David informed us that we would be riding along the Yarkon. Many of us assumed it was to TLV and prepared to view the rising Metropolis in the morning sun. We had the pleasure of young Yoav joining us and no less a pleasure at greeting Barbara who has been on leave of injury absence of 7 or so months.
Twenty of us departed and followed a no-sand route devised by Merril who is known as a sand lover!!! Within no time we reached the Yarkon and it was only some twenty minutes into the ride along the "Amazon" in reedy tunnels that people asked me why are we riding to the east. "Search me" (no pun intended)was my obvious answer. The tail rarely knows what the head is doing? So eastwards it was and had been David's intention from the start but some of us wrongly assumed otherwise.
Not so wise! The ride was filled with various minor events in which we parted company at various place. We took wrong turns and backtracked and for unknown reasons we finally regrouped miraculously somewhere on the trail nearing the garbage mountain of Hod Hasharon.
Young Yoav still had his smile and not a complaint was heard from his tiny mouth (Nor from Barabara)!!! even after 35KL's. His relative still climbs trees. A throwback? We had crossed various channels (legs in the air)and muddy spots and our bikes were far from pristine but by then the breakfast spot dominated the discussions so we found ourselves at Aroma HS and to our surprise still no beer so Arik and Haim who needed a quick transfusion set off for wetter pastures. We ended our repast and set off in various groups to our final destinations. HHOOOMMMEEE!!!!!!!!!!!
An average of 42kl's...not bad considering. Considering what?
My conclusion is that sometimes it's better not knowing what you don't want to know. Another biker's quote!!
Some thoughts on naming this ride as we rode.
A ride to remember.
A ride not to remember.
Where are we.
The way we were.
Riding where?
Where are they?
The wrong way.
Follow the leader.
Where's the leader.
Two Jews, five opinions
The world is a circle without a beginning.
The lost Legions.
Quite flows the Yarkon.
Show me the way to go home.
A bridge too far.
Coming thru the Rye (REEDS)
Coming or going.
Easy rider. Hard ride!
The longest day,
We're the F**kuya!!!!!!!!
The lost African tribe
The Natives are restless (time for coffee)
PPOOOPPPSSSEEE
At last an away ride!
After more than two months of waiting for the weather to budge a bit...
it finally did!
It rained, temperatures have dropped a bit and the humidity is relatively down.
Like snails after the rain, 18 of us came out to check the perfect, tight and damp trails.
We met up at the south point of haruvit forest, where we also began our ride.
Just a bit south west from our starting point we had a view of Tel G'at, only one of the biblical references on this ride.
The ride began with quite a long stretch of paved roads that let us gain the illusion that it might be an easy ride...
towards Sdot Micha we hit the off road paths where we enjoyed the nice and bumpy trail with small rocks. After being "shaken, not stirred" we were now like a fine martini all warmed up for a smooth journey down our path... oh but we didn't go down, we went up instead!
Our climbing (not on trees) started off nice and easy with stretches that weren't too steep or long. However they did come one after the other with short straights between them.
It didn't matter which climb or if I asked Ted or Dina if this is the big one, the answer was constantly: "this is just the warm up!"
Sometimes in life there are situations that you just know!
Like passing a kidney stone, when we got to "the climb" you just knew!
I personally asked out loud if I should try and sprint up and when received an answer with a bit of doubt was on my way in high gear to take on the challenge. I did have to drop some gears and it did drain quite a bit of energy but it was fun. From this point the only climbing we did was up stairs, while our bikes rested at the bottom with faithful guards.
While climbing the stairs it was noticeable that almost everyone needed to hold on the banister. Good thing that it was our last climb of the day (for those who didn't follow me afterwards) some of us went up to the view point of Tel Azeka, where we had a view of the entire area and got to see a monument of one of the most famous battles our land has seen.
We were standing where David took down mighty Goliath!
Quotes from of the courageous battle are carved there in stone for all to remember and to be enlightened of this monumental spot!
