Monday, November 22, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Epilogue
Now that I'm back, I had time to jot down a few final thoughts and memories about my recent ride for Alyn Hospital.
It's a daunting thought that I was among the more normal people on the challenge ride. But being around a bunch of "unsual" people for five days was one of its charms.
A few examples:
Two guys paid extra so that they could room alone. Reason: so that they could bring their bikes into their rooms at night.
A 65 year old rider from Finland had done 39 century rides through Europe this summer before joining us on the ride.
One rider, from Bet Shemesh, rides 3 hours or more every day, six days a week. His only day of rest, appropriately, is the Sabbath.
But the best example of lunacy happened on Tuesday's climb of Maale Akrabim. Since I am relatively slow and was not confident of my ability to actually get to the top, I purposely started last (I ended up passing quite a few riders and a number of others ditched in the middle). I had mashed my way up about 2/3 of the hill when a rider from Chicago, came bombing down. He was yelling something as he passed me but I couldn't quite make it out. When I triumphantly made it to the top I found out that he had challenged some of the other riders that he would go down and up Maale Akrabim again if they would collectively contribute an extra $1000 to Alyn. Of course they took the bait. And, of course, he made it back up (not before me; that would have been incredibly humiliating).
All in all, I was very happy with both the ride and my riding. I struggled mightily the first day (for reasons that I still don't fully understand) but I did better the rest of the way. (In contrast, a number of riders blew themselves up the first day trying to follow the pace of the alpha dogs and struggled the rest of the way). I made it up every hill without having to stop or get off my bike. There are definately a couple of things I need to work on for next year (more weight work and more intense interval training) but, all-in-all, I'm pretty happy about how I rode.
The final adjusted stats: 26 hours on the bike, 345 miles, over 18,000 feet of climbing and about 13,000 calories burned. My average heart rate was 149.
The two highlights of my ride were, first, finally climbing Maale Akrabim, the steepest, most technical and most difficult climb I've ever done. It was exhilirating to make it to the top, especially since, the night before, exhausted by our 85 mile ride, I thought I had no chance. The second highlight was riding two days with Zev. What a great experience!
But, at the end of the day, the thought that sticks with me is how blessed Sara and I have been to have raised four healthy children and now to have the opportunity to raise a fifth. Seeing the profound, almost indescribable, challenges faced by the children of Alyn really brings that home. And seeing the unbelievable dedication of the professionals and staffers of Alyn makes me proud to be associated with such an amazing place.
I would be lying to say that I ride for the kids of Alyn. That's simply not the case. I ride because I love to ride, Israel is an amazing place to ride and we've had one or more of our kids living or studying there for most of the past ten years. But knowing that, with your help, my riding has raised about $140,000 over six years, makes every pedal stroke and every groan well worth it.
It's a daunting thought that I was among the more normal people on the challenge ride. But being around a bunch of "unsual" people for five days was one of its charms.
A few examples:
Two guys paid extra so that they could room alone. Reason: so that they could bring their bikes into their rooms at night.
A 65 year old rider from Finland had done 39 century rides through Europe this summer before joining us on the ride.
One rider, from Bet Shemesh, rides 3 hours or more every day, six days a week. His only day of rest, appropriately, is the Sabbath.
But the best example of lunacy happened on Tuesday's climb of Maale Akrabim. Since I am relatively slow and was not confident of my ability to actually get to the top, I purposely started last (I ended up passing quite a few riders and a number of others ditched in the middle). I had mashed my way up about 2/3 of the hill when a rider from Chicago, came bombing down. He was yelling something as he passed me but I couldn't quite make it out. When I triumphantly made it to the top I found out that he had challenged some of the other riders that he would go down and up Maale Akrabim again if they would collectively contribute an extra $1000 to Alyn. Of course they took the bait. And, of course, he made it back up (not before me; that would have been incredibly humiliating).
All in all, I was very happy with both the ride and my riding. I struggled mightily the first day (for reasons that I still don't fully understand) but I did better the rest of the way. (In contrast, a number of riders blew themselves up the first day trying to follow the pace of the alpha dogs and struggled the rest of the way). I made it up every hill without having to stop or get off my bike. There are definately a couple of things I need to work on for next year (more weight work and more intense interval training) but, all-in-all, I'm pretty happy about how I rode.
The final adjusted stats: 26 hours on the bike, 345 miles, over 18,000 feet of climbing and about 13,000 calories burned. My average heart rate was 149.
