the passover spirit...

spring is most definitely here, and there is no better way than passover Seder to celebrate the end of winter. you eat like there's no tomorrow, drink like crazy, and then eat (again)...
Matza with chocolate is like the food of the gods. really, it says so in the bible or somthing.

the desert weekend went great, and the weather was on our side, as just as we finished our beautiful ride, it started raining hard. in the desert. at the end of march.

it must be the passover spirit luck.

happy holy-days, and keep away from the Matzas... their full of calories.

out again.

well, i'm off for a few days, going upnorth for a kids training camp. i hope i can use these days to have a little diet going, as i need to lose a few pounds. 5 will do.

'been testing two bikes lately, for a magazine shootout- 2 different 120 mm bikes. two different approaches, two very different bikes. its a GT sensor against a Cannondale RZ one twenty.

these pictures were taken in Ma'anit forest, by the very gifted photographer Lior Dayan.

i'm off. peace.

its in our hands...

riding back to back rides in the northest part of israel and in the deep south, i can honestly say we have a beautiful country. being able to ride in the shade of old trees and lush green shrubbery, and enjoy the dramatic desert mountains in the same day, is a thing to appreciate.

the desert is all blooming these days, after the last few heavy rain showers.

and some trees upnorth are loosing their leaves, all yellow and brown...

beautiful.

it's a mag world...

'been working and writing a lot this month for the magazine and some other publications i work for. don't get me wrong, i love my job, but writing is somthing that comes from within, and writing that much takes a lot out of a person. you need to use words, you have to write an article, you have to beat the deadline. some times i'm too tired writing for my blog... this is why this month's crop is rather low. sorry.

anyway, its been a tired week, my body is recovering from the load i put it through last week. but next week is a nice one, coaching for 3 days in kids bike camp up north, and then, its straight down south for a 2 day technical riding course that i teach. a busy one, once again.

and now, for that short XX review.

the system works really well, even under heavy pedaling loads. having 10 cogs in the back, with a 36 tooth being the largest, and a 29\42 chainring setup at the front gives more than enough spread of gears for any situation. the shifting feels very positive, and the lever throw is shorter than it used to be on the X.O triggers. i use a grip-shift for the left hand (front mech) shifter- just because i like it that way. the front XX deraileur is a work of art, and shifts flawlessly at all times, right now, no questions asked. its the best i've ever used.

all in all, its a very nice setup, but if you ride a 29er and like to ride all over, and race somtimes, i'd go for a 26\39 chainring setup, and have all the gears i would ever need.

and suffer i did...

as much as i like to go out and watch other riders suffer as they battle it out on the race course, i like it even better when i go out and hurt a little.

today i raced my first XC race of 2010, the international race in ma'anit. it was sure crowded, with 30 fast europeans coming here to catch some sun tan, and some uci points.

all considered, i did rather well (having no training plan or a coach...), and managed to finish 5th or 6th fastest among the israeli riders. i even got to ride 3 laps with the Shap (as you can see in the great pictures of one, master Lior Dayan), who had a shity race. the guys are racing again tomorrow, but i'm taking a day off... maybe i'll go out and watch them suffer.

USA thoughts...

every March, for 4 consecutive years, i used to pack my bags and bikes, and go live and race all over the states in a beautiful RV. my home away from home...

so, its no wonder that every March i get that feeling. it might be somthing in the air, a scent of some sort, or maybe its the spring weather. whatever it is, it gets me thinking of the places i have been to, the open roads i passed through. my life is much different now, and i like it even better.

anyway, didn't race last weekend. i lost my racing permit, and can't seem to find it. maybe it was a sign, as i didn't feel like racing that much anyway.

this weekend i will race, though, and tomorrow i'll be on the race course, doing some hot laps.

a racing weekend.

on saturday i'm racing the international XC race in Misgav forest. the weather will be awesome, and the race course is wicked. i love that course, fast, technical and with lots of climbing.

i know my form is not what it used to be, but i'm truly at peace with it. that's life... not being a full time pro makes you a little slower, but then, you can only surprise your self.

fingers crossed.