Our Favourite David had quite an illusion about this battle and to the very high tech advanced tools that David used to defeat Goliath. I don't believe that GPS systems and electric slingshots were around just then so it may have been the late hour, the heat or just David's whimsical side that brought on his idea of the battle. There was also a stone map of the area and it turns out that someone has decided to scratch off Gaza from the map. So thanks to whoever did that it seems we are now freed from the Israeli Palestinian problem since Gaza does no longer exist.
We all enjoyed the stop but it was time to start descending the mountain!
Flying down at approximately 45 km/h on paved roads with a small group behind me. The more cautious riders, or shell we call them the smarter ones who did not follow me and stayed with David, did not have to climb back up a bit to the turn we had missed.
I still think it was totally worth it!
We were back on the off road paths going returning the same way we came. The ride back was fast and smooth all the way back to our cars where Ted and Dina son in law and their grandson were waiting with tea for whoever wanted.
We covered 25 km's and had a great time with no mishaps!
See you next week!
Well, it's been a while since I have been asked to do the report, so here it is. It has seemed like a long, hot summer, so with it cooling off a little bit, John had mercy on us and changed the starting time to 7am! Yippy, another half hour of sleep!
We began at our regular starting spot in Ra'anana with 22 brave souls. It was so nice to have David and Ted back, both the beginning and the end guys, David leading and Ted the sweep. We all headed north on road until a left jog to the drainage creek. We continued a little longer to the north going through one of the tunnels/bridges for the new 531 road before turning toward the west.
Heading up and over road 2 riding past the water park at Shefayim and into Arsuf for a great view overlooking the Mediterranean. Stopping for a few minutes to have a snack, water and conversation before continuing the ride. We rode north going next to Ga'ash golf course before turning back to the east. David had compassion on us and so we made a bee line to Landwer's but not before going up one last hill. The temperature did warm up but the humidity seemed a bit lower.
At the end, we enjoyed breakfast and drinks as always with great company. See you all on the next ride and have a great week. Chag Sameach.
After about 2 months of home patch rides we finally had an away ride!
The weather has finally improved with the humidity down, temperatures down, sand storm has blown away and all our riders are back from their cycling adventures overseas.
20 of us gathered this morning not too far from home as our ride started at the high school in Tel Mond.
A very special guest (I'm biased), new rider, Yoav AKA "The King" joined us for part of the ride... or so we intended.
With a humongous smile all over his face, he greeted everyone who was surprised to see a 9 year old join the group.
Ilan, our graceful leader for the day, led us out of Tel Mond straight into the fields heading towards Tzoran. We turned into Kadima forest to Tzur moshe, where Yoavi was supposed to be fetched. He was up for more and we just couldn't bear to part from him just yet...
We arrived at Ilanot forest and had a quick stop at the maze, where John, Yoav, Ingride and I dared to take on the adventure of finding our way out. We also searched for the cork trees... in Ilanot forest, live two most amazing trees, the type that corks are made out of. Needless to say that they were climbed... next to the different types of trees were barcodes that one could scan with a Smartphone and it would open a YouTube video with the explanation of the tree.
I personally am in awe of that!
We continued from Ilanot forest, the east side, where we crossed under road number 4 to the west side of it and continued to ride around the forest with Netanya in the not so far distance. Back through the forest straight into Kadima and back to Tel Mond. Sadly we didn't stop at biggest rocking horse in the world which is located in Kadima.
At the entrance of Tel Mond, Alon had a brush up with a feisty Bougainvillea, leaving him with a nasty cut on his face. John cleaned him all up and we all arrived in one piece back at the high school parking lot.
The majority of the ride route was "Derech Halev", which is a riding route that surrounds the entire area of Lev Hasharon. John stayed faithful to his normal shenanigans with Ingride and Yochi as his main targets. Yoav was amused of the fact that he was more mature than John... At the end he stayed with us for the whole 24km's and had a great time thanks to all the friendly riders of Cyclenix!
We then had a nice breakfast stop at Aroma at the mall in Bnei Dror where Yvette joined us with her father who is in Israel for a visit.