The two highlights of my ride were, first, finally climbing Maale Akrabim, the steepest, most technical and most difficult climb I've ever done. It was exhilirating to make it to the top, especially since, the night before, exhausted by our 85 mile ride, I thought I had no chance. The second highlight was riding two days with Zev. What a great experience!
But, at the end of the day, the thought that sticks with me is how blessed Sara and I have been to have raised four healthy children and now to have the opportunity to raise a fifth. Seeing the profound, almost indescribable, challenges faced by the children of Alyn really brings that home. And seeing the unbelievable dedication of the professionals and staffers of Alyn makes me proud to be associated with such an amazing place.
I would be lying to say that I ride for the kids of Alyn. That's simply not the case. I ride because I love to ride, Israel is an amazing place to ride and we've had one or more of our kids living or studying there for most of the past ten years. But knowing that, with your help, my riding has raised about $140,000 over six years, makes every pedal stroke and every groan well worth it.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Day 5: Lemonade From Lemons
Today was one of those days where many things did not work out as planned, partly because of faulty planning, partly because of human error but mainly because the One Above had a different plan.
Nevertheless, Zev and I had another fantastic day of riding. Not only that, but our "escape" from the always chaotic scene at hospital after the ride could not have worked out better.
Let's start with the main story, the weather. It was over 98 degrees and some of the riders' computers were registering temps as high as 103! I'll get back to that later.
Second, the City of Ashkelon police. For whatever reason, after diappearing on our way in on Wednesday night, they made us regroup many times on our way out so our exit took a while.
Third, faulty planning by the "Vaad", the organization that runs the ride. In conjunction with the five day ride, they also insist on running a one day ride called "Galgalyn". (A play on words that combines the Hebrew word for "wheel" with "Alyn"). This ride is integrated with ours and, besides making the logistics much more difficult, drives the Jerusalem police crazy. (Worst of all, it raises virtually no money for Alyn. Don't ask).
Despite all that Zev and I put in 52 hard but fun miles and climbed over 3000 feet.
Here's how:
Zev and I went to bed at 9:15 last night after ditching the after-dinner party. We had experienced a brutal day of riding and were scheduled to get up at 4:30 a.m. Today. Not being party animals, we figured sleep trumped rock and roll.
We'd been told that today's ride had been abbreviated by the Jerusalem police but would still entail 60 miles and about 5000 feet of climbing. The highlight was to be the ascent of a killer 7k climb of Nes Harim, a hill only slightly less daunting than Tuesday's Maale Akrabim.
Starting from the west coast at sea level and ending in Jerusalem meant that virtually the entire ride would be uphill. The challenge riders led the way and, once out of town, set a fast but manageable pace for 24 miles until the first rest stop at Bet Guvrin, where we met up with some of the one day riders.
While the heat was already intensw during that first segment (at times I felt as though a hair blower was aimed at my face), as long as rode it was tolerable. I was drinking litres of water and pouring water over my head. (Of course the water over the head thing was not too effective since you could almost have brewed tea from the the water in our bottles). We were also religiously going through our electrolyte pills and nutrition supplements. Drinking water alone on a day like today can actually be dangerous.
After a short break it was 24 miles from Bet Guvrin to the bottom of Nes Harim. This stretch of road was almost "off road". We were riding on narrow one-lane farm roads in wine country. At one point the road narrowed and sloped downhill (a treat on a day we started at sea level and were mainly climbing). Unfortunately, that lovely 2 mile stretch turned out to be an inexcusable mistake (a sign posted by the organizers pointed left when it should have pointed right. After a long delay, we had to circle back, this time uphill (it was so hot that a couple of tire tubes popped on the asphalt during the wait).
After a few more miles we stopped at a rest stop. We had been hearing whispers that the day's ride would be terminated early because of the heat and the rumours were now confirmed. The organizers rightly decided that it was too hot to allow riders to ascend Nes Harim and decided to stop the riding after 45 miles and bus everyone to the top for lunch and then to Alyn for the final ceremony. (This was a no-brainer; I've done Nes Harim a dozen times and even the best riders would have been endangered in this heat after almost five days and over 300 gruelling miles. At mid-day there is literally no shade for at least two miles of Nes Harim and one is totally exposed to the sun (Just where the gradients exceed 12 to 15 percent)).
The group, tired and hot and disappointed, took the decision in stride. Everyone knew it was the only choice and many weren't too keen about getting back on their bikes anyway.
Here's where plan B kicked in. Although neither Zev nor I knew exactly where we were (because we were on an unmarked farm road), we sensed that we were close to Zev's house in Ramat Bet Shemesh (the Heights of the house of the Sun). We found out it was indeed only 10k away (albeit all uphill).
