this is my knee over there, hiding under some wired electrodes. i actually think it helps.
and all the while, my readers count is growing and growing. 1796 readers in a little under 2 months. its amazing in my eyes, as i don't really promote it out of israel. how you guys reach my blog, is beyond me.
being in top form, and then not riding for three weeks feels like a full bath, drained of its water: unusable, sad and empty. it will take a while to get back to form, but then again, time is all i have.
its a shame, as i really wanted to race some upcoming events. meanwhile, i'm trying to get my knee better, by cooling it, heating it, electrocuting it and talking to it.
it doesn't efect my drumming abilities, so the show went great, without any big misshaps... it was even pretty crowded.
that's it. i am taking a whole week off the bike. this damn knee thing does not want to go away, so i'm planning on locking the bikes garage door, and giving moran the keys. otherwise, i'm afraid i won't be able to control my bike craving...
i know i sound like a cry baby, but my knee is doing pretty bad, thank you. trying to ride doesn't seem to work, so i rest. i don't like resting.
went to my friend's dan back yard, for an awesome jam. it was like dreadlock heaven over there... this is dreadlock mountain. its just outside hippie town.
and to finish off our house's look, moran and i went to ikea. its jenius, but somehow it bugs me that every living room or kitchen, look like there is someone really living there, and every part of their house has a price ticket on it... capitalism at its worst.
moran and i went for an easy ride today, as the sun came out from behind those nasty rain clouds. i wanted to show moran the shortest way to the beach, 'cause, you know, the summer is coming...
my knee felt a little better, i guess, but i need to push a little harder in order to see if there's real progress. tomorrow, maybe.
my show will take place on sunday, the 29th, in a place called "sublime", on salame st. (number 53) in tel aviv. the show starts at 20:30. 
at least look like your'e able to. these are pictures for next month's magazine, and the bike i'm riding is a ventana el ray 29. being that i have not ridden in the past 10 days, i think i look rather fit...
it is killing me, not riding. 
that damn right knee. it hurts. it sneaks up on me... it doesn't hurt for the first 25 minutes, and then it hurts all of a sudden. thats it, i'm taking some pills. not riding for a week makes me anxious... riding my bike is like breathing. its like eating, and going to the toilet. its a necessity. you all know what i mean, right? c'mon, say it with me...
while taking some time off the bike, i'm getting familiar with some wild life. this parrot acts like a cat!! he likes it when you pet him on his head, and poops all over the place...
meanwhile, Tantan is finding out that life in the country can be very tiring. i mean, cats are just ridiculous, sleeping 16 hours a day. well, i'm jealous.
and this is Tantan's arch rival- moosi the mouse. 
this is my leg over there, hiding under a bag of frozen green beans. 15 minutes intervals of cold weather for my knee. i think i'll start taking some medicine on sunday. i have no time for this crap!
found this elmo in a kids shop. he sure looks like my Elmo. might be his rebel younger brother. rock on.
and Tantan is showing off his flexability. makes me envy. 
my knee is still out of order. i went for a longer ride today, and on top of breaking one of my egg beater pedals, my knee started hurting again. i think i'll take another day off. damn!
oh... my kingdom for a chipotle wrap. mmmmmm....
i am back on the bike. went for an easy 1 hour spin, to see if my knees still hurt. they do, but in a sufferable way. so i ride... anyway, i got these new shoes from my sponsor- bontrager RXL. this thing is written within the shoe!!
you know you have to go fast when your shoe tells you to. and its white. roadies style. hmmm...
i've also started testing this GIANT Anthem X1 for the magazine. it works great. i think i like it.
you know i do not tend to be shown that much on my blog, but these pictures, taken at last week's international race in misgav are really good.
they were taken by nadav rotem, a pro photographer, and they represent the nature of a cross country race...
btw, my knee is getting better. fingers crossed, i'll be riding my bike in a few days time.
it started out with the biggest pasta feast ever conceived by man. then it was bed time. well, i could not sleep. i was too excited. we started at 04:15 in the morning, with light systems. it was beautiful. 2 minutes into the race i went for it, and never looked back... almost. i had a flat 10 minutes after the start.
i installed an inner tube, and went catching the guys that passed me. after that, i was on my own for the next 11 and a half hours. i opened an hour and a half by the 130 km mark, and finished almost three hours infront of the pair riding behind me. i was the only one to finish in day light. i was also the only rider to ride the whole race by himself...
it was not all roses though... i harmed my right knee pretty badly, and i think i will need some serious recovery time. i hope to be back in the saddle as soon as possible. 
Tantan, our cat, is much like the french animated character- an explorer. he's finding his way around the new house, looking for new hiding places, trying to find his favorite spot of the house.
meanwhile, i got my 9.9 singlespeed ready for action. i went for bi-color on my sid worldcup.
and i fabricated a new chain guard, to prevent the chain from slipping, out of an old XTR 44 chainring. its ugly, but it works. anyway, i'm off to the desert. wish me luck. 
the "fact sale" race- a desert, unassisted, 230 km race is 3 days away, and i have loads of stuff to take care of. so, in order to get familiar with the course, i sleep and stretch over the maps. notice the fact that it takes 4 (!!) maps to cover the whole course...
meanwhile, oogie is a little sick, so i had to take him to the doctor. other than the fact that he really has somthing wrong with his leg, the doc told us we had to do somthing about his weight...
i mean, 50 kg is not fat!! he could be a world class road bike climber.
the misgav international race went great, and i performed better than i thought i would. i mean, i did not know what to expect, so i kept my aspirations pretty low. i aimed for top ten, and finished 7th overall, 5th among the israelis. good.
it was sure strange to wait on the line with all those racers, oh so serious... everybody's looking for that extra edge that will make them faster. well, i found mine: having fun. i enjoyed and suffered every minute of it.
i even won 50 euros! anyway, this race is in the books, and i'm back on the single speed this weekend. an epic point to point, 230 km (145 miles or so), unassisted desert race. i'm the only one who chose a single speed for the mission. maybe the other guys know somthing i don't?
this is the logo of a new initiative by a couple of guys, who like bikes. they have this moving bike shop, and they go around the Carmel best biking spots, and provide information, food, bike fixes and shuttle services. it seems like a great idea... i hope it works. look it up: www.wildwheels.co.il
meanwhile, moran and i are trying to find our way through the mess in the house. it is sort of, well, sorted, but the bedroom is full of boxes, still. its hard work, this moving thing.
and all the while, back in my parents' house, oogie is sound asleep. the bastard !!
the Misgav international race will be my first geared race since last year's Sea Otter Classic...
the race course is wicked, with lots of technical singletracks, and hard uphills. just like the doctor ordered... this is the Shap's ass your looking at..jpg)
i'm sorry for not updating the blog... it's been a few hectic days, with Moran moving in and all... 
living in a new place is such an adventure... every ride becomes an exploration. i took my rigid bike and went searching for new roads.
we live smack in the middle of the stretch that runs from the carmel mountains to the sea. its a few minutes' ride to the beach, where the huge waves of the last storm still hit the shoreline with a vicious roar.
and its a few minutes' ride to the best singletracks that israel has to offer. its awesome! 
we couldn't pick a better place to live in. perfect. 
