i think my fitness is gradually climbing back to where i want it to be. i mean, i'm not about to win the championship, but i think i might be pretty fast. meanwhile, kermit (my green beauty) was at the shop again. they finally fixed my a\c so i can close the windows and enjoy the cool air from the vents.
yeah, right.
moran got my bottles ready for the race, by making the H that was written on them, into an H&M with little hearts...
since i almost never race on the road, i only got my '09 number plates this morning. well, the race was interesting, and i felt pretty good, but having no experience in road racing got me caught up in the back of the field towards the end of the race. also, i was fricking scared of all the movement within the peloton. its like a giant beast that moves all over the road. i was holding my heandlebars like it was glued to my hands.
and here he is- your '09 U23 israeli national champion- the Shap. 
i find it very hard to have the inner drive to go out and train hard. its a thing i used to do each and every morning for years, but now it seems so hard just to get out of bed. i mean, i do ride, but i train other people, and let myself cut the corners...
this weekend is the israeli road national championship, and i'm participating in order to help the team, and as a part of my training plan for the mountainbike championship, which is 3 weeks away. i will race every weekend 'till then. i hope it works.
ah... there's nothing like training hard in the confines of your living room. the air-conditioning is on, a fan is circulating the room's sweaty air. your legs burn from lactic-acid, and your jaw hurts from pushing yourself to the limit. i've been here many times before, but have not done it in a long while. i'm not sure i've missed it, though...
sorry for not updating that much lately... you see, i'm a working man. and when your work is biking all the time, that means you are also rather tired most of the time, which i am. but hey, i'm here, and your'e here- just keep on reading. BTW, this is me during last week's rigid-downhill-race eexperience. wicked.
anyway, in order to take care of my dwindeling racing fitness, i actually asked for a 4 week training program. it's meant to make a whole lot faster, comes championship day, in (drum roll...............)- 4 weeks. so- its training season. this means powermeter training, uphill intervals, early morning feasts and a sore bum. bring-it-on.
look 'ma, its a jelly-fish-chasing-yeti. 
the best show on earth... these guys are amazing. each and every one of them is a master of his profession, and together they create the ultimate progressive rock super group.
fuck yeah!!
it was the day everyone pulled out their black T-shirts. i've never seen that so many black T's...
on friday afternoon, as the alcohol defused out of my body, and my knees stopped aching from dancing in the wedding, i had an XC race in horshim forest. i rode so slowly!!! i was pretty fast in the first two laps, but the heat killed me. i finished 2nd. needless to say- there were only two of us...
i felt so tired after the race, but because i wanted to race the downhill race on saturday, i had to live like a real downhiller, and went out to party in tel aviv 'till 3 AM. i even ate at 2 in the morning. party, downhill style...
and then i woke up and raced my 29 inch, single speed rigid bike on the downhill course. it was w-i-c-k-e-d. i didn't finish last! i'll find some pictures from the race and will post them later on.
Ofri and Dror are married... its the first wedding in a summer full of weddings. i think we'll handle them all...
dror was excited as i had never seen before. good.
i love weddings.
wer'e getting ready for our own...
after kermit has amazingly passed its annual test, we can start the crazy weekend. its Dror and Ofri's wedding tonight, and we formed a wedding band for the occasion. it'll be funny as hell...
tomorrow i'm racing an xc race in Horshim forest. its my first geared race in a long while, and i'll be riding it with a hangover. it'll be interesting.
and on saturday there's a mini DH race, again, in Horshim. i'm going to race that one, too, but with a little twist. i'm racing my 29 inch, rigid singlespeed. 
i have to admit it- i'm a sweater. i sweat all the time, and when i ride, drops of sweat pour down from the top of my head into my eyes. when i put some pressure on the helmet, buckets of sweat leave my head and fall straight on the ground. i s-w-e-a-t.
so, its no surprise that this heat and humidity wave are killing me. biking clothes are wet to the core, and riding gloves are washed after every ride.
so, another week has passed, with lots of riding, on and off road. i even put in three (!!) hard workouts of my own, so maybe i'll get in shape sometime soon. i do ride very fast on technical downhills...
'took Moran, my sister Keren and her friend, Hen, on a singletrack ride. it was hot as hell, but they really seemed to enjoy the trails. it was Hen's first ride in the singletracks, and i quote: "i think i'm inlove"...
anyway, 'been thinking alot about the 400 km race i'm about to do in november. i'm sooo excited to do it. i'm considering building a light 29 singlespeed for the event. maybe a "superfly" gary fisher. maybe.
this weekend, the israeli single speed gang is climbing mt.hermon for the third time... (or is it the fourth?). i can't really ride with them, 'cause i don't want to overload my knee...
so i'm riding a little more on my road bike. a few days ago i went on a ride with Asaf, moran's brother in law. the guy used to be on the israeli national team, about 14 years ago. his bike is from the same era. i love it.
so i'm actually finding the time to train a little, in between coaching. good. the israeli national championships (road and off road) are approaching, and i don't want to ride like a snale. which i do at the moment.