Our choice was either bus up to Nes Harim for a lunch in our wet and dirty kits in 100 degree weather followed by a bus trip to the hospital ceremony in our wet and dirty kits in 100 degree weather or ride 6 miles to Zev's air conditioned house, shower and change and drive to the hospital in an air conditioned car
Duh.
Zev and I loaded up with water and cranked our way home at a very strong pace given the heat and the gradient. All told, we had pounded out 52 miles and over 3000 feet for the day, most of which I spent riding with Zev.
What a great and fortuitous finish to an awesome week of riding. (While not doing Nes Harim was disappointing to many riders, we didn't care. I do it almost every time I visit Zev and Zev does it almost every week).
After hanging out at Zev's house (where my one-year old grandson Daniel was starting at me in my spandex outfit and riding sunglasses the whole time, we drove to the always inspiring ceremony at the hospital (ironically taking the road to Ramat Raziel, an even harder climb than Nes Harim), I got my bike boxed in 6 minutes and picked up my bags, said my farewells and made it to dinner with Rebecca by 6 p.m.
Nevertheless, Zev and I had another fantastic day of riding. Not only that, but our "escape" from the always chaotic scene at hospital after the ride could not have worked out better.
Let's start with the main story, the weather. It was over 98 degrees and some of the riders' computers were registering temps as high as 103! I'll get back to that later.
Second, the City of Ashkelon police. For whatever reason, after diappearing on our way in on Wednesday night, they made us regroup many times on our way out so our exit took a while.
Third, faulty planning by the "Vaad", the organization that runs the ride. In conjunction with the five day ride, they also insist on running a one day ride called "Galgalyn". (A play on words that combines the Hebrew word for "wheel" with "Alyn"). This ride is integrated with ours and, besides making the logistics much more difficult, drives the Jerusalem police crazy. (Worst of all, it raises virtually no money for Alyn. Don't ask).
Despite all that Zev and I put in 52 hard but fun miles and climbed over 3000 feet.
Here's how:
Zev and I went to bed at 9:15 last night after ditching the after-dinner party. We had experienced a brutal day of riding and were scheduled to get up at 4:30 a.m. Today. Not being party animals, we figured sleep trumped rock and roll.
We'd been told that today's ride had been abbreviated by the Jerusalem police but would still entail 60 miles and about 5000 feet of climbing. The highlight was to be the ascent of a killer 7k climb of Nes Harim, a hill only slightly less daunting than Tuesday's Maale Akrabim.
Starting from the west coast at sea level and ending in Jerusalem meant that virtually the entire ride would be uphill. The challenge riders led the way and, once out of town, set a fast but manageable pace for 24 miles until the first rest stop at Bet Guvrin, where we met up with some of the one day riders.
While the heat was already intensw during that first segment (at times I felt as though a hair blower was aimed at my face), as long as rode it was tolerable. I was drinking litres of water and pouring water over my head. (Of course the water over the head thing was not too effective since you could almost have brewed tea from the the water in our bottles). We were also religiously going through our electrolyte pills and nutrition supplements. Drinking water alone on a day like today can actually be dangerous.
After a short break it was 24 miles from Bet Guvrin to the bottom of Nes Harim. This stretch of road was almost "off road". We were riding on narrow one-lane farm roads in wine country. At one point the road narrowed and sloped downhill (a treat on a day we started at sea level and were mainly climbing). Unfortunately, that lovely 2 mile stretch turned out to be an inexcusable mistake (a sign posted by the organizers pointed left when it should have pointed right. After a long delay, we had to circle back, this time uphill (it was so hot that a couple of tire tubes popped on the asphalt during the wait).
After a few more miles we stopped at a rest stop. We had been hearing whispers that the day's ride would be terminated early because of the heat and the rumours were now confirmed. The organizers rightly decided that it was too hot to allow riders to ascend Nes Harim and decided to stop the riding after 45 miles and bus everyone to the top for lunch and then to Alyn for the final ceremony. (This was a no-brainer; I've done Nes Harim a dozen times and even the best riders would have been endangered in this heat after almost five days and over 300 gruelling miles. At mid-day there is literally no shade for at least two miles of Nes Harim and one is totally exposed to the sun (Just where the gradients exceed 12 to 15 percent)).
The group, tired and hot and disappointed, took the decision in stride. Everyone knew it was the only choice and many weren't too keen about getting back on their bikes anyway.
