Ride 4 - November 17
My day to drive!
This past Saturday, I was the driver of the support car that
goes behind the group. Normally we have two people doing this, one for each of
the groups that we have, but because of the mini-war that we were now engaged
in, there were fewer people for this ride.
I had considered not going on this ride, for missiles from
Gaza for the first time had fallen near us in Tel Aviv and we had to seek
protection in our bomb shelter. My stepson
was called-up for service and was in the south commanding a group of soldiers
in Ashdod. His job was to go to
buildings that had suffered structural damage (he’s an engineer) and address
safety issues. Again, I am going to stick
to writing on riding and not dwelling on the politics of this region. They are too entrenched, too complicated,
and too much part of this landscape.
The other job of a driver is to prepare a post riding meal and bring both the food and drink. Thus,
the night before I prepare smart carb laden meals and buy enough water to fill
a small swimming pool. The on-road food
of choice is oftentimes dates. Did you
ever research the nutritional facts about dates? I actually did and discovered that this food
is chock full of sugar, and we surely need that on a ride, minerals, and even
anti-cancer fighting properties. Thus,
you’ll see a good deal of sports oriented diet books on the scene now including
dates into almost all of their recipes.
We start out from a gas station near Zichron Yakov. The road is flat at this stage, but the wind
is whipping from the east and blowing out to the Mediterranean to the
west. Immediately one can see that the
riders have to compensate mightily in order to remain upright. After thirty minutes, the group divides in
two and the stronger riders take a detour up a hill leading the artist village
of Ein Hod. I wait in my car at a gas
station until they wend their way back down.
I have decided to spend the time in my car listening to a
story. I never seem to have enough time
to read at home and over the past few years, I have taken to listening to books
on tape. Today’s book is called Heft and
the story line is riveting. Heft has to
do the both the physical “heft” one may carry with them when they have
succumbed to a life of food, while others carry the “heft” of psychological
damage. If you are lucky, and I feel
that I am, then you learn to deal with those times in your life when the weight
of the world seems focused on you. You
revel during those moments when you are weightless and the stars have aligned
themselves perfectly over your head.
The next climb is up a steep hill in the Carmel Mountains
that leads to Beit Oren. I am so jealous
for I love this type of climbing. Steep,
but not too steep, with switchbacks and vistas that I force myself to glance
upon regardless of how much the lactic acid burn has seared my calves and
thighs. I am a photographer. I am a lover of nature. I ride not to be a star; I ride to be outdoors as much as I can in
nature. That’s why I mountain bike and
that’s why I hike. Road riding is yet
another way to see the world as far as I am concerned.
Two years ago, this mountain range suffered a severe
fire. I photographed the carnage a week
after it occurred in, at least to me, an ironic blinding rainstorm. I featured one of these images in my last
photo show and it eerily shows blackened trees- lurking and evil. Burned, naked trees still stand out though a
good deal of green underbrush has returned softening the landscape. I keep behind the slowest riders as well and
as we ascend, lose sight of the lead group.
At the top, it is chilly and the wind is howling. We descend to a town called Nesher and then
once again climb a long and steep section of the Carmel. I am impressed with some of the riders who
despite their inexperience, are pushing up this long climb. Most of us no longer have time to devote to
fitness, and climbs like this separate those who train religiously from those
who just cannot. My life does allow for
a great deal of training and I ride to work once a week (about 60KM back and
forth), as well as train in-doors on my bike on a fancy computerized system
with a coach. Besides that, I ride each Wednesday
at 6 a.m. with a group where we have a variety of challenging workouts. I am a lifer I suppose. I almost never go a
day without doing some form of exercise.
Heading back down a steep descent, one of the rider’s rims
overheats and the tire separates from it.
I have extra wheels to give him, and this happens to each tire of
his. I did not realize that this was in
fact possible, but having inadvertently touched the rim of a wheel after a long
descent, can attest to the heat that is generated. After several more hills, we arrive back at
the start. Now it’s time to eat!
Though I did not ride, I find that this ride was incredibly
satisfying. I listened to a great
book. I focused on the beauty of the
Carmel. The next day I would set a new
PB on my course that I use to measure myself in a one-hour time trial. I write with the hope that this outbreak of
violence too in our region will in fact help lead to a lasting peace in some
back door way that I never seem to be able to imagine. And I do imagine.
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