Pain

Group training/torture. My legs feel like seizing up and I'm hobbling around like a penguin. The worst thing is that I had to leave early for a meeting so didn't do the last two hill intervals. I can only imagine what I would have looked like then. We did sprints which got my hamstrings really burning. then we went onto one of my favorite sets. Uphill intervals in the big chainring. This burns all the way up but because it is time based I can see myself improving as the season continues.

Colton, one of the up and coming Israeli riders

The Machine Tamir, he is the Yehuda Moon of the group

Erez, my trusty riding companion

Ofir (aka Coach), the master of pain

The January Century - Part 2

Where has the week gone. Well went for a ride today that I'll post about later but I really needed to finish off the post about the century ride from last week. Well I can say that up until today my legs were still feeling the pain from the long ride so hope that I have now rested up these cement pillars and return to normal until next months grueling ton.

As I was saying in the previous entry after I hit the half way mark things did get a bit hairy. I had made my way to the top of Misgav and this was going to be the furthermost I would be from home and then turn around. To my amazement I had only racked up about 40km by this stage so need to wonder around a bit or at least take a detour to make up the extra kilometers.

After stopping for a sandwich and looking at the map I decided to take the Camels Back on the way home. This would send me out of the way a bit but involved some more climbing. I knew the way and also was aware that the gradient was not silly. Making my way there though I needed to go through one of the villages. In hindsight with the situation as it was with Israel and Gaza I should have known better. Never having something happen before I pushed on and was greeted by a small group of kids who started throwing stones at me. I just kept my head down and got out of there asap.

This shook me up but I just wondered how throwing stones at a lone cyclist was going to help the situation in Gaza. The crazy thing is I'm not Israeli or Jewish so all in all I'm as far removed from this as you can get. The valley was really nice though after that before I needed to make my way up to Camels Back. There was another climb in between but I got over that fine with the adrenaline still pumping and then it was onto the climb. I had been there the day before exploring the singles we had built so felt great to be back.

This fast descent lead me into another village, this one alot bigger but I normally go in to get humus or baklava(a sweet pastry) so didn't think anything of it. It had been a band of kids in the previous village so I thought that things would be OK. Then I got to a round about and there were some teenagers and would you believe it they started throwing rocks at me. these weren't stones but rocks. Luckily their aiming was about as good as their mentality and I got out of there safely but I was pretty shocked from the days experience. The fact of putting in 100km on dirt is quite enough without having to dodge the mob.

By the the time I got into the fields near home my legs were starting to hurt. I was forced off the bike in one case by a severe cramp in the hamstring. It felt like I had a soccer ball inside my legs and I just couldn't loosen the bugger out. I eventually got back on the bike and slowed down the pace for the last 20km. I had made a arithmetic mistake and though I had ten to go but then realized that it was double that. So I will not be doing any calculus after a hard day on the saddle that's for sure.

The last bit pretty much flew by and with the help of the iPod I was kept sain for the entirety of the ride. I'm already planning the next route but trying to find something less hilly is proving difficult. I may just make it a multiday ton where I'll do the century the first day out and then make sure I'm close enough to home for an easy spin back the next day.

Bet Keshet - Israel's Bike Park

As you can see the lack of sleep means that I use every opportunity to catch up with father time whenever I can. the wind had picked up and my eye's were itchy as hell so I decided to close them for a second on the way to Bet Keshet. This is about as close as you'll get to a organized bike park here. They have build about 20km(12m) of single track around the nature reserve of Bet Kehset.

My expectations were pretty high so I must say that this put the place at an unfair disadvantage. Its like going to a movie you've heard so much about and then when you watch it you feel a bit disappointed because it didn't live up to your built up expectations. There is nothing wrong with the trails or the place, its just that I was hoping for something a bit more technical. For those who do not like the technical stuff this is a perfect way to build up the confidence.

The connections they've made are brilliant with some great little built up patches and near the end a great flowing trail leading back down the hills. Everything is green at the moment with flowers spilling over onto the trails. With our 26 degree weather of yesterday it really feels like spring already. The wind did keep us covered up though with its icy sting in the tail coming from the eastern mountains.

We were out for about two hours and I was just going photo crazy. This is the great thing about riding with a group and just having fun. I even took a spin on a 29" Niner but it was a bit to slow from what I'm used to. Although I must add that after sitting on the Niner and then returning to my Epic it felt like I was getting onto a kids bike. The narrow handlebars I have setup probably exaggerate things even more but hey, that's the way I like it.

