08-24-2019 Ride

Solo ride in the morning, didn't hear from Oren the previous day.  I headed north on the main road by the coast up to Rokach Blvd, which eventually turned northeast into the 482.  This was a fairly casual pace, lots of lights and no real incentive from me to push it.  It was quite muggy, energy-sapping in a way.  This road dead-ends into the old town center area of Herzliya, so I backtracked a little bit and got onto the 541, heading east and then turning north, riding until this road petered out, whereby I turned right onto Weizman St.  This road generally headed east and then southeast, and after I got into Kfar Saba I made my way over to the 55, riding back to the 40 and then heading back home the way I've gone before, although a lot slower.  No drive in my legs, and the wind was generally working against me, no matter whether I was riding south or west.  Back to the 461, where I turned and stayed on this road, stopping at a Paz station for a Pepsi and Snickers bar to give me some energy for the last little stretch.  My legs felt okay, just no real push in them or mentally to deliver a higher effort.  Back home via Kibbutz Galuyot route, glad to be done on a ride that was longer than I had originally planned.

Avg speed = 15.3 mph. Total mileage = 38.9 mi
Avg heartrate = 135 bpm (est)
Total elevation gain = 1000'
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3748685545

08-23-2019 Ride

Solo ride after being out late the previous evening seeing Tom Yaar.  Not a lot of sleep.  Route out Ben Zvi and the 44 to the 40, then heading southwest to the 411, taking it southeast.  This road has a general upward slope, getting a little steeper by the Barkan Winery.  I rode out to the last of the climb and turned around before it dropped down to Hwy 3.  Thought it was around 25 miles at the turnaround but my cyclometer malfunctioned and had an extra mile or so on it.  The return on the 411 was fast, with perhaps a slight tailwind and the downhill to help.  Back to the 40, then to the 44, where I didn't feel any help from a tailwind and actually had some headwind as I got closer to home.  It was quite humid and that sapped my energy.  So, all in all, not a fast ride on a relatively flat route.

Avg speed = 16.9 mph. Total mileage = 47.9 mi
Avg heartrate = 142 bpm
Total elevation gain = 1380'
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3746861977

08-17-2019 Ride

Well, this was a strange day.  I met Oren and his friend Eyal near a Sonol station in Giv'at Ada, since Eyal wanted to do some climbing.  The ride started out fine, as we headed west on the 653 to the 654, which I had ridden once before with Oren.  This road is really nice for riding, and a lot of cyclists ride out here.  We rode to the 6533 and up to Amikam. Eyal is a climber, and he rode right with me.  We turned onto the 6533, which has a gradual climbing section. Then we turned onto a road that doesn't have a number, at least on MapMyRide, and took it to a Golani military unit training camp.  This section was up and down, and by this time Eyal and I agreed to ride ahead and wait for Oren at some later spot.  The road was rolling hills, and the rollers got more pronounced as we continued by the military base.  We rode to Giv'at HaRakafot and got onto the 672, where the climbing got more serious, again in a rolling sort of way.  Past Elyakim, we entered a forest area where the grade got steeper.  Except for a couple of times, I was able to hang with Eyal, who was faster on some grades, particularly the really steep ones.  We finally rode up to Daliyat el Carmel, and I thought we were done with the climbing, but Eyal took us around the city, heading mostly down until a last, really steep section that just killed me.  By this time, I was running out of water and energy, but I thought we were close to done, since Oren had indicated the ride would be about 60 km.  The downhill was quite fast in some places and relatively easy to ride, not so technical.  But after we got back to the rollers, I was toasted and really, really slow on any kind of uphill.  Kinda embarrassing.  We got back to the military training camp, and I had to stop.  I really thought I was done.  By a crazy coincidence, Oren was waiting right by this spot, and there was water to refill my empty bottles.  So I sat in the shade for about 5 minutes, had a couple of dates and rehydrated.  After that I was good to go, although still slow on the uphills.  Oren stayed with me, which helped my motivation.  And it turned out that we were closer to the finish than I thought.  Since it was generally downhill, I was able to get back without too much difficulty, getting something like a second wind.  Back to the 6533, turning left and getting to the 653 for a short stretch back to the starting point.

For any future rides with this much exertion, I am going to need to bring some kind of food and maybe even some kind of energy drink.  And I have to be in better shape.  After the ride, we stopped at a little cafe and ate fried cauliflower.  So, there was that.