Here's where plan B kicked in. Although neither Zev nor I knew exactly where we were (because we were on an unmarked farm road), we sensed that we were close to Zev's house in Ramat Bet Shemesh (the Heights of the house of the Sun). We found out it was indeed only 10k away (albeit all uphill).
Our choice was either bus up to Nes Harim for a lunch in our wet and dirty kits in 100 degree weather followed by a bus trip to the hospital ceremony in our wet and dirty kits in 100 degree weather or ride 6 miles to Zev's air conditioned house, shower and change and drive to the hospital in an air conditioned car
Duh.
Zev and I loaded up with water and cranked our way home at a very strong pace given the heat and the gradient. All told, we had pounded out 52 miles and over 3000 feet for the day, most of which I spent riding with Zev.
What a great and fortuitous finish to an awesome week of riding. (While not doing Nes Harim was disappointing to many riders, we didn't care. I do it almost every time I visit Zev and Zev does it almost every week).
After hanging out at Zev's house (where my one-year old grandson Daniel was starting at me in my spandex outfit and riding sunglasses the whole time, we drove to the always inspiring ceremony at the hospital (ironically taking the road to Ramat Raziel, an even harder climb than Nes Harim), I got my bike boxed in 6 minutes and picked up my bags, said my farewells and made it to dinner with Rebecca by 6 p.m.
Day 4: Keeping Pace
Day 4's ride was 86.3 miles from Dimona to Ashkelon. With only 1750 feet of climbing and much downhill riding, the pace was blistering. (So was the temperature). Indeed, we reached our lunch stop, at 62 miles, a half hour earlier than scheduled. (Zev, who joined me today, rode with the alpha dogs for the first 22 miles, and averaged more than 22 mph despite navigating two nasty climbs).
Either I got stronger or other riders were getting tired but, today, I was able to spend most of the day in pacelines, even taking turns pulling at the front. Some of the pacelines picked up as many as ten riders and a few lasted for over ten miles at a stretch. It's a special treat for me to ride this way since I generally ride alone and rarely get to team up with others. And, besides the fun of working together (and the increased speed) it is also so much easier to ride protected from the wind.
I even had a chance to ride for a while in a line with Erez, the group leader, who is a beast on the bike and one of the most skillful leaders I've ever met.
As usual, we passed some lovely terrain but one of the highlights for me was getting closer to civilization. It's hard to describe how in the middle of nowhere we've been the past few days.
Most importantly about reaching civilization, it meant that lunch was served at a place with a kiosk so I was able to buy a Coke, something I'd been dreaming of for three and a half days. After drinking warm bottled water for three and a half days, an iced cold Coke was the Real Thing.
Much of the ride was spent in farm land and at one point, a farmer was plowing up a duststorm as we were passing. We were almost totally blinded for a few seconds The ride into the sea side town of Ashkelon was was very chaotic. The police were nowhere to be seen and we were left to our own devices, weaving in and out of traffic. In general, the organization and logistics of this ride were worse than in past years, but more about that another time.
It was good to finally arrive and meet up with many of my friends from the other rides whom I hadn't seen since Sunday.
It was also great to ride and spend some time with Zev. We pounded dinner (and I had a beer for the fourth straight night; my usual annual allotment) and went to bed early. Four thirty a.m. wake up call for the climb to Jerusalem. Weather prediction: 100 degrees.
Either I got stronger or other riders were getting tired but, today, I was able to spend most of the day in pacelines, even taking turns pulling at the front. Some of the pacelines picked up as many as ten riders and a few lasted for over ten miles at a stretch. It's a special treat for me to ride this way since I generally ride alone and rarely get to team up with others. And, besides the fun of working together (and the increased speed) it is also so much easier to ride protected from the wind.
I even had a chance to ride for a while in a line with Erez, the group leader, who is a beast on the bike and one of the most skillful leaders I've ever met.
As usual, we passed some lovely terrain but one of the highlights for me was getting closer to civilization. It's hard to describe how in the middle of nowhere we've been the past few days.
Most importantly about reaching civilization, it meant that lunch was served at a place with a kiosk so I was able to buy a Coke, something I'd been dreaming of for three and a half days. After drinking warm bottled water for three and a half days, an iced cold Coke was the Real Thing.
Much of the ride was spent in farm land and at one point, a farmer was plowing up a duststorm as we were passing. We were almost totally blinded for a few seconds The ride into the sea side town of Ashkelon was was very chaotic. The police were nowhere to be seen and we were left to our own devices, weaving in and out of traffic. In general, the organization and logistics of this ride were worse than in past years, but more about that another time.
It was good to finally arrive and meet up with many of my friends from the other rides whom I hadn't seen since Sunday.
