11-30-2019 Ride

A curious day where the riding was harder than I expected.  Met Oren at normal starting spot and headed out to Hwy 4 to head north.  After the previous day's ride and playing badminton in the evening, maybe I was more tired.  Oren was riding fast, so we traded leads for most of the day, setting a faster pace than we typically ride.  Out to Hadera and beyond, to the 65, where we turned right onto the 6403.  I was half expecting that this was where we were going to stop for coffee, so it was a chore to continue riding for me.  A right on the 574 for a short downhill before turning onto the 581.  I was struggling to keep a pace, hanging with Oren but working at it.  Thankfully, we stopped not too much longer at a cafe for a coffee and chat about situation at HP Scitex.  It wasn't too much of a revival for me, as getting back on the bike and riding at speed was still tough.  Continued on the 581 until we turned onto the 5803, turning into the 5714.  Back to the 57, where we turned and headed back to Netanya, initially starting off at a slower pace but picking it up over time.  Then back to the starting point the normal way.  Average speed was decent, but level of personal effort needed to complete it was higher than expected.

Avg speed = 16.8 mph. Total mileage = 42.2 mi

Total elevation gain = 1050'

https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3920131231

11-29-2019 Ride

Solo ride in the morning, it was just a bit chilly at times in the first 45 min or so.  Simple route, out Ben Zvi and the 44 past Hwy 3, riding the gentle climb and then down to get to the gas station before the sharper climb, where I turned around and retraced my route.  There might have been a little bit of a headwind heading out and tailwind on the way back.  There were not steep climbs, but I kept my speed above 10 mph, and mostly above 11 mph on them.  Felt good throughout, although I could tell my legs were tired at the end.  Back in town, I turned on Shlabim and took it to Jaffa St, then to Kaufmann heading north to try and bring my total mileage to 50 mi.  Back toward Yafo and a little bit of riding through the neighborhoods to get home.

Avg speed = 16.9 mph. Total mileage = 50.2 mi
Avg heartrate = 155 bpm
Total elevation gain = 2040'
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3918957595
https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/27038890771

11-22-2019 Ride

A generally casual ride out Ben Zvi and the 44, on impulse taking the Lod turnoff and riding through what I can only guess was the industrial, non-photogenic sections of south Lod.  On Yoseftal St, turns into Sderot Hativat Yiftach, then veers east and becomes Sderot David HaMelech, which took me to the 40.  I headed north, continuing on the 46 until I turned onto the 4613 to connect back to the 40.  Rode over to the 461, heading back home the normal way via the 412 to the 44 and Ben Zvi.  Back end of this ride was faster than the front end.  Later on, we headed over to Palmahim Beach for a one-night camping stay.

Avg speed = 17.0 mph. Total mileage = 32.5 mi
Avg heartrate = 142 bpm
Total elevation gain = 750'
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3908904781
https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/26919758053

11-15-2019 Ride

Solo ride in the morning, heading out Ben Zvi and the 44 to the 40.  I could feel a headwind on the way out, which slowed me down somewhat.  At the 40, I headed north to the 443, then out toward Ben Shemen and Modi'in.  It's a gradual climb, and I was feeling good on this stretch.  Out until I got to the turnoff for Modi'in West, where I turned around and retraced my route.  Fast back to the 40, and also fairly fast on the 40.  I had a good pace on the 44 back home as well. aided by a noticeable tailwind.  Legs felt fine, although my heartrate was a little higher than I would have expected.

Avg speed = 18.2 mph. Total mileage = 42.6 mi
Avg heartrate = 148 bpm
Total mileage = 1560'
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3898484473
https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/26737200860

2019 Shanti Ride

It was a good day on the bicycle.  I rode the Shanti Ride with Zvika, Dror, Nir Gilon, and Asi Katz as port of an HP Indigo team (with custom jerseys).  We started from that new parking lot near the Etzel House, heading over to Kibbutz Galuyot and then to Shlabim.  All roads were closed to traffic for the ride, which made it much safer (at least from cars) and nicer.  On to the 20, where the pace started to pick up from a very slow start.  Onto Hwy 4 going south, which we stayed on for longer than I remembered from 2 years ago.  About 25 miles into the ride, we turned onto the 232, and rode to mile 27, where there was the first rest stop.  The weather was ideal, cloudy with no real wind to speak of.  After the break, we continued on, starting with a very minor little climb.  Past Sderot and down to Sa'ad, where there was a short section on the 25 before continuing on the 232.  Down to Beeri, near the forest where Ann and I went awhile back to see the Darom Adom.  This second rest stop was at about mile 53, and the food was more sparse than I had remembered from last time.  Weather was still cooperating.  In each section, I was able to catch up to the lead car and ride at its pace with the front group.  Seemed slower though than last time, I don't think my fitness level was so much better.  After the break we continued on the 232 until we split off onto the 222 just past Magen.  Not much yet in climbing, so the riding was relatively easy.  Next rest stop was at about mile 73.  Somewhere in this section, I lost several miles of tracking on my MapMyRide workout, even though the route is fairly accurate.  Still feeling good, but anticipating the climbing to come.  However, the next stretch, although generally inclining, was a good one for me, as I wasn't really feeling it and kept up with the front of the ride.  At some point just before we got to the 40, we took a little jog on side roads to the next rest stop, which happened around mile 94.  This section seemed to have modest climbs but a little wavy to allow for some recovery.  This last rest stop was a little longer, because the day was warming up (they gave us popsicles!) and the next stretch had the sharpest climbs.  When I got off my bike here, I could feel it in my quads.  So during the rest I massaged my legs a little and stayed in the shade, hoping that it wouldn't get worse.  Back on the bike and onto the 40, which had a series of very modest climbs, each one generally followed by a flat or slight downhill section that helped with recovery.  While the sun was now out, I wasn't noticing it so much, it wasn't hot.  I was able to keep up a decent pace and catch up with the lead car after a couple of the uphills, probably because it was going slowly on the descents.  After I caught up, I was generally able to stay with the pack, which felt good.  Legs were holding out.  At the final short stop, we met up with kids and adults from Bet HaShanti for the last stretch riding together.  It was inspiring, and the pace was pretty easy to keep up with.  The turnoff for the Desert Shanti House is not so far past that pretty overlook facing Ein Avdat and Ben Gurion's desert home.  I felt good all the way to the end, riding at the very end up the drive to the finish line next to a guy galloping on a horse.  I rode past the pace car, and I think I was the first one under the finish arch, for whatever that's worth.  Bike loaded onto a truck, a quick shower and a change, then a surprisingly good dinner on a beautiful evening.  After the program, which was too long and talked too much about how well the ride was planned and executed (it was, by the way), we got on the bus heading back to Tel Aviv around 5:40, and ride back took a couple of hours.

