Ride Two- November 3

Ride Two- November 3

Start and Finish at Kibbutz Enat Gas Station
Totals:  113
 1015M Climbing

Back to Kibbutz Enat, though this time I was not feeling sick which is, of course, always a plus on a long ride.  Longer distance riding is challenging enough as it is.  Feeling sick takes away not only the pleasure of riding, but makes you question far too many  things. 

Over the next few weeks, my coach has put together a number of longer rides and as we have a difficult hill climb/race on the 7th of December, and some tough Saturday hill training rides to come. This one was somewhat in-between.  A decent amount of climbing and a somewhat long distance to cover.

What I like about the bike has always been both the predictability of the ride as well as the intangibles.  Wind, road conditions, the desire of the group, your own fitness level on any particular day as well as your motivation, are but a few of the unknowns which unfold as the ride progresses. 

As a group, we were not very motivated.  It proved to be a somewhat sedate ride which also has its benefits.  I am not a youngster and riding with people, some over 20 years younger than myself, is challenging physically.  Or is it?  Sometimes I feel that the most challenging aspects of life is the letting go and the giving-up.  We need to compromise, to make concessions that come with age and lifestyle, but we must never give-up.  Downsize and reinvent yourself through the ages.  The second you start gluing your ass to the couch in a habitual manner, is the second your brain begins to turn to mush and your thought process is no longer your own.

There are many roads that lead to Jerusalem, but the road we took this day was one that goes through Palestinian lands.  The purpose of this Seven Rides is not to embark on the political intricacies that are so deeply embedded in this region.  Yet, one cannot ignore their existence or deny that they are ever present and in your face.

So we climbed.  We climbed first as a group until some of the group was unable to maintain the somewhat strong pace we were attempting.  I sat at the back of our dwindling pack singing and looking at the beautifully terraced hills around me.  I am always astounded with the beauty that exists in the more rural regions of this land and constantly feel suffused by the historical significance that oozes from every pore of this ancient land.  For an instance I focused on this lone road head precipitously up the spine of a passing village which at its highest point was crowned by a well-detailed minaret.  I also noticed that my friend L was not having a stellar day and was suffering. 

So what does suffering mean and what does suffering look like?  In this case it looked like a man with his head down struggling to keep pace, but being tough as nails and not wanting to give in.  Eventually he would have to slacken his pace or blow, but I am always in awe of people who have the ability to suffer in silence.  There is something to be said about putting your head down and sucking it up while doing the best you can.  If you fall off the pace, then find a pace of your own that fits your physical fitness at that moment.  You may be in supreme shape, as L is, but there are times in a ride when you are not able to burn enough calories or harness a sufficient amount of energy to keep pace.  That's okay.  If this does not happen to you, then you either don't go hard enough or you are not riding enough.

We turned around at a military outpost which consisted of a stark grey building with a large turreted structure.  Again, the politics of this region insert themselves frequently and though I have lived here for 23 years, I feel at times ignorant of the pulse of this region.  Sometimes I revel in this ignorance.

A screaming, and for me, somewhat heart stopping descent ensued.  I felt less than comfortable at the almost 70KM speeds we were doing and given that we maintained a somewhat tight pace line downhill, I tried my best to be aware of those around me in all directions.  As much as I am responsible for myself, I have to be aware of what others are doing too.  Also, one never knows when a tire will blow.  These roads are filled with an incredible amount of detritus and we constantly flick from side-to-side attempting to avoid anything that will take us down.

We kept up a nice pace back to Enat and the ride was complete.  I looked for food to eat at the end of the ride, but unfortunately there was nothing on that day I was willing to consume. So I hustled home and made a post-ride energy drink (thanks to Bredon Brazier for all your great advice) and stretched out well.  Next week the ride is going to be 180KM.  This is a distance (in miles 112) that I have not done since the 80's! This is getting fun.