Ride 5 November 24th

Start and Finish at Latrun Gas Station Area
Totals:  131 KM
              2020M Climbing

Dedicated today to Eva whose birthday is Monday.

“This is insane!” I screamed in my car as I missed the exit to where the ride was starting today.  I awoke at 4:40 and had to be to Givat Ada by 6:15 a.m.  This should have been easy, and I would have been there by 6 if I looked more carefully at the map.  Therefore, I pulled over, grabbed the map, and figured that I could still make it, but then ended once again missing the crucial roads.  When I finally got to the gas station where our group had parked, I could seem the far in the distance with the safety car behind them.  I still had the emergency equipment in my car, so I drove quickly and gave this to them.  As we were standing outside of the cars making the exchange, the most amazing full rainbow radiated in the lush agricultural fields.  Though they wanted me to drive a bit more, change and join the ride further down the road, I declined as I felt risking yet getting lost again would cost me any chance of getting in a good ride.  So, I drove for almost an hour to a place that I love which offers some of the most challenging climbing in Israel, determined to do a long solo ride.  I am determined to say the least.

I start at Latrun and head towards Nachshon Junction.  From here, the road begins to climb, though not in a manner that does anything more than get the legs good and loose.  The rain that had been hammering the area had all but disappeared and I put my trusty blue raincoat in my bike shirt pocket.  The real climbing begins about forty minutes into the ride.  I have to say, that I am not really warmed up with forty minutes of riding, and I sometimes wish that I could begin climbing after at least an hour of riding.  The hill I chose for today is called Tzuba, and is one of the ways that one can get to Jerusalem without taking the highway.  Parts of this road are extremely steep, and though I rarely stand when I am climbing, there is, at least for me, no other choice for I am neither light nor strong enough to do all parts of this climb sitting.  

I am amazed today with how well I am actually climbing.  I have been doing in-door training that measures Watt output, and this appears to be helping me to some extent.  I see almost no other riders, for I have started about two-hours later than most do here and in some respects I like the feeling of being alone.  There are also few cars as the weather in this area was not supposed to be too good today, and I feel this kept many away. 

There is a point in this climb where I do feel the lactic acid burn and tone the pace down a bit compensate for this.  The roads are extremely wet, and when I finally begin hitting some of the descents, I slow down dramatically, feathering the breaks and keeping my weight back.  At the bottom of a long descent, I swing left and head to the town of Ein Kerem (think John the Babtist).  My intent is to ride up the hill to a famous church in this town and then immediately turn around.  Unfortunately, I hit a bump solidly and seconds later hear the hissing of a flat.  A classic snakebite pattern appears on the tube.  I go to patch it, but find I have no patch kit.  I have a spare, but also forgot to take the extra spare.  Not a smart move. 

Heading out of Ein Kerem, I ride incredibly cautiously scanning the road for all hazards.  I see this dog that had already strafed me and start screaming at him in both English and Hebrew.  His owner hears me doing this and begins to laugh.  The dog makes a faint charge, but veers away from me in fear.  The power of intonation wins out. 

Another long climb to Nes Harim takes me to a favorite stop that has bathrooms and food.  Halfway up the climb, I had been thinking about a hot coffee (something I almost only drink during rides) and a brownie (again, not something I normally eat but definitely essential on such a ride).  I am sweating very, very hard and even after sitting, the sweat keeps pouring off of me.  This reminds me of when I went up Stelvio on my mountain bike dragging my B.O.B. and gear.  When I got to the top of Stelvio, it was cold though it was the middle of the summer.  I went into a restaurant, sat for about a half-hour, and then had to apologize to the manager for sweating all over his chair!

I stop for a few minutes here, speak to a few people and ask one man if I could buy a tube from him.  He is incredibly generous and produces a new tube refusing to take money.  I have done this for others as well and wonder if this is some kind of payback. 

Back riding again,  I head to a road that I have not taken in several months.  The last time we road down the hill from Jerusalem, a new rider who had never ridden with us, fell on the descent and is now paralyzed from the waist down.  When I told my wife that day about this, she cried (as did I).  I promise myself to be careful and take it very, very slow keeping this man in my thoughts and praying for his welfare. 

As the road straightens out again, the skies open up.  Torrential rain batters me and it felt like small needles were going into my skin.  I can barely see, no in fact, I can’t see, and at the end of the road can go right and get back in about an hour, or can go left extending the trip over two hours or more.  I decide that since we have a race in two-weeks, and since I really do need a good deal of climbing and kilometers, to go left.  Oh the road not take looked ever so good. 

As I approach the ruins of Beit Guvrin, I see a patch of clear sky.  The rain is over I think and I turn right onto a connecting road that will take me to one of my favorite, almost Provence looking, areas in Israel.  However, while on this connecting road it begins to rain again.  I am surround by fields with a fresh cover of manure.  Mud and manure track onto the road.  Mud and manure track over my clothing.  I am waiting for locusts next!

When I turn towards Luzit and my aforementioned Provence like area, the rain finally lets up and I begin to ride with a tailwind as well as a sky with breathtaking clouds.  I continue to feel extremely strong and for the duration of this ride and power up the small hills.  Upon reaching my car, however, I feel the ride.  Though not exhausted by any stretch of the imagination, I feel both the time on bike as well as the climbing.  I try to stretch after all of my rides, and feel that this is important not only for physical reasons, but the importance of taking a moment to reflect and be grateful for the chance to ride.  I dedicated this ride to my wife Eva whose birthday it is on Monday.  I should have been home earlier to spend the day with her, and realize how selfish it was to stay out this long.  I am already trying to figure out how to show her a great Sunday to make up for this in some way.  I do have a plan.  

Finally, last week my step-son was called up to military service and did a great job in Ashdod with the troops that he commanded.  His job was as a first responder to buildings that were hit with missiles coming out of Gaza.  We found ourselves in the bomb shelter on three occasions as well.  I am happy that this round of violence is over, and though I am not really hopeful for a long and lasting peace, I am happy that hostilities, for the moment, have stopped.