Ride Report - Sat. Sept. 6th, 2014 - The Tzuba Ride -  By Ted

The Tzuba ride is a formidable challenge and with the advancing years it has become for me a chance to prove "I can still do it". The night before is therefore one of convincing myself that all will be well. One major factor in this ride is the weather and throughout the week David and I followed developments and to our good fortune the weather was as good as one can get for early Sept.

So when we 13 riders set off I was thankful that the weather issue was resolved and now it was up to my body. To make things worse David had chosen the southern route for the ascent which is the harder way to climb to Tzuba from the Martyrs' Forest. Add to that the fact that this ride commences immediately with an uphill without a warm-up ride. Having said all that... how did we (me included) fare with the cards stacked up. Brilliant, courageous, piece of cake, difficult, awesome, wow, legs killing me, give me air, will it ever end, just a little rest, walk a little, dodge the oncoming down-hill maniacs, what a view, smell the pines, no giving up, Tzuba in sight, we're at the top. What, no more climbing. Just some comments I heard on the way up reflecting many sentiments associated with the ascent.

And now for the down- hill. The precarious descent from Tzuba to Ein Limor followed by a dip for some in the pool. With some saddles lowered we continued the rapid way home over rocks and stones, humps and gravel shifting, arms shuddering with the bouncing forks, asses in the air at times jolted out of the saddle and with a rush we are back at the cars calling out well deserved superlatives about this ride. Undoubtedly a favourite of many which we will continue to ride (legs willing) in the years to come. David's Navigation continues to prove trustworthy and for details go to the gallery.

Thanks to David for inspiration , leadership and the statistical data. Lastly a mention about the other groups and individual riders one encounters on these rides. We are a community sharing amazing resources for common enjoyment. We need to work together to protect this environment and to respect it with taking it for granted. Various organizations are involved in protecting these resources so find them and support them. Call me if you need further info... Ted 0523520000

Ride Report - Sat. Sept. 6th, 2014 - The Tzuba Ride -  By Stuart Ballan

Oh, it's SO good to be posting about "just" cycling again. Yesterday, in the hills near Jerusalem, at 7:30am, we started with a steep, long 11km climb. By the 3km mark, (Still not knowing I had 8km to go), I was humming one of my favorite Alex Hepburn songs, and with a smile. At 5km, I was singing it out loud with a frown. By 8km, I swore to delete it from my iPhone. At 10km, I just swore. Listen for yourself at ...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5qTeP94rac

Anyway, it was literally all downhill from there ... Some remarkable descents; one so steep that we had to lower the bike seats, to move the centre of gravity backwards (anagram of "don't want to fall over the handlebars onto very rocky surface"). I will remember the longest downhill, over a not too friendly surface, as the first time I (unintentionally) got airborne, and somehow managed to land on 2 wheels and "laugh it off" (gulp). With the sprint for the finishing line (car park!) recording 41kph for a 1km stretch, these 4 hours of cycling in weather that was kinder to us than need be (some clouds, rather than constant, burning sun) will be remembered as "the best fun one can have with clothes on".

Ride Report - Sat. Aug. 30, 2014 - Home Patch Ride Report -  By Frances

Back Offroad

Quite a crowd of us gathered on Saturday morning to venture out once more in the open areas, now that there is no longer the threat of nasty explosive objects dropping from the skies.... We set off and kept up a good pace to try and beat the heat. When I first started cycling (not with the group) I used to complain that I was "wilting" after only about 10 km. Well, I have improved since then, but I have to say, after our approximate 30 km, I was wilting. The heat and humidity - a dog day - took its toll.

So why Dog Day? It refers to the hot summer days of July and August and comes from the Romans who associated hot days with the star, Sirius (considered to be the "dog star"). Sirius is also the brightest star in the night sky and it is said it is a time when "the Sea boiled, the Wine turned sour, Dogs grew mad, and all other creatures became languid"!

Well, luckily for us, we At the end of our relatively fast ride, we enjoyed a welcome stop at Arcaffe. We enjoyed being on the track and under the trees and no longer on the tarred cycle paths. Thanks to David for leading us back!

Ride Report - Sat. Aug 23, 2014 - Home Patch Ride Report -  By John

Whilst Israel's friendly neighbour continues to fire rockets in our direction our weekly rides have been restricted to cycling in urban areas so as to be within easy reach of a shelter.

