bachelor party #1

this weekend was spent upnorth, chillin' on a river bank with some good friends, celebrating dror's bachelor party. it was a happy happy party, with lots of drinks, and a freezing cold water stream.

being that we have quite a few weddings this summer, this will be the first bachelor party post. there will be others,you can be rest assured...

tal is showing off some lifting techniqes he learned, living in be'er sheva. 65 kilograms of biking bones, fat and muscles were lifted easily. the guy is seriously buffed.

so...

my knee is a little out of order, but its not that bad. i can even ride the yeti 575 i got for a month's test for the magazine. i won't race this weekend, though...

the weather has been pretty nice, and riding in the mornings or in the afternoons feels great. the winds are a little high, and under a tree's shade it might feel like an autumn day.

got my ear pierced. yes.

biking's in the blood.

riding your bike has no age. people who love biking will ride whatever, where ever... just give them a road, provide them the right bike- and they're off.

thats why so many riders came to the wheels of hope ride on saturday. they share a passion, a simple one.

and that's why Efraim, the coolest 82 year old person i've ever met, was there. he rides non stop. 6 years ago he rode the "cross israel road ride"- a three day, north to south event. awesome. ofcourse, he was so young back then...

mmm, mmm, mmm....

on friday afternoon i got a new angle of my girl, watching her working as a rock climbing guide...
hot, hot, hot.

and then she showed me how to climb... i love this girl.

and saturday morning saw us riding with another 10,000 (!!!) riders, on the wheels of hope ride. i've never ridden with so many people, and the waves of riders were truly and utterly amazing.

another weekend is in the books. or blog...

weekend warriors...

it's been another weekend of cycling, but with a twist. it started out on friday morning, with a single speed ride of the wicked singletracks of the area.

all the usual suspects of the israeli single speed community were there in full strength. the vibe was as good as the singletracks. good.

tantan likes it fresh.

out and about...

i've been working non stop, coaching, training and such... but i managed to find the time and put some workouts for my self.

i even think i'm about to get in shape...

eat that, cute, fat cow!!

wheels of hope.

this saturday wer'e attending a benefit ride called "wheels of hope", which raises money for a non profit organization called "challanges".

"challenges" aim is to help children and people with special needs, take a part in extreme sports, such as diving, riding, rock climbing etc. and be an active part of society.

my father has been volunteering for "challenges" in the past few years, and moran works there for a few years now. so, this saturday my brother and his kid, my sister and her kid, my father, nephew, and moran and i are joining the ride.

i'm getting my 9800 ready and clean for the occasion...

spirit of ecstasy...

this heat wave is killing me, and having no gas in my car's (kermit) aircon makes me sweat like a pig. i had to do somthing about it.

so i went to fill some gas in the thing, and i happened to park aside a rare 57' silver shadow rolls royce. the contrast between my green ugly kermit and this beauty was staggering, to say the least. it had no aircon, though.... ha ha.

meanwhile, i've been working on making my muscles look bigger. this is not my leg, because its not working for me... also, my leg is mighty hairy these days, so i'll spare you the picture.

mmmmmm..... falafel.

style.

my favourite band is coming to israel in a month, and i'm soooo excited. on june 16th, i'll wear some kind of a black shirt (maybe my "one is all you need" singlespeed shirt), and go loose my voice.

meanwhile, wedding season is officially here, and our friends are starting to get married one by one (or two by two, for that matter). its also a good opportunity for us to pick and choose some wedding looks of our own.

mawhawk style is back, people. sid vicious would no doubt approve.

path finding...

i've been trying to find the balance between riding as a trainer\coach and as a pro rider. it's proving to be harder than i thought... i'm tired from spending alot of hours in the saddle as a trainer, and its hard to push my own hard workouts in between. damn.

i reckon two\three short and intense workouts a week will do, but its a challenge finding the time to squeeze it in.

anyway, we are starting to get the hang of preparing a wedding, and this is the time to thank all the blog commenters for their kind words. thank you all...

out and about.

sorry for not updating that much, i'm rather busy, you see... i'm riding alot. 2 hours of riding in the morning (training people) and another two in the evening... talk about hours in the saddle.

anyway, i've started doing some hard workouts and

a. i'm out of shape.

b. its fricking hard.

c. it hurts.

d. i'm out of shape.

give me three weeks of this, and i'll race ya'.

maybe i'm inlove or somthing, but things that come in pairs look like they were meant to be together...

party time.

today we had loads of friends in our back yard, celebrating our new house and our engagement. i woke up early in the morning, and went riding in the hills.

special occasions call for special means, so i took out my vintage 9800 beauty for a ride. it was the first time i rode it in the singletracks. a-w-e-s-o-m-e !!! i don't really like the fact that it gets dirty, though...

last week i had lots of riding hours, but no hard workouts. next week i have to put in some intense intervals, otherwise, i think i'll watch my physical fitness going down the hill, literally...

LOVE IS ALL U NEED.

it's been exactly 6 months to the day, since i met moran. this is the first ever picture i've taken of her. i knew right away...

alot has happened since. we have been abroad, we have moved in together, we became best friends. we're inlove...

and this is us now. a couple. tell you what- i'm the happiest man alive.

tell you somthing else- we're getting married !!!

woooooohooooooo!!

more than 3000 readers- bring on the comments...

how time flies...

this weekend, a year ago, i was riding in moab, utah. how things have changed since then. i mean, the riding continues, but i have to admit- the scenery isn't quite the same...

i know i'll ride there again some day soon, but meanwhile, i will have to settle for some israeli singletracks. i do miss the "porcupine rim" trail, though.

the shity weather (sand storms, heat wave and gusty winds) makes me miss the muddy winter days. anyway- i've been riding more and more, and there are some more races coming. i'm way out of shape, but i'm not in a hurry. time is on my hand. or leg...

singlespeed race sum.

http://http://www.sport5.co.il/articles.aspx?FolderID=966&docID=58239&lang=HE
the guys from channel 5 were there, making a short video of the race. check it out :)

hmmm...

to the victor go the spoils...

as good as it gets.

the race was awesome, and the start line was filled with hungry (and half drunk) singlespeeders. the race course was brutal, with lots of climbs, and loads of singletracks. just as it should be. 88 riders raced, and the vibe was somthing that only singlespeeders can create.

the meat was served at 8 in the morning, and beer was passed around at 7 am. time and time again these people show me how love for biking can create a community. how the search for a new challange attracts even more people. biking at its essence.

the shap and i won the race by an "acceptable" margin, and splashed beer all over the place.

the fricking sports channel was there !! comes to show you where the real interest lives...