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Last updated:
August 29 2010.
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SPECIAL
RIDER
PROFILE
Frances
le Roux
Frances made aliyah from Cape Town 12 years ago, and only recently came to experience the joys of cycling. She has always been involved in outdoor activites - hiking, walking, tennis, but never careering about on two wheels. Having been persuaded by a friend to try out Cyclenix, she has not looked back since .... although she was convinced that the first ride was going to be her last, as the next day her muscles took their toll.
When she is not cycling, she can be spotted walking her and Jules' two boisterous dogs (it is difficult to decide who is walking whom), or wedged in front of her computer writing training materials or editing other peoples' books that will never be read.
A librarian by profession, books and language are close to her heart. Unfortunately, the Hebrew language has not taken hold yet (even after all this time) - so she has been heard to order a bakery with her coffee. A more eccentric activity is her knitting toys for charity - sadly each toy has it's own defect as she really isn't that good at it. But the knitting group put up with it and a child, somewhere, loves the toys....! She is one of Cyclenix's most regular riders and if I were to be asked to mention one prominent trait of hers, it would be here permanent smiling face! We wish her many more years of happy and healthy riding with us.
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On
The Trail - ARCHIVES August 2008
Ride Report - 30 Aug. 2008 -Ben Shemen By Itay
07:00 שבת בבוקר, רחבת החניה חורשת יד לנקטפים ! בדרך כבר ראינו את הרוכבים משכימי הקום אלה שכבר הגיעו והחלו לרכב , עשרות מכוניות ממלאות את השבילים באזור בן שמן שהפך ל-"מכה Mecca)) של רוכבי האופניים".
התארגנות קצרה, תדרוך והבטחות שהיום הרכיבה תכלול רק ירידות (אשרי המאמין)
יוצאים בשיירה לכיוון עמק הנזרים ומערת הנזירים.
עמק הנזירים, מוקף גבעות . האזור זרוע מערות, מצודות ודרכים עתיקות זהו האזור בו צמח מרד המכבים. בבקעה הגדולה שתי מערות: האחת מערת קבורה רומית, והשנייה, מערת נזירים מהתקופה הביזנטית- ששימשה , בין השאר, כחאן לעולי הרגל בדרך לירושלים. שתי המערות, נוצרו כנראה ע"י הטבע, אולם נחפרו והועמקו ע"י האדם.
המשכנו לזרום בסינגלים בתוך היער ובשבילים רחבים ונעימים במגמת ירידה תוך שהאופטימים שבינינו חשים הקלה או אולי תחושה שהפעם מקס מבטיח וגם מקיים. לעומתם הפסימים משוכנעים שבקצה כל ירידה אורבת עלייה זדונית .
עצירה קצרה ליד אנדרטה לזכר מפקדי ההגנה באזור אשר בשנת 1948, במהלך סיור באזור עלו עם רכבם על מוקש ונהרגו.
המשך רכיבה עד "מצפה השניים" הממוקם מעל מושב גמזו המצפה הוקם לזכרם של אברהם צבי באום ומרדכי הס שנהרגו בקרבות שניטשו באזור בתקופת מלחמת העצמאות.
תצפית קצרה על מישור החוף ואנו ממשיכים בדרכנו.
מגיעים למנוחה באזור מצפה מודיעים, וממשיכים בדרכנו עליה טכנית (נו אז מה אם מקס הבטיח, הוא לא הבטיח לקיים) מקושרת לסינגל טכני שבסופו אנו מוצאים את עצמנו מול הפגודה התאילנדית -
ביתן ידידות ישראל-תאילנד העשוי עץ ושיש בצבעי זהב, אדום לבן. הפגודה הוענקה למדינת ישראל במלאת 50 שנה לעצמאות המדינה ו-50 שנה לעלייתו לכס המלוכה של המלך התאילנדי – בומביל אדוליידי.
ממשיכים בדרכנו וחולפים דרך פארק ארגנטינה ומתחילים לדווש בעליה לכיוון מבוא מודיעים ורחבת החניה.
ק"מ לחות גבוהה המון ירידות, לא מספיק עליות, סינגלים טכניים וחברה נעימה – מי צריך יותר בבוקר שבת ?
נושא חשוב ביותר – כאשר מסיימים לרכב רצוי לבצע מספר פעולות מועילות:
- מתיחות – למניעת התכווצות שרירים.
- לשתות – להתרענן, להחזיר לגוף את מה שהפסיד בדרך
- לקחת את האופניים הביתה – הילטון החליט שמשקלם מעיק עליו או שברצונו לרכוש אופניים חדשות על כן נטש אותם בחניה ונסע לדרכו.
