the journey continues...

the preparations for the 400 km race started this saturday, with a 165 km ride aboard the gary fisher superfly i have as a test bike for the mag. it was an awesome ride, which started at 05:30 in the morning, and ended at 13:30 in the afternoon.

i think it was about 20 km too long... i finished it riding on fumes. the summer heat is killing me.

'decided to ride 2 long rides every week- saturday and tuesday, and in between- easy rides, with some intervals. you know, whatever the road brings.

i love riding bikes for a living.

summer in the city...

moran and i did some wedding shopping in tel aviv. together with my sister, maya, we hit the designer shops, and tried out some clothing for the groom, yours truly. needless to say, it was a tiring experience.

this is a red haired girl trying to convince me to buy a full suit. the whole shabbang. it was an unfruitful attempt. eventually, i did find the perfect wedding clothing. so no worries- i'll be dressed.

this is how most tel avivians look. they walk around with their helmets on, with no bike nor motorbike in sight. they're weird.

the 400 km race training is not working according to plan (if there ever was one...), but i truly think that a 20 hour race is mostly in your head, rather than in your legs. so, my legs are not there, but my mind is healty. or sick- depending on your point of view.

boys will be boys...

friday morning, 04:30 AM, and i'm on my way up north. 06:45, and we're on our way, climbing mt.hermon. we were riding rather easily, so the 100 km ride went very smooth... the weather was alright in the early morning, but got worse by noon time, when we rode down the mountain, greeting us with 35 degrees in the valley. all in all- a great ride, with great people.

and then- it was bachelor party time. Itay is getting married in two weeks, so all of our friends (male friends, of course...) gathered up north, slept on a river bank, ate meat like there was no tomorrow (and there was), and then, the next morning we ate some more.

oh, and we drank. and farted. yep, a hard weekend for my stomach.

one week at a time.

this whole weekly method of counting the days is very confusing. riding your bike for a living won't leave you time for real vacations, so the weekend is actually a work day. yet, it doesn't ever feel like a job. cool, eh?

this weekend i'm off to my friend's Itay bachelor party, up north. so, i'm taking my road bike with me, and i intend to climb the Hermon mountain. if i feel right, i might even climb it twice. who knows?

this is a pic from the last time i was there... that time i was with the singlespeed gang. it was the day after i met moran for the first time...

clear blue skies- november 7th. israeli winter.

a new interest...

i think i really like cooking. ever since i moved in with moran, i've been working on my cooking skills. its all still very simple, ofcourse, but i think moran sees my inner chef... that's why she bought me this David's cooking apron. i use it all the time.

the 400 km race date was published yesterday. november 13. its a friday. which makes it friday the 13th... spookey.

and... i got a new bike for a magazine test. its a gary fisher superfly. and it does just that... it flies.

back on track...

these past two weeks were spent on the single speed. every ride i did was aboard my gary fisher rig 29er single speed, and i love this bike. you know, i think 29ers are about to take over the biking world, regardless of how tall (or short...) you are.

yesterday i had a blast, riding with Keren, after a long long time. the girl kicks ass.

this weekend is a big question mark, biking wise. team CCC is heading up north for a big road ride... but i'm all into my singlespeed offroad adventures. what will it be?

stay tuned for scenes from our next episode.

i'm back !

my past few days were spent out of the house, in a kids training camp, while moran was sick at home. with all the media talking about the crazy flu going around, maybe it was for the best, being out of the house... at least moran is feeling better now.

the viscious israeli sun is hitting hard this summer, and no rider can escape the aweful consequences of being bi-coloured. my legs are especially heinous these days. no, really, kids are pointing at me and cry whenever i go to the beach. i think i will never ever be able to get the colours right again. a small price to pay, i say, in order to keep doing what i like best. yep.

just in time...

the weekend couldn't come sooner. it's been a crazy week, ranging from personal rides to training rides to wedding plans and meetings and magazine work. being an adult is hard. night time sleep is for the weak.

every friday morning moran and i leave the house at sunrise, and go ride with the women's group that i coach. these girls kick ass !!

this sunday i'm off to a kids training camp in Neve Shalom. its a three day fun ride, and the kids love being away from home, living, talking and breathing mountain bikes.

its the greatest sport ever.

a better place...

the news is all about the awful things that happen around us, that its sometimes hard to see the beautiful world we live in. moran and i do not have a TV in our house. that makes it so much easier noticing the good things...