Well, after a week of sandstorms and talk of cancelling today's ride because of severe air-pollution, the weather changed for the better and 12 of us met at our usual place for our usual Saturday outing on our two wheeled steeds. The was a wee delay at the beginning because Hylton's steed went lame and a tube replacement was needed. In the absence of Ted and David (both incapacitated) Rafi performed very well, and we were soon on our way. It was hot and the route had its fair share of sandy patches. We cut the route short (22 kms) because of the heat and at 9am on the dot 7 of the 12 riders (the others had to head for home because of family commitments) met at our favourite spot, Landwers to satisfy our thirst and hunger and chat about the year the was just coming to an end. We were joined by Anna, just back from the overseas trip she put together for herself and a group of Cyclenix riders. What makes a ride enjoyable is the great company, and this ride was no exception.
Get-well soon wishes go to David and Ted.
Wishing everyone in Cyclenix and their families a very happy New Year. See you next year.
The group of riders who showed up today at 6:30 am was of an unusual composition. Ingride arrived without David, who is recovering from a cycling accident; Ilan arrived without Yvette, who is in Poland with their daughter; and John arrived without his bike to tell us that he had a bad back (and then returned to bed, I hope). Megan was back after a six-month break, accompanied (or rather persuaded) by her friend Sonia who has just emigrated from France. A second newcomer was Meir, who was riding alone because his wife was unwell. Richard then told us that unfortunately his wife, too, had fallen from her bike the week before. So I'd like to to give a warm welcome to Sonia and Meir, and to wish a speedy recovery to all those who are poorly.
There were only ten of us with none of the regular organizers, so Meir, Ilan and Meryl put their heads together and came up with a very nice route. We set off along Weizman Street and turned right into the fields just in front of Kiryat Sharet. We passed the Ra'anana cemetery and then headed north in parallel to (and east of) the Rishpon River. Approaching Route 553 we turned east, riding through Tel Itzhak, and then slowly making our way south again. We then headed towards Route 5511 and continued south past Bnei Zion and Batzra. From there it was back to Ra'anana and coffee.
It was a cordial group despite the heat. Conversation covered a variety of topics, including the influence of chemicals on the brain and the educational benefits of television. We agreed that we are actually a very scientific group and that riding teaches us a lot, especially about gravity.
Meryl found a pouch containing an iPhone and enough money for at least one round of coffee for us all at Landver, but decided to find the rightful owner by calling some of his contacts (at 7am on a Saturday morning). Luckily he returned on his bike before she got the chance, and provided enough information to convince us that the pouch was his. He then received a little lecture from some of us, and will never ever lose his phone again, ever!
There were a few impressive sewage puddles to cross - which we tackled like heroes - and quite a bit of sand. On one of the stops Michal kindly passed around a bag of nuts, raisons, and dried peas that she had prepared, to compensate for the bag that Rafi always brings along (when he is not overseas). She did have some trouble opening this packet of nuts, however, which people seemed to think explained a lot.
We gently made our way back to Ra'anana, with Meir and Avraham heading home a little earlier. I couldn't stop for coffee today, but understand that the group was met by John and Uri, and that a good time was had by all.
To conclude, it was a 22 km ride, shorter than usual but a lot of fun and great exercise.
Michal was supposed to do the write up but when I got her report it read as follows: "We met. We rode. We ate!" so I thought I'd enlarge on it a wee bit!
Eleven of us met at our usual meeting point and considering that a large number of our riders are abroad taking part in a biking happening arranged by Anna this can be considered as a good turnout. Hopefully Anna will arrange to have photos posted from time to time. It was also good to have our regular leader David back with us from a boat/bike Hat Tours cycling trip in France with Ingride. It was also great to have Ingride's tyre back as a target!!!! and Hylton wasn't there to save the day.
We were also back to 32.kms plus as David refused to allow short cuts!!!
There were one or two complaints about not getting away in time so at the request of a nameless one I'm asking everyone to note that our meeting time at the beginning of our rides is 10 MINUTES before the starting time!!!
We eventually made a start 11 minutes late (not a catastrophe) and made our way via the Ra'anana cemetery towards Shefayim, the fields of Yaqum, through Udim and then back again to our favourite breakfast spot "Landwers" where we are always assured of good food and good service.