Despite it all, 18 riders presented themselves at the start and off we went, ably led by David, discovering lots of urban roads that we never knew existed. We also had an opportunity of see the progress of the new 531 highway presently under construction.

Lots of new huge manmade mountains of sand and huge trenches from which the sand had been dug was evidence of just how big this project is (and how many moles must have had to relocate!). Avraham, the adventurous one amongst us, who is always looking for a challenge took some great photos of the consstruction. Here's an extract from Avraham's e-mail under cover of which he sent the photos taken by him...

"After parting with you and some paciflora (passion fruit) picking, I turned back to reach you at Landwer's.
But then I saw these two beautiful artificial mountains (picture 174).
The temptation was too big and I climbed one of them and took pictures of the other one with 2 bikers on top of it..."

Ride Report - Sat. Aug. 16, 2014 - Home Patch Ride Report -  By Rafi

Ride Report - Sat. Aug. 9th 2014 - Home Patch -  By Yvette

With Michal's promise of surprises for Saturday's ride it was no surprise that 17 of us turned up at the meeting point on Shabbat. Birthday packets were passed around by the "birthday girl" with a Cadbury's chocolate, nuts and cranberries. Happy birthday Michal, wishing you a wonderful year of good things, much fun and many cycling adventures! Warm wishes to both Barbara and David for a speedy recovery from their illnesses. Special wishes to Merrill who is having knee surgery shortly. Good luck and hurry back, we all miss you!! Welcome back to Megan, who has been absent for some time. Great to have you back.

We all started out with chocolate assisted energy up Ahuza Street and out onto the familiar path from Raanana Park to the railway lines by Rishpon, being lead by Uzi. Riding into Rishpon and taking a left turn we rode through well known paths through Kfar Shmaryahu, up and over the bridge crossing the coastal road and out into Hertzlia Pituach. The ride continued on, turning right into Nof Yam where we stopped for a view of the sea over the Sydney-Ali beach. Down past the minaret we carried on through Hertzalia Pituach, past the horse topiary bearing right on towards the Sharon Beach. Here we continued riding along the promenade, down to the beach front and into the marina. From here we rode onto the wave breaker where we stopped for pictures and snacks. Then it was back onto the bikes back through Hertzalia Pituach, over a new bridge not crossed before, back into Kfar Shmaryahu and out by the Hertzalia Park for well earned refreshments at Tapuz.

From here it was plain cycling back through Hertzlia, and past the IDC on our way back to Raanana.

All in all, a good urban ride of nearly 29 km's with great company as usual. Ladies, we're having a "girls night" this Thursday, Michal will post the details shortly. Hope to see you all then!

Ride Report - Sat. Aug. 2, 2014 - Home patch ride report -  By Talia

Today there were three of us - Anna, Hylton, and myself. Anna led us on what turned out to be another special city ride, whose route was Ra'anana -> Herzlia -> Ramat Hasharon -> Machane Glilot -> Herzlia -> Ra'anana. We made our way through parks and along cycle lanes, over bridges and across decks, finally stopping for refreshments at the lovely Tapuz coffee shop in Herzlia. It was a gentle and scenic 24 kilometers in cool morning air, but as none of us brought a camera you're just going to have to take our word for it!

Ride Report - Sat. July 26, 2014 - Home Patch Ride Report -  By Talia

I was concerned that nobody would turn up this morning, considering the security situation and the fact that the Cyclenix upper management is overseas for two weeks. But in the end there were seven of us (once Uri had popped home and back to get his bag). Uzi volunteered to navigate, promising to again stay in populated areas where it's safer. I must admit that he did sneak in one cross-country sprint at the beginning, but after that remained true to his word.

The route was a familiar one. Leaving Ra'anana near the park, we headed west across the fields and railway line into Rishpon. From there it was south through Kfar Shmariyahu, and west across Route 2 into Nof Yam. We passed the strangely named Sidney Ali mosque, and continued south through Herzlia Pituach to the beach. We whizzed down the ramp to the promenade (passing Dennis in the wrong direction), through the marina, and along the pier.

We stopped at the pier end long enough for Richard to fix my flat tire and Rafi to take more photos (so thank you both), and for all of us to compare missile-spotting experiences. There was some discussion about what to do if a siren caught us off shore, but Rafi explained that crouching under the solid concrete tide breakers along the sides of the pier would be protection enough.