and there are so many...

post number 500 !!!

this is the 500th post... how time flies. what started out as a road trip blog for my last US racing season, has now transformed into a real life blog. you are following not only my riding adventures, but also my ups and downs, my thoughts and love life... its all here.

and being that this is post number 500, i am really excited. some times i find myself looking at the world through a blogger's eye, thinking "is this blog meterial?". well, most of the time it is- and you get it all right here.

i want to thank all of my readers, and there are more than i ever dreamed of. thanx for taking a look at my life. our life...

here's to the next 500.

blogging blockage.

somtimes i find it hard to write a post in the blog. its not that there's nothing going on in my life, its just that its not always in me, writing about it in the blog. thing is, i feel obliged to do so, mostly because i have alot of readers, just like you...

the other day i saw a "kermit" on the road, just like mine. i wonder if his A\C isn't working well, just like mine, and the electric windows refuse to work- just like mine, and if the gearbox stick falls apart right out of its place- just like mine does. i love this car.

a soldier in the army of singletrack builders, ofcourse.

life. work. wedding. biking.

in between rides, work and writing, moran and i actually find the time to work on our wedding. you know what? there's alot to do, but it is much simpler than i thought it would be...

racing those short XC races is not as fun as it used to be for me. i enjoy the looooooooong races so much better. under five hours? huh!

yes, i would like one of those, please. to go.

i sense a trend...

just got a new awesome bike for a magazine test. it has almost all the things i like in a bike, folded into a package. its a chromoly frame, a 29er and it has no suspension. the only downside is that it has 27 gears. 26 too many...
its a GT peace, btw.

went to the "knights of the big wheel" event, and it was one for the books. alot of true bike lovers. we were riding in groups, in some of the best trails in israel, looking like the 29er gang.

then we had water melons and beer, and then it was food time. and beer. then everyone gathered for a 29 inch Q&A, and i took a (small) part in answering the burning questions.

i think i'm the only one with a regular headset top. that makes me very special...

back to business...

i'm riding again, but with this heat, i actually wish i couldn't... maybe its just me, or the fact that i'm getting older, but i feel like this summer is hotter than ever.

it might be the fact that i've spent the last 4 summers in colorado, or in canada. israeli summer sucks.

this thursday i'm about to attend a super cool event, called "the knights of the big wheel", and its all about 29 inch bikes. we will ride, eat, and as a dedicated 29 rider, i will be a part of a panel that answers questions about the benefits of the big wheels. the benefits? both the US marathon nationals, AND the XC nationals this year were won aboard a 29 inched wheeled bike.

would YOU like to convert?

if life gives you lemons...

just make a lemonade. which i did. not being able to ride for a few days has its benefits. moran and i went for a trip up north, that did not involve any bike related activities. it was rather refreshing...

even though its mighty hot outside, the water in the streams is cold and wet. wetter then regular water. or not.

the contrast between the dry and deserty(ish) Golan heights, and the green and lush valley below is striking. anyway, it was awesome sleeping out of the house, and in a tent, on a river bank. we should do it more often...

tomorrow is the israeli mtb nationals, in which i do not take part. i'll go watch, though, and see them suffer in the scorching heat, dirty from the dust, fighting for a better position. i wish i were there...

i'm okay, but it hurts...

well, nothing's broken, as the good doctor said, but i'm out for a while... no riding for me. or moving fast, for that matter. i hope to be back on a road bike soon enough.

meanwhile we are working on the wedding plans, as i try not to breath too much. breathing hurts.

so... no israeli championship for me. the next big race, as far as i'm concerned, is the 400 km, un-assisted desert race in november. i will have to log alot of road hours, so messing up my chest bones was not that bad, afterall...

another long weekend.

no pictures yet, but if i did have my USB cable, you would see me sitting on the sofa, breathing slowly, as one of left ribs is a little cracked. a long story, which has nothing to do with bikes.
i went go carting. someone bumped into me. hard.
i won, though...
was it worth it? hmm... i was sure of it last night. but now? not so much.

sorry...

sorry for not updating that much these days. its just that i'm rather busy. AND my camera USB cable went M.I.A... anyway, i've been around. i even got to ride in the desert a yesterday, riding the climb from the bottom of the Ramon crater to the city of Mitzpe ramon. three times. hmm...

on saturday morning i'm racing again. XC, sweat and gears.