It was also great to ride and spend some time with Zev. We pounded dinner (and I had a beer for the fourth straight night; my usual annual allotment) and went to bed early. Four thirty a.m. wake up call for the climb to Jerusalem. Weather prediction: 100 degrees.
Day Three: The Scorpion
Today was the best day of riding I've ever had.
Beautiful weather, spectacular scenery and some of the most challenging riding you can do.
Weighing on everyone's mind was Maale Akrabim (the Ascent of the Scorpion), a 5 mile climb with an average grade of 13% with some spots as high as 20%. But before we got there we knocked out 40 intense miles.
Compounding things, we climbed over 2000 feet before reaching Maale Akrabim. We started with an intense 5 mile climb over which we gained 1000 feet. We then hammered the next fifteen rolling flat miles and, thankfully, I was able this time to stick with a group. It made a huge difference to be able to work with a paceline.
We rested at Yerucham and then set out for Maale Akrabim. The way to that challenge was through an amazing descent into Machtesh Gadol (the Big Crater). The view was breathtaking but you had to ride very carefully because the gradient was serious and the speed high.
(Although we've been experiencing wonderful mid-80s weather, the temperature in the Machtesh and climbing Maale Akrabim was near 100).
After the descent into the Machtesh, we climbed another 1000 feet to the lip of Maale Akrabim and began the insane descent. You had to be careful on many fronts. Given 32 sharp switchback turns on a crazy grade on a gravelly, pot-holed road, you had to keep your speed under control. At the same time, you had to keep from squeezing the brakes too much for fear of generating too much heat and blowing a tube. (And, you had to make sure not to mezmorized by the incredible view, lest you end up being "off road").
I made it down and then turned right around. This is without question the most difficult ride I've done and I was thrilled to make it to the top after one previous attempt where I had to walk part way and another in which I pulled out.
Another ten miles in the wind an we reached our hotel in Dimona.
What a day!
Stats: 68 miles, six hours, 4550 feet of climbing, 3030 calories, average heart rate of 149.
Tomorrow a relatively flat 85 miles to Ashkelon, in all likelihood into a stiff headwind.
Beautiful weather, spectacular scenery and some of the most challenging riding you can do.
Weighing on everyone's mind was Maale Akrabim (the Ascent of the Scorpion), a 5 mile climb with an average grade of 13% with some spots as high as 20%. But before we got there we knocked out 40 intense miles.
Compounding things, we climbed over 2000 feet before reaching Maale Akrabim. We started with an intense 5 mile climb over which we gained 1000 feet. We then hammered the next fifteen rolling flat miles and, thankfully, I was able this time to stick with a group. It made a huge difference to be able to work with a paceline.
We rested at Yerucham and then set out for Maale Akrabim. The way to that challenge was through an amazing descent into Machtesh Gadol (the Big Crater). The view was breathtaking but you had to ride very carefully because the gradient was serious and the speed high.
(Although we've been experiencing wonderful mid-80s weather, the temperature in the Machtesh and climbing Maale Akrabim was near 100).
After the descent into the Machtesh, we climbed another 1000 feet to the lip of Maale Akrabim and began the insane descent. You had to be careful on many fronts. Given 32 sharp switchback turns on a crazy grade on a gravelly, pot-holed road, you had to keep your speed under control. At the same time, you had to keep from squeezing the brakes too much for fear of generating too much heat and blowing a tube. (And, you had to make sure not to mezmorized by the incredible view, lest you end up being "off road").
I made it down and then turned right around. This is without question the most difficult ride I've done and I was thrilled to make it to the top after one previous attempt where I had to walk part way and another in which I pulled out.
Another ten miles in the wind an we reached our hotel in Dimona.
What a day!
Stats: 68 miles, six hours, 4550 feet of climbing, 3030 calories, average heart rate of 149.
Tomorrow a relatively flat 85 miles to Ashkelon, in all likelihood into a stiff headwind.
Day 2: Without the Wind, It Would Have Been a Breeze
The wind, more than the hills, was todays greatest challenge (the distance was nothing to sneeze at).
Today's route was the very same one we did on the first day of my first ride I'm 2004 with another 25 thrown in for good measure.
We went north from Mitzpeh Ramon towards Har Harif, at over 3000 feet, the highest point in the Negev. What was cool was we went along a restricted army road literally on the Egyptian border. The Egyptian Border guards happily waved to us and we waved back. The uncool part was that the roads were pretty poor (relative to what we've been used to). The army vehicles that pass through tend to bring up dust and gravel. Unfortunately, this had severe consequences, a bad accident on a steep descent involving one of our riders (ok but broke her pelvis) and, less significantly, 19 flat tires!