07:00 parking lot at YAD LA-NIKTAFIM (in Hebrew it doesn't sound better) dozens of cars and bikers unloading their bikes getting ready for the morning ride.
After a short briefing given by Max (no up hills today, said the man) then off we went.
Towards the "monks valley" and the "monks cave" just to find out that the party held there the night before is over.
Onward through technical singles and large nice trails we arrived at MIZPE HASHNAIM named after 2 soldiers who died in 1948 in a battle over Gamzo.
The Mizpe overlooks all of Mishor-ha-hof .
Cycling onward to Mizpe Modiim for a break and then we started to climb. Some technical trails, technical uphill single and we got to the PAGODA .
It was donated by the people of Thailand (not the workers) to the State of Israel at its 50th anniversary.
On to Argentina park and climbing toward the parking area.
To sum up - 20 Km, hot, very hot and humid, a lot of down hills, not enough uphill climbs, nice company – who needs more for a Saturday morning.
Most important! After-ride routine:
- Stretches – do some stretches to avoid muscle cramps.
- Drink water – to refresh and to compensate for the loss of water.
- Take your bike home – Hilton, don't leave your bike behind, and make sure you load it in your car.
Ride Report - 30 Aug. 2008 -Local Ride - By Francis
The Sandy Pit
11 not so early birds gathered at the Ranaana spot to take off on our home patch ride. Some birds had already flown the coop,having come an hour earlier!
With a couple of new faces, we set off on the new cycle path and on to the water recycling plant. On the way we nearly lost two – but luckily Joe had his internal GPS working and found us and the strays were gathered up by John.
We crossed the new bridge over the stream (where no water is to be seen at the moment) and headed on through Bazra and into … the sand pit. Here the walking and many ideas of how to avoid trudging through the sand started. Some hardy types wanted to to continue up and up and up. But luckily sense prevailed and we opted for an easier, less Sahara-like route. Of course, each one had their own idea of where this route should take us…
After a bit of meandering we came close to the prison and then lugged our bikes over the railway and headed on to Rishpon where a view, shakshouka and strong hafuch lured us in.
So, those of you that went all that way to Ben Shemen missed out on the 29 or so km walk, talk and sport.
Ride Report - 23 Aug. 2008 -Local Ride - By
Special Report - 21-22 Aug. 2008 -Sea to Sea By Max
Well, well, well. So Sea to sea, an idea was born. Anybody interested? It seems so. I closed the list at 25 and we had at least another 10 wanting. Sorry to those I had to say no to. Next time OK?
So we arrived Kiriat Yam and off loaded the bikes. Got dressed. Topped up water, energy foods and of course lights. Now a little warm up talk on the sea front, received and attached our multicolour stick lights and at 23.45, 15 minutes early, we were off.
The first 6 kms were pavement riding and we maintained good discipline and rode at a nice warm up pace, till we got to Tel Afek, the beginning of the OFF road ride.
So far so good. Now we had to get used to the dark and hope that the moon would show us the way, even though we had amazingly dark cloud cover. The first bit was good smooth riding and most of my energies were spent in attempting the nearly impossible feat of not allowing our headstrong riders to get too far ahead of me and get lost.
The paths we rode through on, on our way towards Tamra were strewn with rubbish and this was a very sad sight. It’s a very beautiful area and more should be done about keeping the paths clean. From Tamra we continued east and after 20 kms of good riding we arrived at the petrol station Mitzpe Aviv in Iblin, for our first break.
Our great bus driver had got there before us and was waiting at the prearranged spot. Thank you to the night guard at the petrol station for being so helpful and for inviting us for coffee and water.
Ok so we topped up with food, water and other goodies and after a 25 minute break we were off again toward Kfar Manda and then along the length of the Movil haArtzi to Eliabun. Once we had crossed the first bridge over the Movil we let loose and some of us made a 7 km sprint till Eliabun with a nice climb at the end to top it off.
At Eliabun we had our second break and once again our driver – Shalom – well done - was there to greet us. Here we stretched our legs, eat some sandwiches and waited for everyone to arrive.
One of the greatest sights of the night was to see the snake of white lights making their way through Emek Bet Netoufa and for those at the back, it was a great sight to see the other snake of red lights in front of them.
Well somewhere along the way Eitan had a fall and fortunately we patched him up very quickly, thanks to David for being our paramedic.
Then a puncture but basically no real problems.
After waiting for the dawn to come, we made our way north to the beginning of the third and final part of our Sea to sea adventure. We were now traveling east (of course), and parallel to Nahal Tzalmon. Here we began a series of climbs and downhills until we came across our Bedouin friends, just waking up. However, just before this Nathan decided to show us his gymnastic abilities and did a double back flip with 2 summersaults over his handlebars and into the side of the trail. Fortunately his only injuries were a couple of scratches. Then Barbara wanted her bit of attention so she hissed out air, and we had another puncture to repair.
