[Israel ride] *wave*
May. 23rd, 2008 04:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
magidI'm in Mitzpeh Ramon, in a swanky hotel (I'm in an apartment, not just a room), and showered; it's really nice to be clean and out of the sun. Not enough time for a real update (and not enough hands... those straight handlebars are not good for my hands at all, though the mechanic is going to move them before Sunday, so hopefully it'll be easier).
In short: Wednesday, I biked from Jerusalem to Ashkelon, 60 miles (a metric century, and longer than I've ridden before). Minus part of one hellacious hill that just kept going up, which I walked (in bike shoes, which is very hard on the calves, I found out. Plus, in general, I've walked too much in the cleats, and I suspect I'll need new ones when I get back, though they're only a month old).
Thursday, I biked most of the way from Ashkelon to a little kibbutz, with a side stop in Sderot. I got a ride after the last rest stop, 63 miles in (again, my longest ride yet); it was late in the afternoon, and the sun was brutal. We started late due to security issues: there was a suicide bomber somewhere near the Azza strip (not sure where), who blew himself up with 4 tons of explosives (we were not anywhere nearby; I heard this much later about why we were delayed). Anyway, long day riding.
Today, we biked from the little kibbutz (I have the name written down; I'm just tired enough that I don't remember) to Mitzpeh Ramon, with a stop at Sdeh Boker, at Ben Gurion's grave.
It's a really full schedule, getting up early, riding so many hours (with rest stops and all; it's very well-coordinated, with thoughtful staff), then dinner, briefing for the next night's ride, and usually something else too. Last night that something else was a bonfire for Lag B'omer, which was great.
More, and in detail, when I'm actually awake (and perhaps not paying for connection).
In short: Wednesday, I biked from Jerusalem to Ashkelon, 60 miles (a metric century, and longer than I've ridden before). Minus part of one hellacious hill that just kept going up, which I walked (in bike shoes, which is very hard on the calves, I found out. Plus, in general, I've walked too much in the cleats, and I suspect I'll need new ones when I get back, though they're only a month old).
Thursday, I biked most of the way from Ashkelon to a little kibbutz, with a side stop in Sderot. I got a ride after the last rest stop, 63 miles in (again, my longest ride yet); it was late in the afternoon, and the sun was brutal. We started late due to security issues: there was a suicide bomber somewhere near the Azza strip (not sure where), who blew himself up with 4 tons of explosives (we were not anywhere nearby; I heard this much later about why we were delayed). Anyway, long day riding.
Today, we biked from the little kibbutz (I have the name written down; I'm just tired enough that I don't remember) to Mitzpeh Ramon, with a stop at Sdeh Boker, at Ben Gurion's grave.
It's a really full schedule, getting up early, riding so many hours (with rest stops and all; it's very well-coordinated, with thoughtful staff), then dinner, briefing for the next night's ride, and usually something else too. Last night that something else was a bonfire for Lag B'omer, which was great.
More, and in detail, when I'm actually awake (and perhaps not paying for connection).