I've been told I haven't updated in a while... so here goes...
Another year, another ride over. I wasn't sure how enthusiastic I was about doing the ride this year, and I was already contemplating maybe skipping next year… and then came Friday and I went up to Alyn to deposit my bike and got my rider's package and before I knew it, it was 5am Sunday morning and I was on the bus to Jerusalem, bumping into old friends and meeting new ones… Just as we arrived at Mt. Scopus it started pouring, everyone scattering to find cover, but I managed to find Billy and Elyse and a few other familiar faces and Silvie, the sweet newcomer, I've ridden with on several occasions and was so happy when she decided to join in on the fun. I was happy to see Yuval was our "flying" mechanic again this year and the sweet Ron abandoned the road route and joined us as well. As we zoomed down the road from Jerusalem to Mesada, I knew I wasn't going to pass this up next year… Even during the last little haul from the highway to the guest house where I seemed to run out of fuel and only managed to drag myself up there thanks to encouragement from Yuval.
I found out I was sharing a room with Silvie, Elyse and Viviene, all familiar lovely faces. The presence of beer during the first night was sorely missed, thank goodness some people thought about bringing booze along for the ride (how didn't I?)
On day two we rode from Mesada to Hatzeva. We started with 20K on-road to the Zohar junction and from there to the Pratzim dry river bed, the Sdom dry river bed, another trip around Pratzim for those who were fast enough (that wouldn't be me) and from there to the Dead Sea Works for a lunch break. We got a very nice welcome at the DSW, and I in particular since the DSW is one of our companies. It's really a pity I couldn't get their sponsorship in my name, the hospital got to them directly before I got a chance… I'm going to start earlier for next year, like next week, maybe I can get sponsorship from another of our subsidiaries and get credit for it. After lunch we got back on the bikes and to the road where we proceeded to ride until we got to Ein Tamar, a pretty God forsaken place in the Arava, where we got off the road and proceeded to ride what seemed like hundreds of kilometers, but was about more like 20km, in the most horrendous terrain one can imagine. It was like riding a washboard covered in sand and pebbles, which meant that one had to switch to a low gear and just pedal away until it was over. It was a nightmare and when that was over…we still had a long way to go. I was pretty sure I wasn't riding anymore. My muscles were sore, my private parts were sore and I was tired. But when we got to Hatzeva that evening, and cold bottles of beer were on hand, and after a warm shower and a hearty meal I was feeling much better already. I hung out with and Elyse and some other people and then the best experience of the whole week happened. Silvie told me how she'd met Orli riding that day. Orli is blind, she has been blind since she was two years old (more than 40 years) and she rides a tandem bike, one of three blind riders doing the ride this year. Orli invited Silvie to the bonfire they were having and Silvie invited me and Elyse and so eventually we went to warm ourselves by the fire. At first it was a bit awkward, people who know me will say I am outgoing, but in truth, I have a real hard problem approaching strangers, so at first there were a few moments of silence, and then I started talking to Eli who was sitting next to me. We have since become very close friends, and I feel so lucky for meeting him, Orli and the rest of their angels, Oded, Benji, Ron, Yuval and Chen, who is Eli's right hand and eyes. These people impressed me so much. Eli and Orli for being able to see more without their eyes than most people do, for not giving up when times are tough, for being so active and so positive. I found out that Orli not only rides, but she is actually the driving force behind their riding group. I found out she's a great cook and hostess, I found out that she is a gifted photographer and a talented carpenter. Eli too is very active, he goes spinning almost every day, he runs a business, and he finds time to help out a friend who has been suffering from shellshock. He is so determined to live a happy and full life despite his disabilities, and every time we speak with him I am more and more in awe of him.
The minute I clicked with this gang it was "true love", I spent most of the rest of the ride with them and every time I was close to saying I had had enough, there they were, zooming past me, giving me the encouragement to finish the next little bit.