Fixed all that and off we jolly well went down through the Bedouin encampment and into the plantations of Genossar.
From here on it was a series of downhills till we got to the Kinneret and again found our loyal driver waiting with his bus.
Loaded the bikes, and down to the Kinneret. Well, we walked and walked and walked, till we found the water. We need RAIN. Do something..
Into the water and suddenly all the tension of the night evaporates and we knew we had finished a really great experience. Then showers and then a great breakfast in the Hotel and then...collapse.
Got on the bus and within 2 minutes we had 23 happy bikers snoring their way to Ranana.
All in all a great ride, really good company and fortunately no mishaps of any serious kind.
Many thanks to Dudi from Genossar who gave me some really good advice and who enabled me to plan a perfect adventure.
Thanks also to Shalom our driver, who carried out his part of the plan perfectly.
Thanks also to Nurit who is a great co-navigator and partner.
And thanks to all of you who were on the ride for the great night we all had.
Special Report - 21-22 Aug. 2008 -Sea to Sea By David
THANK YOU
I can think of no better way to summarise the Ride than to repeat Max's words "...... and we knew we had finished a really great experience", and Ingride and I, for our part, felt privileged to have participated in such an enriching and exhilarating biking adventure.
But as we all know, "when a plan comes together" as did the Sea To Sea ride to such perfection, it doesn't just happen. Max and Nurit did their homework, and expended their time and energies down to the very last detail to make it work. But no less than the quality of management of the "project" was that of their joint and confident leadership over the whole length of the ride itself, to ensure our enjoyment, safety and comfort.
I could go on and on..... But for those who participated in the Ride this is mere repetition of their own thoughts, and for those who were unable to participate, I truly hope that your biking exploits will soon take you on such a "great experience".
Thank you Max and Nurit for making it happen for us!
Ride Report - 16th Aug. 2008 -Nahal Alexander By David
The Nahal Alexander ride from Burgata to the coast and back (a distance of about 36 kms) is always pleasant, relaxing and scenic although in mid-summer the heat and humidity factor add a challenge.
The 16 participants met this challenge successfully by an early start (we got under way just after 06:30 hrs) and by maintaining a brisk pace throughout. Even a long stop at the beach (which enabled Max and Larry to "take the plunge" and enjoy that extra bonus that the Med in all its early morning glory has to offer) and Joseph's puncture (caused by a "huge" nail - he told me he intended framing it) didn't prevent us from being back at our cars a little after 09:30 hrs. Some of us rounded off what was a most enjoyable ride with a short drive to the Aroma coffee shop at Tzomet Rupin.
Ride Report - 9th Aug. 2008 - Local Ride By Gidi
What has two legs, two wheels and bleats? There were about 30 of those spotted somewhere in the vicinity of Udim this morning.
They had a typical Anglo-Saxon air about them, they seemed to be following their leader and they seemed to flock (well... not always).
Hypothesis:
Cyclenix riders are sheep.
Attempted proof:
Taken from the Wikipedia on "Domestic Sheep": In contemporary English language usage, people who are
stupid, timid or easily led are often compared to sheep.
Stupid - What do you call people who get up at 6am on a Saturday?
Timid - Riding down and up a ditch again and again isn't really like going down a rocky single...
Easily led? Oops... Definitely not a Cyclenix rider...
Conclusion:
A Cyclenix rider is not a sheep! But maybe a wolf in sheep skin?
Hypothesis:
Cyclenix riders are wolves.
Attempted proof:
Check out Wikipedia again: "Wolves are built for
stamina, possessing features ideal for
long-distance travel. Their narrow chests and powerful backs and legs facilitate
efficient locomotion. They are capable of covering several miles trotting at about a pace of
10 km/h (6 mph), and have been known to reach speeds approaching
65 km/h (40 mph) during a chase."
Stamina - definitely. All the way up the hill to Bnei Zion!
Long-distance travel - 30km's. No less!
Efficient locomotion - that's what wheels are for. No?
10k/h - makes sense. Left the parking lot around 6:30 and arrived at the Bnei Zion cafeteria around 9:00.
65 km/h - well, theoretically, on a long downhill...
Not satisfied? Here is another quote: "Wolves prefer ritualized displays of aggression to physical confrontations, meaning that
high-ranking status is based more on personality or attitude than on size or physical strength."
Quod Erat Demonstrandum!
Conclusion:
See you next Saturday! Ahuuuuuuuuuuuuuu! Baaaaa Baaaa!
Ride Report - 2nd Aug. 2008 - Elishema, Oranit, Horshim, Einat- By Denis
Ten brave and hardy souls assembled in the cool dawn on their trusty iron (more
likely aluminum) steeds for a morning of gallivanting over hill and dale.