There were many rolling hills and lots of wind. And that was before Nitzana.
Nitzana was at mile 60. We went another 25 miles in the howling wind to Masube Sade. I was out on my own most of the time, although I felt much stronger than Sunday. I was again in the very back but in contact. (At one point a few Israeli kids were yelling at me from the road: Aharon! Acharon! (Last! "Last!) I screamed back in my best Hebrew, someone has to be last!).
A few people bonked in the wind during the last stretch and did not finish. I was sore all over and incredibly tired at the end.
Totals: 3300 calories, 85 miles, 3500 feet of climbing.
Today's route was the very same one we did on the first day of my first ride I'm 2004 with another 25 thrown in for good measure.
We went north from Mitzpeh Ramon towards Har Harif, at over 3000 feet, the highest point in the Negev. What was cool was we went along a restricted army road literally on the Egyptian border. The Egyptian Border guards happily waved to us and we waved back. The uncool part was that the roads were pretty poor (relative to what we've been used to). The army vehicles that pass through tend to bring up dust and gravel. Unfortunately, this had severe consequences, a bad accident on a steep descent involving one of our riders (ok but broke her pelvis) and, less significantly, 19 flat tires!
There were many rolling hills and lots of wind. And that was before Nitzana.
Nitzana was at mile 60. We went another 25 miles in the howling wind to Masube Sade. I was out on my own most of the time, although I felt much stronger than Sunday. I was again in the very back but in contact. (At one point a few Israeli kids were yelling at me from the road: Aharon! Acharon! (Last! "Last!) I screamed back in my best Hebrew, someone has to be last!).
A few people bonked in the wind during the last stretch and did not finish. I was sore all over and incredibly tired at the end.
Totals: 3300 calories, 85 miles, 3500 feet of climbing.
Day One: The Fried Piker
We arrived at the hotel last night at around 10:30. It was quite a "balaganl (it was chaotic). There was no direction and no one seemed to know what the next day's schedule was. I take back all those nice things I said yesterday.
The Alyn group was staying at two hotels. One was much dumpier than the other (although even the nice one would not be confused with the Waldorf). In a very sweet move, I had privately arranged for a room is the less dumpy place even though the Challenge Riders were staying at the dumpier one. (Last night was not part of the registration package. You had to pay separately. Interestingly, I paid less than the riders who booked rooms through the hospital).
We ate breakfast at 7:15 and left for the tedious opening ceremony. It may be inspiring to some but when you hear the same thing 6 times and are itching to ride, it's tedious.
Unfortunately, the ceremony didn't start until after ten so we baked in the morning sun for two hours. Many riders had come from numerous cities by bus and arrived way late. Boy, who could have imagined that busses would get caught in rush our traffic (Sunday is a work day).
When we finally left, it was as if the alpha dogs on the Challenge Ride let out all their frustration at once.
The first few miles were relatively flat but the pace was blistering. My heart rate was well into the 170s and sometimes topped 180. I was hanging on, but just barely. The first part also had some 4 to 5% grade rolling hills for good measure but mostly we were descending. But the wind was impossible, seemingly coming from all directions so that even modest descents didn't do much good.
We stopped for lunch after 25 miles. My legs, as they often do on the first day of the ride, were borderline cramping. I stretched out during lunch and had two delicious bowls of vegetable soup.
From lunch we circled back, south towards Mitzpeh Ramon in a gradual but relentless climb. This route was more direct and we reached the Machtech Ramon (Ramon Crater) Overlook at about mile 41. What an awesome sight!
After a brief rest, the fun part came. Followed by the not fun part. A 7 mile descent into the crater on fairly rounded curves made for a relatively safe descent at serious speeds.
We then turned around an went back up the may we came.
My quads and hammies were hollering! I managed not to cramp (although I came close) and made it up, actually passing three riders. To add insult to injury, the last two miles had grades of 8 to 10%. Manageable under normal circumstances but just plain cruel after 50 miles.
I was pleased to finally make it up the crater and end the day. Stats: 4 hours, 55.55 miles, 3353 feet ascended, 2421 calories burned, average heart rate a ridiculous 162 bpm.
I have been saying for a while that I am a piker and today bore that out. I struggled to hang on to the back and spent most of the day isolated and in the wind. But I never had to stop, I never lost contact with the group and I never was threatened by the SAG van.
(The regular road riders had a mich less fun day; they only road 36 miles and the better riders waited for long periods of time. That's why I do the callenge).
