Ride Report - 19th Jan. 2008 - "Little Switzerland" - By Max
Whoever organised this ride failed!!! We were met with a howling freezing wind at 8.30 a.m in the morning when we got to the parking lot opposite the Haifa University and it just was not welcome.
By the time the bikes were ready and we were all ready to set off, we were all frozen. Not including underwear and socks, I counted 119 pieces of clothing on 17 riders. We also had the added pleasure of a UK MTB visitor, Daniel who had come to Israel for a holiday and joined us on this very cold but glorious morning.
So off we went north to the beginning of the Tyelet parallel to the university road. This was just the warm up, nice slopes and some uphills all on asphalt which were made very difficult by the strong head wind. Then through the first short single across to the fire track where we made a left turn uphill to a long and difficult stony ride to the top. Most of us ended up pushing and pulling these bikes up to the top. From here we took a very nice scenic single route through the country forest and adjacent to road 672 all the way down to Tsomet Damon. On the way we met and passed several other riders going in the opposite direction. At this point we had to point out to Daniel that these riders were cursing him for riding on the wrong side of the track. But there again what can we expect from an Englishman, they do everything the wrong way round. To be honest I was very impressed with Daniel, not only did he use a borrowed bike, but the brakes on an English bike are the other way around and this must have been difficult to get used to.
From Tsomet Damon we went West into Shmurat Har HaCarmel on the ridges of Har Alon and down some really adrenaline stony rocky tracks with an elevation drop of about 150 meters. On the way down Tzvika decided that he needed medical attention so he came off his bike. Fortunately the medics in the group managed to put him back together and thankfully he was able to get back on his bike and carry on with the ride.
Then with a bit of indecision overcome, we carried on, this time uphill on quite a hard climb and through another single to Bet Oren and a well deserved break.
Well sandwiches devoured we said good bye to Dubi and his brother who had to get back for a bar b que and we set off again towards Nahal Kelach. Again a great downhill ride, a bit rocky but great fun and we got there very quickly. This must be one of the most beautiful areas in all of Israel. Not surprising (Ted’s word) that this is called Little Switzerland.
The way up is very difficult and a lot is not rideable so we walked, pushed and pulled our bikes up and enjoyed some unbelievable scenery and got to the last stage of today's journey. This was a series of singles, all good fun but some difficult so some of us ended the route on asphalt and some hardier members did the last singles till the end.
All in all 20 kms of good strenuous riding and plenty of glorious sunshine.
Well we couldn’t not finish such a great ride without our stop for coffee, so we took Vashek’s advice and decided to stop at Tsomet Rupin where the Aroma brews a mean coffee.
Thanks to all for a great ride and above all great company. By the way... Sorry about the wind.
n.b. - Thanks Max for conceiving, initiating and leading us on this great ride. It was a tricky area to navigate and Dennis' map
(generated after the ride) which tracked our route via his GPS is irrefutable proof (if we needed any) that you "got it right" - Kol Ha'Kavod -
David
Ride Report - 12th January 2008 - By Ted
It was a
surprising ride by all accounts.
At the outset the extreme cold surprised us... most complained of freezing extremities. Small wonder as we pondered the frosty surface... GROUND ZERO!
Then the route
surprised us with more mud then we expected??
The return of the prodigal Shaul was a pleasant
surprise unlike the muddy stretches that blocked our routes
Then Barbara turned up on her new bike which was a
surprise that quickly turned to a muddy new bike
surprise!
To our
surprise after riding via Bnei Zion and Udim, we lost part of the group and some
surprisingly rejoined us later at Arsuf.
It was a
surprise that no one got bowled over as we rode on the highway (no joke!)
And at Arsuf, we had a
surprise when David produced a bottle of superb red Tabor to celebrate Ingrid’s
surprise birthday.
Surprisingly by the time we reached Arsuf we had warmed up and even more
surprisingly by the time we left Arsuf we were cold again.
We were
surprised by the number of flocks of birds we saw and even spotted a "Smyrna" Kingfisher(Halcyon smyrnensis) adorned in brilliant colours.
Not
surprisingly, some of the riders deferred to their beds and only 14 rode off into the cold. Few spies came back!!!!!
Not
surprisingly, I’m still carrying Max’s pants in my bag!
You’ll be
surprised that the word surprise is mentioned in various forms at least 17 times.
Well, isn’t that
surprising? No. Predictable.
Ride Report - 5th January 2008 - By David
Participants: 8 masochists (if you can call a masochist someone who before sunrise on a mid-winter Saturday forgoes sleep, and the warmth and comfort of bed for the sake of a bike ride) as well as 8 optimists (if you can call an optimist someone who, amid a rain-soaked earth, looks up at a leaden sky and declares that its going to be a sunny and dry).
Route: Our standard "mud-avoidance" option - westwards, over the Coastal Road to the northern end of Kfar Shmaryahu (with Appolonia on our left), then northward along "Dina's Trail" to Arsuf, then Shefayim, through the Sharon Beach Nature Reserve (with, thanks to Barbara, a pilgrimage to the view site), then further north through the kibbutz at Ga’ash, and turning at Wingate's southern boundary and heading back home via a welcome refreshment stop at Gofferman’s in Rishpon. Total distance 35 kms.
Conditions: Not a drop of rain! Much more sunshine than the weatherman forecast! Within a few kms "cold" shifted into "invigorating" and so it remained! The "avoidance" route kept faith - with just enough mud to give us something to do when we got home!
Bottom Line: The Masochists were satisfied, the Optimists got their reward. A super ride, great conditions, helped along by that ever-present Cyclenix catalyst - Great Company. Shavua Tov.
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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