The route did not present us with any problems; not too many sandy stretches; no serious up-hills; no break-downs or punctures; and weather that only really heated up near the end of the ride. Apart from a few stops to drink, we had one extra stop to allow Michal to engage in one of her favourite pastimes... tree climbing. The aerial photo could have been more exciting, but she refused to jump from a higher point!!!! Michal, you'll have to practice!!!!
A distance of some 32 kms was covered and everything that went to make up the ride like the company, the route, the food ensured that we had a great ride. If you were one of those riding with us, thank you for gracing us with your presence.
This 06:30 thing really has to stop! Can't wait for autumn!
12 of us leaderless riders set off like chickens running around without their heads...
who will lead? Well we dumped the gig on Rafi, who ditched early "because when the wife calls you don't ignore" or at least that's what we were fed... :)
We decided to stick to bike paths and fairly sand less terrain.
On the 531 road toward Herzliya, continuing south within the city...
surprisingly the weather wasn't too bad, at least at the beginning.
After crossing the bridge at cinema city our substitute leader passed over the reign to...
well I don't think an official leader was really appointed at this part but more like a group of united individuals working together in a mutual attempt to make it home safe and sound.
Except for Ted deciding on Tapuz as our breakfast stop! Granted the idea was logical with the route of our ride but there was not one participator who actually would have yay-ed the option if given a chance. But we did not blame Ted for any bad service due to the pattern that the restaurant has well established, we all expected it.
I can't recall Hylton ever getting what he ordered in the past so today was relatively a success when he did get his coffee and mentioned it to be good. The croissant on the other hand was not ordered so we can't complain about it not arriving... we are still waiting to hear when they will have croissants.
I neglected to mention that Yochi and Anna cut away from the group somewhere before Tapuz. I can only guess that they had to hurry home or were trying to beat the heat because there is no other logical reasoning to ditching such a fun bunch for breakfast :)
We all continued to ride back to Raanana through the back roads of Herzliya to avoid the steep climb up to Yerushalayim. John and I stopped for a quick photo op while Ted had a bit of a puncture but all was good.
John definitely misses Ingride! And we can only put at fault her absence to him BSing us about quitting riding with the group come the New Year... actually it's John, so BS is his main game...
We did about 30 km's and survived to tell the story... see ya next week!
The early start and hot weather didn't seem to put off many riders this week.
All together, a head count of 14 was taken and new rider Irit was welcomed.
As our faithful leader David was cycling together with Ingride in France this week, we were well led by Rafi.
We headed northwards out towards the industrial area and turning south up the hill of Weizman and north again towards Kfar Nachman. Here we rode on towards the cemetery and on to the same track taken the week before. A slight detour and the route was varied slightly .We were soon lifting our bikes up a muddy hill and onto a mud packed trail which was broken up from time to time with little hills of mud and more bike carrying. This led us out by some of the massive construction of the 531. While several riders helped Ilan with an airless tire, the trail just ridden was aptly named by Ted as Rafi's trail.
From here we went on over the train tracks of Rishpon, turning left and going southwards we then turned west and entered into Kfar Shmiryahu along a well ridden route. Over the bridge and off on to Nof Yam we turned left and up past SidniAli beach and the mosque there, Down the hill we managed to find a little breeze and from there we were on autopilot on a direct route through Hertzaliya Pituach, heading home again to Raanana and Landwer's where we were the first customers of the day! The breakfast was as good as ever and we were happy to be joined by Megan and Dan ,John's daughter and grandson.
It was a pleasant and uneventful ride with good company as usual. We managed to get in around 23 km of bike riding and successfully avoided the heat of the day.
Local Ride Sat. Oct. 23, 2021
Next ride: Home Patch ride
Start Time: 6:45am
:
Click HERE for details
To All Cyclenix Members May 28, 2019
An Important Message:
All of us are aware of the devastating fires that swept across many areas of Israel over the past week. Amongst the areas damaged or destroyed are are...
CLICK HERE for the whole story
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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.
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