Tomorrow: 83 miles and 4500 feet.
The Alyn group was staying at two hotels. One was much dumpier than the other (although even the nice one would not be confused with the Waldorf). In a very sweet move, I had privately arranged for a room is the less dumpy place even though the Challenge Riders were staying at the dumpier one. (Last night was not part of the registration package. You had to pay separately. Interestingly, I paid less than the riders who booked rooms through the hospital).
We ate breakfast at 7:15 and left for the tedious opening ceremony. It may be inspiring to some but when you hear the same thing 6 times and are itching to ride, it's tedious.
Unfortunately, the ceremony didn't start until after ten so we baked in the morning sun for two hours. Many riders had come from numerous cities by bus and arrived way late. Boy, who could have imagined that busses would get caught in rush our traffic (Sunday is a work day).
When we finally left, it was as if the alpha dogs on the Challenge Ride let out all their frustration at once.
The first few miles were relatively flat but the pace was blistering. My heart rate was well into the 170s and sometimes topped 180. I was hanging on, but just barely. The first part also had some 4 to 5% grade rolling hills for good measure but mostly we were descending. But the wind was impossible, seemingly coming from all directions so that even modest descents didn't do much good.
We stopped for lunch after 25 miles. My legs, as they often do on the first day of the ride, were borderline cramping. I stretched out during lunch and had two delicious bowls of vegetable soup.
From lunch we circled back, south towards Mitzpeh Ramon in a gradual but relentless climb. This route was more direct and we reached the Machtech Ramon (Ramon Crater) Overlook at about mile 41. What an awesome sight!
After a brief rest, the fun part came. Followed by the not fun part. A 7 mile descent into the crater on fairly rounded curves made for a relatively safe descent at serious speeds.
We then turned around an went back up the may we came.
My quads and hammies were hollering! I managed not to cramp (although I came close) and made it up, actually passing three riders. To add insult to injury, the last two miles had grades of 8 to 10%. Manageable under normal circumstances but just plain cruel after 50 miles.
I was pleased to finally make it up the crater and end the day. Stats: 4 hours, 55.55 miles, 3353 feet ascended, 2421 calories burned, average heart rate a ridiculous 162 bpm.
I have been saying for a while that I am a piker and today bore that out. I struggled to hang on to the back and spent most of the day isolated and in the wind. But I never had to stop, I never lost contact with the group and I never was threatened by the SAG van.
(The regular road riders had a mich less fun day; they only road 36 miles and the better riders waited for long periods of time. That's why I do the callenge).
Tomorrow: 83 miles and 4500 feet.
Prologue: October 23rd
I'm on the bus from Jerusalem to Mizpeh Ramon. To my great surprise, the bus left at 7 pm, much earlier than I thought. I guess after ten years of running this ride, Alyn is getting sharper.
I had a delightful, if short, time with my kids and grandkids on another beautiful day in Jerusalem. (And, thankfully, I got a very solid night's sleep). Getting to see the kids is one of the best side benefits of doing the ride.
As usual, I started to get very nervous during the afternoon. Even though I've done this ride five times and I've done virtually every part of this year's route, I still got the same quesy feeling in my stomach as I did the very first time. The feeling doesn't go away until I clip in on the first morning.
Tomorrow's ride is around 50 miles with about 3700 feet of climbing. (I never know how accurate the mileage and elevation estimates are but this year I will be using a Garmin GPS that will give me all that information as well as the gradients. I would not normally buy myself such an expensive toy, but effectively, I got it as a gift. It's very cool, I have to admit).
The difficult part tomorrow comes at the end, when we descend into the Ramon Crater and then climb right back out.
Normally I would not worry about a relatively easy day like tomorrow but I have been feeling a bit off, with cold that doesn't seem to want to go away. This ride is difficult under the best circumstances. Not feeling 100 percent is very intimidating. I will try to take it as easy as I can tomorrow.
I had a delightful, if short, time with my kids and grandkids on another beautiful day in Jerusalem. (And, thankfully, I got a very solid night's sleep). Getting to see the kids is one of the best side benefits of doing the ride.
As usual, I started to get very nervous during the afternoon. Even though I've done this ride five times and I've done virtually every part of this year's route, I still got the same quesy feeling in my stomach as I did the very first time. The feeling doesn't go away until I clip in on the first morning.
Tomorrow's ride is around 50 miles with about 3700 feet of climbing. (I never know how accurate the mileage and elevation estimates are but this year I will be using a Garmin GPS that will give me all that information as well as the gradients. I would not normally buy myself such an expensive toy, but effectively, I got it as a gift. It's very cool, I have to admit).