Starting at Elishema they rode briskly north-east along the aromatic Nachal
Kana, passing Sde Hemed and Neve Yamin. They turned east in the direction of the
rising sun and then south towards Yarhiv. The first climb of the day was a
little aperitif along the road through Matan, with a fast descent on the other
side. Then it was south to Horshim where a rocky climb through the forest to an
altitude of 150m was undertaken with great vigor. Passing to the south-west of
Oranit, the route skirted Kfar Kassem and then dropped rapidly to cross beneath
the Trans-Samarea highway and around to the east of Rosh Haayin. Here the riders
encountered the third of the two promised climbs, this one ascending to 140m in
the Migdal Tsedek park. Then it was along the road to Einat for a much-needed
refreshment stop.
As the temperature gradually rose they made their way home
along the banks of the Yarkon River with but a gentle breeze for comfort. A
swimming break at the Yarkon source was wisely deferred to a future occasion by
popular vote despite the temptation of cool fresh water. The lucky ten arrived
back at Elishema in good spirits, after a total of 44.3km, mostly offroad,
having climbed some 250m. And if the piles of garbage spread long the roadside
had not been there the experience would have been perfect.
Ride Report - 2nd Aug. 2008 - Ra'anana Home Patch Ride - By Talia
View from the Rear
Another Saturday morning and eleven of us met in the parking lot at 6:30am. A new rider, Jeremy, was welcomed into the group by Moshe telling him he’d have to ride the first hour blind-folded as part of an initiation rite. Pay no attention, Jeremy, and we hope you’ll be back. Thanks to Ted, by the way, for volunteering a title for this week’s ride report. It’s a very subtle hint as to how exactly my riding is coming along.
We rode out of the parking lot and along Ahuza street, turning left down Yerushalayim street and then westward towards the sea. We continued through the beautiful Herzlia park on brand new cycle paths that the major has so graciously contributed to the cause. After stopping to admire a cyclist-shaped hedge on a bike (who is in dire need of a haircut) we continued past the Seven Stars shopping mall. Turning west again, we crossed the railway line on a bridge that spiraled up and down like a roller-coaster, and then made our way past the Arena mall and onto the marina.
I was actually very surprised how many people there were strolling along the pier with dogs and babies and mother-in-laws at this unearthly hour. What it meant was that we had to ride slalom-style through the crowd until we finally made it (without causing casualties) to the end of the pier, and then we had to do the same back again. But the waves, fresh air and good company made it all worthwhile.
Leaving the marina, we rode along the famous Ramat Yam street in Herzlia Pituach, past the Dan hotel and the home of the American ambassador. At this point Shaul, Udi and Moshe decided to make their own way back, while the rest of us pondered the issue of whether to continue on or off road. A decision was made, and just as I had started getting used to the nice neat bicycle paths and the pretty flower beds of Herzlia, back we were on sand. I don’t know what it is about this group’s morbid fascination with sand, but it can’t be healthy.
We continued north past Apolonia and across the bridge that has too many horses riding over it, until we reached Rishpon. We were headed for the Gofferman coffee-shop but unfortunately it was still closed. (This in itself is a small but significant fact as it emphasizes the record time we were making, so kindly take note.)
Parched but determined, we rode back into Ra’anana and before we knew it we were sitting in Arcaffe. I must say we looked absolutely scruffy in comparison to all the fresh-looking Saturday-morning brunchers. But as Dina so aptly put it, we earned our breakfast – they didn’t!
To summarize, it was a great ride of 31km, mainly on pathways, and not too difficult (even for me!)
Check out these sites 
Israel Police cyclist rules of the road:
http://www.police.gov.il/english/Traffic/Road_Safety/04_en_tr_bicycle.asp
Beginner's Mountain Bike Info Guide:
http://www.romp.org/rides/beginnerguide.html
Bicycle Unit of the Civil Guard (Mishmar Ezrahi),
The Department of Community Affairs and the Civil Guard of the
Israeli Police Force in conjunction with the Israel Cyclists' Association call
on you to join the Cycling Unit of the Civil Guard.
Volunteer Now .
Follow the link for more details .
THE BOTTOM LINE ! :
ALL RIDERS PARTICIPATING IN THE CLUB'S ACTIVITIES MUST ACCEPT THAT THE CLUB
CONSISTS OF A GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS, FOND OF RIDING IN EACH OTHERS COMPANY, ON
THE BASIS OF UNDERSTANDING THAT NO ONE TAKES OR BEARS ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR
OTHERS AND EACH IS FULLY RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS OWN LIFE, HEALTH AND BELONGINGS.
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