'been testing a sweet trail bike in the past 2 weeks- a five inch travel FUJI bike. today was the shooting day, so i got some awesome clothing from FOX and went riding in thr woods...
it was hot and humid today, so i drank like a thirsty camel, and had to stop every twenty minutes in order to water the trees.
worshiping a bike is second nature to me... nothing new here, i do it every night for my 9800 vintage trek. this was a sweet bike, and i love my job. 'nuff said.
in the past few nights i have been dreaming of bend. yep, thats bend, oregon. i truly miss the people i met over there, and it made me want to just leave everything behind, the bikes, the magazine, the kids i train- and move over there. my life is not bad, mind you, but the grass is really greener over there.
you see it all in a singlespeed race. and this one was one hell of a race. the people of this niche are somthing else. they all have a few bikes, and they all love their singlespeeds the most.
the beers and the trophy await, as we pass through the start\finish zone. the smile is permanent, you know...
the "dead cow challenge" was an israeli first. being a part of a pioneering group feels fresh, feels exciting, and makes me proud of what i chose to do in my life. even if this group is made out of cow-helmet-wearing weirdoes...
friday morning- a single speed race. every friday should start like this. this time, a couple's race. neil o'brian was a perfect match. he hasn't trained in a while, but the guy can still rock it, when he needs to.
the race was more than 2 hours long, but because it started at 6:45 in the morning, the BBQ started at 8:00. yes, you read it right- AM. there is nothing quite like meat at 8:30 in the morning. yummmmm
i am telling you, i think i am on to somthing here: train less, ride more, have fun, and you will be faster. don't get me wrong, i ride alot, about 15-20 hours a week. but without a training plan. when i am tired, i rest. when i feel good, i rip it. training? its for the weak!
it looks like this! this is lior dayan's work, a true pro photographer. it was taken yesterday, at a five budget bikes test we did for the magazine.
i love this rock-climb. it looks small in the picture, but its about a meter high, and its in the middle of an uphill. this guy makes me look like a pro.
seeing that lance armstrong is coming back to pro riding got me thinking... in the last 5 months i have been training less, having more fun- and i feel stronger than ever.
riding with the great kids i train makes me feel that little urge to go back racing and training full time. i will keep that thought on hold for now.
meanwhile, i am getting ready for this weekend's single speed race. this time, a 2 and a half hour couple's race, a la' cape epic/trans rockies. i found a great partner, and pictures from the race will come soon. wish us luck.
i called "shotgun", so i was in the front seat all day long. but not the driver's seat... next time, then. anyway, a car test works very differently then a bike test. you sweat less, eat more, and go faster.
i switched between cars so many times, my head was spinning. and it was not due to the VERY high speeds in which we were going, on the VERY twisty roads we have chosen. switching between cars is hard.
the cars. the dog. the desert.
it started out on friday morning. early. really early. 4 am early. riding with a guy i did not know, Amir- a great guy- on trails i did not know. sounds like an adventure, and so it was. the Jerusalem mountains are so quiet, and so "other country" like, it felt like we were riding abroad...
and then, in the afternoon i rode again. bringing the total riding hours on friday to 6 and a half. i was so tired, and another big day was still to come.
saturday morning. 5 am. a full day of CAR testing. yep! i was a car tester for a day, for a big car magazine. we went out, 4 executive cars, with 8 testers, for a day of desert driving, eating, breaking the speed limit etc. it was awesome.
i went out and got my sister a sweet cruiser. there is nothing quite like a new bike, to release that inner child within you, and to go ride outside, feeling that wind in your hair.
my sister did just that. and the smile is a given.
this whole thing reminded me of another beutiful girl i once knew... one of my favorite girls, in one of my favorite towns- moly from bend, oregon. the weather was much different, but you got to see the resemblance.
my best races have always come after a time off racing. somthing to do with the low expectations, and the lack of pressure, i guess. this one was no exeption in that sense. i finished second overall, riding my 9.9 singlespeed.
it was not a big surprise for me, as i felt good, but it was a nice thing to enjoy the whole scene once again. i have trained so hard for so many years, i forgot just how i loved biking. and i am good at what i do... especially when i enjoy it.
three days with the "kids" of our team, have confirmed 2 things i had already known: these are not really kids, and i am still out of shape. these guys ride fast, hard and very very well- the little devils!
with the same outfits they all look the same- fast!
tomorrow i will race for the first time in 4 months... since there is no singlespeed category, i will race the regular "pro" class. it will be a hard one, then. wish me luck.
sorry for the lousy update regimen... i have been traveling and getting back into shape, by all means. i went up north to yair, and spent my time there playing the drums, sitting in icy creeks, and crashing weddings, kissing and flirting with every chick in the area.
it was so much fun. i did not know anyone but yair at that wedding, and the chicks-in-little-black-dresses overload was a great reason to get drunk and dance. the wedding took place on a mountain, in the middle of no where. awesome!
spending time at yair's is always a great treat. we spend the time talking so much,my throat hurts. meanwhile,the riding continues, and the getting-back-into-shape curve is steep and painful, just the way i like it.
a visitor from my recent past dropped by to say hello. eitan (dorit and eitan, that is...) have stopped in israel, on their way to a bike trip in namibia (!!). so i took eitan on a little technical ride in horshim. it was hot. almost as hot as namibia, i reckon.
big nose. large feet.
i am back on track. i ride more and more, but i manage to live around it. and i do not call it training... its riding- and it feels better than training. i am in a pretty good shape, believe it or not...
i am putting on some hours. all low intensity, all single speed, all good.
just days before getting into surgery, my father managed to help me finish my new bike stable. with my brother's help we built the greatest private bike garage on earth.
boy, i do have too many bikes. but now they all have their own place on the wall. here's for dad, for being who he is. and here's for all the bikes still to come...(?)
while they are still young! my brother's youngest, amit, is the master of the "push-it-with-your-legs" bike. this guy is truly fast on certain down hills. he already needs new shoes.
yesterday the family went, as we do every year, to the cemetery in rishon le zion, to pay our respect and remember Hanoch.
this visit marked the 35th since he died, and it was a sad memorial, this one.
the army is all business, especially when it comes to the writings on the graves. keep it simple, i say...
i have been sick as a dog, in the past few days. i did not ride at all, in order to get well, but i kept on working in the yard all the time. i think that's what's keeping this illness with me for so long...
so today i am not doing a damn thing. nothing. nada. goornisht. well, except surfing the net. see you there.
no mom, its not a girl. its playing the drums. i am still a little rusty, but the feel is still there...
having the drumset in my house, ready to be played, is a big plus. also, i look cool while doing it, and its more than half of the job, isn't it?
this is my new home. it is still pretty close to my parents, but last night marked a big step. i left the house in which i had lived all my life, leaving my old room, and started a new chapter in my life.
you have to have some chicken in your yard, if you are to be a hard core farmer.
and even my drumset found a new house. the sound is still horrible, as i need to put some padding on the walls, but hey- if you don't care that i play between 2 and 4 in the afternoon, we'll be the greatest neighbors ever!
in the past week or so, i have been working my ass off, outside, in the blistering heat- in order to make my new house worthy of living in. it is almost done. but today i found my self thinking of new york, and all the places i have seen... i already miss it. well, back to the gardening.
yes, its a good problem, but a problem nonetheless... i have too many bikes. well, its the room that is a little small. that's why i am building a bike hall for my new house. each bike will have its own rack, and they will all be happy. they do look sad, don't they?