We made it back to the starting point before all of the trucks carrying the bikes, so I had to wait until my truck showed up.  It was a total balagan unloading the bikes, reaching the point where unclaimed bikes that needed to be unloaded to get to others were just put on the grass or leaned against a tree.  I hope everybody got their bikes back okay.  I finally had to climb into the truck, don't know where the unloaders had gone to, and get my own bike, which survived the ride back okay.

On this ride, I was intentional about pacing myself in the early going, trying to stay in a steady cadence instead of riding hard and then slowing down.  It really paid off in the latter sections, where my legs were relatively fresh and I could keep my pace pretty much where I wanted it to be.

Avg speed = 15.5 mph. Total mileage = 109.7 mi
Avg heartrate = 140 bpm
Total elevation gain = 4150'
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3889841320
https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/26586172910

11-08-2019 Ride

Solo, easy and short ride to limber up for the big day tomorrow.  Out Ben Zvi and the 44 to Ramla, where I turned right and rode a little bit through the town to get over to the 40.  Then back to the 44, retracing my route home, using Shlabim to get over to Shalma and then the bike lane down Yerushalaim.  Faster on the return than I expected, but still a slow pace for me.

Avg speed = 17.0 mph. Total mileage = 25.1 mi
Avg heartrate = 136 bpm
Total elevation gain = 720'
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3888099421
https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/26584692917

11-02-2019 Ride

Short ride with Oren, starting from Netanya, getting out of the city the normal way, then heading south this time on Hwy 4, right into a steady headwind.  We turned off the freeway by a prison and then rode through Bnei Zion, a little community we have ridden through before, where a lot of cyclist practice.  Once through the neighborhood, and then a couple of more out-and backs on the straight road leading into it.  Then we headed out the 551, going west  and getting caught in a light sprinkle, a little weird since the rain clouds were not directly overhead.  Down to a road running parallel to Hwy 2, which we took north to Yakum to stop for coffee at an Arcafe there.  Neither one of us was feeling high-energy, so we decided to take the shorter route back to the starting point, riding on the side lane of Hwy 2 until the Poleg Interchange, where we got off and took the street that goes by the Tiv Tam.  From there, the way back to my car was straightforward.  Not a fast ride, but I could definitely tell that my legs were still feeling it from the previous day.

Avg speed = 15.8 mph. Total mileage = 29.6 mi
Avg heartrate = 132 bpm
Total elevation gain = 680'
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3878227993
https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/26432740741

11-01-2019 Ride

Long ride on this day to prepare for next week's Shanti ride.  During the night, I thought about what route to take and made a rough, slightly incorrect estimate that it would be about 82 or 83 miles.  I was off by about 6 miles.  Headed out, starting at 5:30, via Ben Zvi and the 44 to the 40, heading south.  It was nice, temperature-wise, for much of this ride, a little cool at the start.  I was riding a decent pace on the 40, not pushing too hard.  All the way down to the 35, where I turned and rode by Kiryat Gat.  So I can now say I have ridden to Kiryat Gat and back.  The road started to tilt up slightly near KG, and then past Hwy 6 it got steeper.  Road was under construction with no riding lane for a stretch, so that was nerve-wracking.  By this time, I was on the 38.  It seemed like a long time before I got to Bet Guvrin, You drop down into Bet Guvrin, then climb gradually to the highest point in the ride.  I was about 50 miles in, so I stopped here and had some cake and water for a short break.  From here, it was generally downhill with some flats until a couple of climbs, one about a mile long and the other shorter and steeper..  Back to the 44 and the usual climbs and downhills.  The wind was really strange on this day.  Sometimes I felt it helping me along, but it shifted into a headwind as I got closer to home, so that slowed me down.  My legs felt okay, they responded when I would stand up on the pedals.  A little complaint from my hamstrings, but it didn't have any real effect.  By this time, I was done with pushing hard on the pedals, content to maintain a steady cadence and get home.  Felt fine at the end, here's hoping it's a good sign for next week.

By the way, I put my Fitbit in power-conservation mode, and at some point before I got to Kiryat Malakhi it ended the ride.  I didn't notice until I stopped for my break, so I just logged another ride for the last 37 miles.

Avg speed = 17.2 mph. Total mileage = 88.3 mi
Avg heartrate = 151 bpm (est.)
Total elevation gain = 3950'
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3876958357