Almost There

I arrived in Jerusalem yesterday morning after a pleasant flight on which I (i) ate, (ii) slept, and (iii) met a few fellow Alyn Riders. In truth, it was the first time I was able to relax in a few days because of the insanity going on at work.

Of course, I got home at 4:30 and only got to the airport at 5:15 for a 7 p.m. flight because I was involved in a fire drill at work (that, sadly, will last all through the ride).

I always look forward to registration at Alyn. I get to see the volunteers again and often run into veterans riders whom I haven't seen in a year. This year was no exception. Even better, I ran into Erez, the Israeli leader of the challenge ride who is not only an incredibly strong rider but one of the nicest guys in the world. It isn't easy managing a group of 55 maniacs but Erez does a very skillful job.

This year, the mechanics put my bike together in 12 minutes. Pretty impressive.

I checked out some of the other Challenge Riders' bikes. Some serious equipment (not that my six year old Lightspeed Ti is so bad). And, as Lance says, It's not about the bike! The problem is, that means it's about the rider. Am I supposed to feel good about that?

The rest of my day was spent on a series of calls for work and writing and responding to scores of emails. The best part of the day was a wonderful dinner with my daughter Rebecca at one of my favorite restaurants (enhanced by the fact that we ate outdoors on a glorious evening).

On Saturday night we head out for Mitzpe Ramon and we start on Sunday, a short, but deceptively difficult 51 mile ride with a lot of climbing. In the meantime, I get to spend a lovely Shabbat with with my daughter, son and son in law and three grandchildren, whom I hadn't seen since August.