From what I am writing now, one would gather that the ride was very difficult for me. The physical aspect of it wasn't so bad, but the chafing made sitting on the bike very difficult. Every time I chose to get off the bike I had to think twice about how it would feel to sit back down, at some point in the ride I just became proficient in riding standing up…
On day three we rode from Hatzeva to Yahel. It was another 100K day (as were the two days prior). We started on the road to the Nekarot riverbed, we rode through Nekarot, to Ashosh, to Barak and Pharan and back to the road at Kushi Rimon's and a 27K ride on the road with headwinds to Yahel. Because it was a long day, it was determined that only people who would get to Kushi's by 3pm will be able to continue on the road and that anyone who came in after that will have to be bussed. Since riding the road on chunky wheels against the wind did not appeal to me, I decided to take my time and enjoy the day. When I finally got to Kushi's I found Eli, Orli and Benji waiting. They decided not to go on. Oded on the other hand, took Silvie for a ride on the tandem. I don't believe she's quite recovered yet…
That evening Silvie and Elyse went to sleep at Ktura and I stayed at Yahel, and the gang was sleeping in the room across from mine, so we further got a chance to get acquainted. We ate a horribly oily dinner together, drank together, sat at another bonfire courtesy of Chen and finally had a decent night's sleep.
Day four was supposed to be our rest day. Ha! Only 45K from Yahel to Shacharut, but with headwinds most of the day and sand storms, the ride just took forever. It was a nice ride though, and I was starting to feel a little better and again I had the encouragement of good friends. When we got to Shacharut we discovered that the men were sleeping in one tent the women in another (the one farther away from the bathrooms…) and that there were only three showers for each gender. The gang was planning to go sleep at Kibbutz Samar as Eli didn't want to stay. Then Oded came and said that there were rooms available right there for 400NIS per room. Eli told him that if he can get two rooms for that price they will stay. They agreed to the new price and they ended up staying. Eli invited me to stay in their room, which I refused, but I didn't refuse the use of a private shower… That night after having dinner at the large tent, we lit another bonfire and ended up sleeping in its smoke. Not the best way to wake up to day 5, but the end was almost there.
Before we went to bed Eli was predicting the winds would be with us on Thursday. It was hard to believe him, but I guess while he can't see the here and now he can see into the future… Once again there were time constraints and we were told that if we weren't going to make it to the off-road portion of the ride by 10am we would have to continue on the road. I had a slow start to the day and of course I didn't make the cutoff time, so I stayed on the road, the winds, as Eli had predicted were with us all the way. I reached the gathering point at around 11:30. All the rest of the riders were supposed to get there by 12noon for lunch and then we were supposed to descend to Eliat together. Rumors started circulating that the roadies were falling apart on the way and had to be picked up and bussed to the gathering point, and we waited and waited, and waited, and we could have all ridden the off road portion of the ride after all. The Roadies started showing up at around 2pm and we had more than three hours to sit in the sun (or shade for those who were lucky to find it).
Once everyone had gotten there, eaten and rested we had one final climb up the Hizkiyahu Mountain and a wonderfully fast descent into Eilat. While the gang fixed and unpacked the tandems I let Eli and Orli to their rooms. When I located my room I discovered I was sharing with a group of teenaged girls and freaked out (there were eight of them and were very loud and the line to get into the showers seemed way too long. I immediately ran over to Orli's and told her I was using hers. In the end Oded said he was going to sleep at the beach that night (even angels need some rest sometimes) and that I can have his bed…
That evening we had a big party at the Sport Hotel in Eilat. Good food, a performance by the Black Hebrews and lots of twirling on the dance floor with Eli, who is an awesome dancer. The only downside was that the mechanics were stuck at the hostel unpacking bikes and couldn't join us for the celebrations, which they totally deserved to be a part of (something to emphasize to the organizers next year…).
Friday morning was full of emotional goodbyes. Unfortunately I wasn't able to say goodbye to everyone as we were pretty much rushed to get on the buses for the long ride back home.
Overall it was an awesome experience. I'm still finding it hard to come back to earth. The desert views, the new friendships, the old ones, all left me with the appetite for more.
Next year's routes have already been announced, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, y'all know, I'm going to be there…
