, and see you all soon!
Participants: 13 which included Eddie (a pleasant surprise after a long absence), and Joseph (a welcome "now and again" rider with the Group). Good to see you both. Also a big welcome to 2 squeaky clean and shiny newcomers to Cyclenix - Ted's Giant and Ilan's Bergamont. Great bikes and their performance today often under somewhat testing conditions served only to reinforce the wise choices of their owners!
Route: A slight variation of the route we did just over a year ago. Unfortunately my Google Earth and Amud Anan maps don't show all possible obstacles so in plotting the changes I didn't bargain for our having to crawl through and/or under gates!! Thanks Joseph for your input on the route.
Click HERE to see the GPS data.
Weather: Pleasantly warm and sunny, getting warmer as the ride progressed, but hardly an issue thanks to a low humidity factor.
Bottom Line: A ride in the Horshan area is always enjoyable with some challenges on the way, just enough to remind us why we ride off-road, and on mountain bikes!!! Great company (Cyclenix's greatest asset!) and happily no human or mechanical breakdowns. Most of us stopped off after the ride to refuel at Landwer Binyamina.
Post Script: Today's ride was suggested to me by Michal (was it in anticipation of so many trees to climb??!!). Unfortunately a nasty biking accident a few days earlier put her out of action.
Michal, we wish you a speedy (figuratively speaking of course) and full recovery, back on your bikes, and not the least writing our reports!!
To All Cyclenix Members Friday April 13, 2018
An Important Message:
To all Cyclenix members
Throughout the years that Cyclenix has been riding together, the group has always been organized by the same members. W...
CLICK HERE for the whole story
     |
Over time was involved in a variety of sports :
The Cyclenix Group My Away-Away biking history:
My bikes history:
My Happy hobby: |
If you have any questions or want to get in touch for any reason, feel free to get in touch with David or John:
Email: jcandy@inter.net.il
David: 054-474-1424
John: 050-942-2788
New riders always welcome to join us.
Missing our newsletter?
Kindly notify CYCLENIX if you have changed your e-mail details