The difficult part tomorrow comes at the end, when we descend into the Ramon Crater and then climb right back out.
Normally I would not worry about a relatively easy day like tomorrow but I have been feeling a bit off, with cold that doesn't seem to want to go away. This ride is difficult under the best circumstances. Not feeling 100 percent is very intimidating. I will try to take it as easy as I can tomorrow.
Countdown
From October 23rd
The last forty eight hours have been an incredible whirlwhind. I barely know
which way is up.
After landing at Ben Gurion Airport, I rode (by car!) to Alyn Hospital to
resgister and have my bike assembled. I always love to go ther; I get to see
the same old volunteer faces, I usually meet up with some veteran riders, and,
most importantly, I get to see what this ride is really all about. They are
constantly making improvements, so we get to see where our money is going and it
is always inspiring. Incidentally, the mechanics assembled my bike in 12 minutes
this year.
I also got to see Erez, the leader of the Challenge Ride. Besides being an
accomplished rider, Erez is one of the nicest and most skillful leaders you
could meet. It isn't easy dealing with 55 maniacs, setting a pace that everyone
is comfortable with and keeping the group cohesive, but Erez does it every year.
Later on, I had a lovely outdoor dinner with my daughter Rebecca on a Jerusalem
evening that could not have been more glorious. Unfortunately, I spent a good
part of the rest of the day on the phone and on my blackberry dealing with the
fire drill that started Wednesday morning. And, to make things more difficult,
I'm having major phone issues. I apparently kept breaking up when I tried to
speak and it was also difficult to hear.
Rebecca and I spent a very pleasant morning with friends in Efrat and then did
some food shopping. In about an hour, I get to see my son, daughter in law and
grandchildren and we will be spending most of the next 24 hours together. I am
really looking forward to that since the little ones are growing up so quickly
without us.
On Saturday night, we leave for Mitzpe Ramon where the ride starts. They asked
everyone to assemble at 6:30 p.m. but I've seen this movie before. I will get
there at 6:30 and the busses won't even be there. If we leave by 7:30, it will
be a miracle. (If you want to know why I don't just show up later, it's because
I know that the first time I do that, they will be on time and leave without
me). On Sunday we start with a desceptively difficult but short 51 mile ride.
My goal for tonight is to get a solid 8 hours of sleep. I slept fitfully last
night and you simply can't do the Alyn Ride without adequate sleep. A good
night's sleep tonight is critical.
The last forty eight hours have been an incredible whirlwhind. I barely know
which way is up.
After landing at Ben Gurion Airport, I rode (by car!) to Alyn Hospital to
resgister and have my bike assembled. I always love to go ther; I get to see
the same old volunteer faces, I usually meet up with some veteran riders, and,
most importantly, I get to see what this ride is really all about. They are
constantly making improvements, so we get to see where our money is going and it
is always inspiring. Incidentally, the mechanics assembled my bike in 12 minutes
this year.
I also got to see Erez, the leader of the Challenge Ride. Besides being an
accomplished rider, Erez is one of the nicest and most skillful leaders you
could meet. It isn't easy dealing with 55 maniacs, setting a pace that everyone
is comfortable with and keeping the group cohesive, but Erez does it every year.
Later on, I had a lovely outdoor dinner with my daughter Rebecca on a Jerusalem
evening that could not have been more glorious. Unfortunately, I spent a good
part of the rest of the day on the phone and on my blackberry dealing with the
fire drill that started Wednesday morning. And, to make things more difficult,
I'm having major phone issues. I apparently kept breaking up when I tried to
speak and it was also difficult to hear.
Rebecca and I spent a very pleasant morning with friends in Efrat and then did
some food shopping. In about an hour, I get to see my son, daughter in law and
grandchildren and we will be spending most of the next 24 hours together. I am
really looking forward to that since the little ones are growing up so quickly
without us.
On Saturday night, we leave for Mitzpe Ramon where the ride starts. They asked
everyone to assemble at 6:30 p.m. but I've seen this movie before. I will get
there at 6:30 and the busses won't even be there. If we leave by 7:30, it will
be a miracle. (If you want to know why I don't just show up later, it's because
I know that the first time I do that, they will be on time and leave without
me). On Sunday we start with a desceptively difficult but short 51 mile ride.
My goal for tonight is to get a solid 8 hours of sleep. I slept fitfully last
night and you simply can't do the Alyn Ride without adequate sleep. A good
night's sleep tonight is critical.
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