06-29-2019 Ride

Solo ride from home in the morning while Laura was here for a visit, so I kept the distance lower.  Over to Kibbutz Galuyot and out to the 461, through some road construction but nothing major.  Again, there was a police checkpoint at the Ayalon but they didn't wave me down.  I could feel some wind working against me on the way out.  Rode to the 40 and headed south, where there was also something of a headwind.  There were two small groups of cyclists ahead that helped me increase my pace to try and catch, then pass, them.  So that made this stretch of the ride go more quickly.  Over to the 44, where the wind was more favorable on the way back.  When I got to Herzl St, I decided to head north into the southern part of the city, eventually making my way through Neve Tsedek and over to the coast.  Back home the new route.  Felt tired later in the day, even though it wasn't a big workout.  The last part was pretty slow, going through the city streets.

Avg speed = 16.7 mph. Total mileage = 31.0 mi
Avg heartrate = 144 bpm
Total elevation gain = 700'
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3634495777
https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/23211492756

06-28-2019 Ride

Solo ride out Ben Zvi and the 44 to the 40.  General plan was to ride into the wind on the way out so I could get an assist on the way back.  Headed south on the 40, riding out to the 411 before turning around and riding back.  The stretch on the 40 felt pretty good, riding both ways.  I missed my turn onto the 44 on the way back and ended up riding further before turning and going through the industrial section of Lod to get back to the 44.  Not so interesting, roads weren't good either.  Felt generally okay on the way back, able to make a couple of pushes of higher output.

Avg speed = 17.1 mph. Total mileage = 37.5 mi
Avg heartrate = 146 bpm
Total elevation gain = 1130'
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3632789122
https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/23190319982

06-22-2019 Ride

Ride with Oren and Slavik, starting from Netanya.  Oren originally proposed that we ride, slowly, 100km, but thankfully that didn't happen, although it was the longest ride I've had in a while.  We started out following a common route, riding over to Hwy 4 and heading north.  The wind wasn't so evident on the ride out, but pedaling was definitely easier.  Past Hadera until we turned off onto the 653, heading generally east until  we turned left onto the 654, which is a really nice road to ride on, not much traffic and good conditions.  Up to the 6533, which is also very nice, past Alona Park and through the village of Amikam, staying on the 6533 until it connected back to the 653.  We rode this back until we turned left onto the 652, which has a little uphill to it.  Then it was back to Hwy 4 via the 651, with perhaps a little bit of a cross tailwind to help out.  Once we turned south, the wind made the effort significantly harder.  Oren started to slow down, so I would ride ahead a little bit and then either slow down or wait for them to catch up.  Generally retracing our route back, although Slavik and I took the 5700 turnoff and then waited for Oren after the roads combined again.  Rode over for a break at Landwer, this is not a great place.  I pushed the pace a little bit on the return to my car, testing my legs to see how they were doing, and not too much problem.  This ride gave me a cardio workout for sure, not too much climbing but a good bit of sustained effort.

Avg speed = 16.1 mph. Total mileage = 53.6 mi
Avg heartrate = 141 bpm
Total elevation gain = 1520'
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3620487457
https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/23029087470

06-21-2019 Ride

Short ride after a late night going to a jazz concert by the Museum of Art and having a lot of trouble finding a bus to get back home.  So I rode out Ben Zvi and the 44, at a fairly slow pace, out to the 4313, which I had never ridden on before.  It takes you toward Nes Ziona, and right before the 431 I turned west and headed back to Rishon LeTsion and the 412 to get back to the 44.  Felt fine after starting, but my lower back was hurting later in the day, presumably from standing so much the previous evening.

Avg speed = 16.0 mph. Total mileage = 21.7 mi
Avg heartrate = 129 bpm
Total elevation gain = 720'
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3618501760
https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/23007895758

06-20-2019 Ride

Posted long after this ride.  Judging from the route, this looks like a ride up to the office where they processed my work visa.    Roads along the coast on the way up, then inland.

Avg speed = 9.7 mph. Total mileage = 8.9 mi

Total elevation gain = 280'

Avg heartrate = 121 bpm

https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3615240019

https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/22969695825

06-15-2019 Ride

Ride from parking lot in Netanya, meeting with Slavik but not Oren, who stayed home because Cathy was not feeling well.  We took the normal northbound route up Hwy 4, this time to Zichron Yaakov, where we both rode up the little hill into the town.  The wind favored us on the way north, and our pace was slower as we spent the first portion riding side by side and talking.  The little climb felt good, not great, and it was the first time in a while that I have ridden a grade.  The way back was slowed by the wind and my general fitness.  I couldn't keep up any steady pace on the flats greater than about 17-18 mph.  More improvement in fitness needed.  We met Oren at the Landower coffee shop in Netanya, then Slavik and I headed back to our respective starting points.  Later in the day, I was really tired but not sore.  Weather was generally cooperative, a little cooler until the sun started coming out, still humid.

Avg speed = 15.4 mph. Total mileage = 46.2 mi
Avg heartrate = 136 bpm
Total elevation gain = 1370'
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3606436921
https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/22843535821

06-14-2019 Ride

Got started a little after 6:00 on this ride, general loop out Ben Zvi and the 44 to the 40, over to the 461, then back to the 44 via the 431, then back home retracing my route.  It was somewhat slow on the way out to the 44, then it was faster for most of the rest of the way.  Felt fine on this short ride.

Avg speed = 17.3 mph. Total mileage = 30.6 mi
Avg heartrate = 145 bpm
Total elevation gain = 520'
https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/22821476175

06-01-2019 Ride

Finally, a ride with others after a long layoff.  Met Oren in Netanya and then Slavik, and we headed out the normal way to Hwy 4, heading north.  It had also been a while since we had taken this route of staying on the highway until (and in this case, beyond) Zichron Yaakov.  We rode out until just beyond the junction with the 67 before turning around and riding back the same way.  The wind was steadily at our backs on the way out, which made it fast and fun.  Not so much on the return.  I felt find and several times I hunkered down and pushed the pace into the wind.  But I didn't sustain it for any long periods of time.  Toward the end, I was ready to be done, a little hungry and feeling worn out but not in pain.  Oren and I stopped for a break at Landower Coffee in Netanya before we finished up.  My Fitbit battery ran out during the ride, so I wasn't able to fully capture the workout on this app, which includes tracking my heartrate.  It stopped at around 38 miles tracked, where my heartrate was averaging 136 bpm.

Avg speed = 16.0 mph. Total mileage = 46.4 mi
Total elevation gain = 1140'
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3577770874