Leaving the pier, we retraced our tracks back along the beach and up the ramp (our first time, Dennis's second). Then it was east through Herzlia Pituach and across the pedestrian bridge over Route 2. At the foot of the bridge was an elderly gentleman who stopped, stared, and exclaimed "My goodness, you're all as old as I am!"

We continued through the unfamiliar Herzlia Bet neighborhood, past the airport and the IDC College, and onto the Tapuz coffee shop in Herzlia, where four of us stopped for refreshments under the trees. From there it was home.

To summarize, Uzi did a great job. It was a beautiful ride of about 32 kilometers with no sirens, and with enough hills to make it pleasantly challenging. There were people out and about by the beach, but less than usual, which meant fewer obstacles. There was also, at some point, a story about a mosque that needed renovating (Sidney Ali?), but as I missed most of it I'll have to get all the details on the next ride.

Ride Report - Sat. July 19, 2014 - Home Patch "Iron Dome" Ride -  By John and Michal

Due to the situation and the fact the rockets are allowed to fall in open spaces and intercepted only over populated areas, we thought that the smart move would be a nice laid back ride on cycling paths in urban areas.

Some preferred a field ride but wisely, I think, were outvoted and our expert guide David led us from Ra'anana through Herzliya, along cycling paths I never knew existed. Full marks to the Herzliya Municipality which has constructed many such paths.

We cut through the Herzliya park (there seemed to be no lack of people there) and made our way down to the Herzliya Marina and then back home with a stop at Tapuzim (Herzliya) where Michal had her "compulsory" breakfast described by her as "yummy". Tapuzim, is set in a lovely wooded area, their service, food and location are excellent. If one is out for a Saturday morning breakfast it's a place that I can highly recommend.

Anna was the star of the ride, scoring two points... a puncture and a fall!!!!
We had nice, easy ride, with great company, lovely small talk and quite a few rude jokes... and oh yes... there were no Red Alerts! We could have ridden in the fields!

Ride Report - Sat. July 12, 2014 - Elishema - Nachshonim Forest Ride Report -  By David

Participants: A 60/40 split of "Ten Brave Men [and Women] and True" (which included Stuart who, along with his sense of humour, made a welcome re-appearance after some absence) defied the anticipated weather conditions (sharav of up to 36 deg).

Route: The Google Earth image faithfully tracks our route from and back to Elishema - a total distance of 36 km, rounded off with a further1 km to the delightful Lula and Kova coffee shop.

Bottom Line: There is no such thing as a "Perfect Ride", but sometimes one comes close, and today's ride was one of them (from my perspective, anyway). We started the ride on time (7.02am to be exact), maintained a steady pace throughout, had our quota of calory-killing effort on the Nachshonim uphill, took enough (but not many and not lengthy) "ride-management" stops en route, were back at Elishema by a "sharav-beating" time of 10.15, added to which the variety of the route itself, a sand-free track, and above all else great company. Ira Gershwin's lyrics come to mind: "Who Could Ask For Anything More"!!

Ride Report - Sat. July 5, 2014 - Home Patch Ride Report -  By Frances

20 enthusiasts gathered for a perfect day of cycling - low grey clouds blotting out the strong sun and a pleasant breeze to spur us on. Well, the breeze turned into a headwind at times, but still it was welcome...

Gabi lead us on a circular route (with not too much sand) through Rishpon, bnei Tzion, Batzra and to Herzelia. All familiar routes that looked a tad different as we did them "backward". At Herzeliya we headed to the port where four of us chose to return not along the coast, but up through Herzeliya and the park home. Jerry aptly named us the Cyclenix Spinoff.... The rest went to the Herzliya Marina

We covered around 32 km with good company, as always. Shaul, whom we haven't seen in a long time also joined us today and we all wish him a belated 84th BIRTHDAY!!!!

With a few Cyclenix "corrections"...

Oh! I do like to be beside the seaside
I do like to be beside the sea!
I do like to pedal along the Prom, Prom, Prom!
Where the brass bands play:
"Tiddely-om-pom-pom!"
So just let me be beside the seaside
I'll be beside myself with glee
And there's lots of cyclists beside,
I should like to be beside
Beside the seaside!
Beside the sea!