Avg speed = 14.2 mph. Total mileage 49.9 mi
Total elevation gain = 3840'
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3734512462

08-16-2019 Ride

Ride after a fairly long day coming back from Tzfat, stopping at the Mount of the Beatitudes (okay, nice grounds, not really memorable), Tabor Winery (wines were so-so, IMHO), and Tsippori (the mosaics were simply fantastic).  So I got up at 6:00 and was on the road by around 6:30.  A regular route out Ben Zvi and the 44 to the 412, then the 461 to the 40.  At the start of the ride, I was fairly slow.  At the highway intersections with the 20, a bus came by me really close and I ran out of road, having to slow and falling over slowly.  Luckily, no real damage, just frustration.  Heading north, the usual tailwind wasn't there, but I made okay time.  Out to the 55, taking it a little further to Neve Yamin, where I turned, rode through a couple of roundabouts, and then started retracing my route.  On the way back, the wind was generally more favorable, although it was never a big push.  On this ride, I generally felt good, the weather was not as humid until I got back closer to the coast, and I think I avoided really high temperatures.  I didn't really push myself, and I was still fairly fresh at the end.  Although when I got home, it took me some time to cool down, and I was really thirsty.

Avg speed = 17.4 mph. Total mileage = 45.4 mi
Avg heartrate (no pausing) = 135 bpm
Total elevation gain = 860'
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3732669709

08-10-2019 Ride

Got up really early to go to Netanya and ride with Oren, who indicated he wanted a short ride.  So I was going to put some miles in before I met with him.  On the way, he texted and said he wasn't planning to ride, so I decided to drive to Pedaya and start from there instead.  At the start of the ride, it was actually a little cool, and generally the temperature was manageable.  Out the 44 toward Bet Shemesh, turning onto the 38 and riding southwest past the turn toward Nes Harim.  At the next opportunity, I turned left and rode through an industrial section of north Bet Shemesh, connecting to the 3855 and continuing on in a southeasterly direction.  It was a general uphill, not so steep but not much relief.  Another rider came along and passed me, so I got on his wheel and rode for a while, including taking leads.  We rode together to the top of this gradual grade, then I kept going without stopping on a downhill section that took me to the 375, where I turned around and retraced my route.  I felt fine, but was slow on the climb just after the turn onto the 44, so I need more hill training to get into any kind of shape for riding hills.  The downhill section to finish was fun.

Avg speed = 16.2 mph. Total mileage = 34.1 mi
Avg heartrate = 142 bpm
Total elevation gain = 2710'
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3720167719

08-09-2019 Ride

Solo ride from home after a late night at Regina's house wishing her a farewell.  I was slow on this ride, not so motivated by anything other than to get some miles in.  Out Ben Zvi and the 44 to the 412, heading northeast to the 461 and then to the 40.  I rode out to Petah Tikva and turned around at the turn for the 40.  Then I basically retraced my route back home.  The wind was noticeable on this ride, and I found myself fighting it on about half of the ride.

Avg speed = 16.2 mph. Total mileage = 33.2 mi
Avg heartrate = 127 bpm
Total elevation gain = 710'
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3718351906

08-03-2019 Ride

Ride with Oren from Netanya, standard route over to Hwy 4 and heading north.  We rode up to the 581 and turned inland, riding to the 5803 and taking it to the 5714.  Oren started the ride fast, especially the stretch heading north when the wind was at our backs.  Even after, he was pushing himself harder, and our pace was faster as a result.  We rode to the 57 and started back, and by this point he was starting to slow down.  We turned left onto the 582, and he really slowed down here.  So our pace was lower as we got to the 553 and headed toward Netanya.  This time, we stayed on the 553 to Hwy 2, which we took north for a short stretch before exiting by a mall and stopping for a break.  Then we rode back to the starting point via the stadium.  Generally a good ride for me, although I was getting tired at the end.

Avg speed = 17.0 mph. Total mileage = 35.2 mi
Avg heartrate = 138 bpm
Total elevation gain = 1010'
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3705546178

08-02-2019 Ride

Solo ride, after a restless night's sleep, and that restlessness continued into the ride.  Work-related stuff.  It was a simple out and back on Ben Zvi and the 44, riding generally into the wind on the way out, to the top of the hill before it descends down to Hwy 3.  The ride back was generally fast with a steady tailwind, in some places quite fast.  Not too much traffic, since I got started a little after 6:00 and it wasn't a very long ride.  Felt generally okay with steady pace on the way out, but I didn't work as hard on the way back due to the wind assist.  Need a more consistent effort throughout a longer ride.

Avg speed = 17.6 mph. Total mileage = 37.3 mi
Avg heartrate = 146 bpm
Total elevation gain = 1230'
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3703718872