Erez was having none of it and tried to convince me to try a set of riser bars he has lying around at home. I may take him up on the offer because the twitchiness of the Epic is a bit silly. The Niner simply rolled over everything and on the climbs it was great but as soon as we hit a narrow technical section I was wishing for all the twitchiness I could get.

We stopped for tea and some dried dates, nothing like a bike of natural glucose to get the bones warmer up and ready for the next bit of single track. Tomorrow I'll probably head up the beach for my easy ride before next weeks onslaught.

Easy Ride, whatever!!!

Went out with a good friend this morning, Shaked. Haven't seen him in ages but every time we get together I'm guaranteed a great ride, not an easy ride but always good. This morning I was still feeling the cement mixers in the legs so really wanted an easy spin. We started really well with a great pace and then met up with another friend called Shloosh. He's a monster on the road and simply tears up the dirt so the easy ride went straight out the window right there.

The pace gently increased as we all tried to keep up with each other. Each in turn driving the pace on. In the end we did just under 40km in about an hour and a half so the pace was brisk. The air was just as crisp so all in all we looked like helmeted drunks with our cherry noses. I really enjoyed the ride and will hopefully get some rest the weekend with an easy ride.

Midday Break

Had a break during work for a ride. I'm feeling my legs and a bit tired so to start with I was not exactly the Duracell Bunny. Well the mud soon laid bare my sappy legs and showed exactly why rest is good. Been getting some great sleep but the time off bike is what is needed. I will have a few more days of pain and then I will have an easy week. On a period of three hard weeks and then a rest week, rinse and repeat. So today's ride was a probably one I will forget very quickly just because of how I was feeling and the conditions. Ended up on the road for the loop back just because I did not have time to go shloshing through the mud. Tomorrow I'm off to ride with an old cycling mate so really looking forward to seeing him and starting the day with a ride.

Finally got to traing with the Spiders

Got all my piggy's in a row last night and went about have a descent nights rest for practice today. Haven't been out with the team for almost a month. Basically due to something coming up and me looking out for the job I have made sure I'm flying well under the radar and not sticking out. And boy was I glad I got out there with the guys.

I'm normally the youngest there but some of the guys that are waiting for their army service call up have been joining us in the mornings. So these are the elite riders and push you all the way. I tried to keep up and even though I was supposed to be doing some base riding there was no way my heart rate was going to stay in zone 2 keeping their pace. It was fun though and then we got to the business end of the training.

First up were some spin ups. We did a pyramid of 123/130 cadence just to build up some speed. This is a great exercise for me because this is one of the area's that I really need to work on. Also this is the time that most of the group is together so you get to see the new bling on the bikes and talk about the latest meanderings in the biking circle. After that is was standing intervals and after Saturday and the pace of the morning my legs were not happy with me. I pushed through and ended up with a great ride. Now all I need to to is get back into this routine.

Twitter

Just a short one for anyone on Twitter. I'd love to follow the readers of yea old blog so feel free to leave a comment below so I can follow your feed. Anyone wishing to follow my sporadic posts can feel free to join look me up, I'm under BikingBadger. I've really started to get hooked by the social networking tools out there and have been playing around. Any suggestions on other websites feel free. I am also on Facebook so anyone wanting to "be my friend" can search for Hilton Meyer. See you online.

The January Century - Part 1

Yesterday's ride took a bit out of me and I would like to sit down and write something substantial for you to read and not rubbish. The ride itself was a fifty fifty decision but in the end I was super glad that I went. After three days of horrendous wind I was not planning on going out and attempting to ride a hundred kilo's into a head wind. I also didn't have a set route but rather a grand plan of how to go about things

I rolled out of bed at half five looked at the enveloping darkness and went straight back to bed. After wrestling with myself I eventually got out of bed to realize it was an amazing day with only the slightest of breezes and a sun filled sky. So I packed some lunch and took my sparkling stead off for a day outing. One thing I realized was that I should have packed some spare lube in the pack but after it weighed in at 5 and a half kg's I immediately decided to stop filling it up.

The trip took me south down the coast and then inland towards my training grounds in Misgav. I new the area from previous rides so the whole day I sort of just connected up pieces as I went along. Next time I hope to explore a bit and probably will put a bit more into the planning of the day. The first part of the journey was pretty uneventful and seeing as it was through fields of wheat other than being beautiful and green it was mostly flat and boring. Luckily I had the iPod plugged into the ears as this would have been a long day keeping myself company. More tomorrow on how things went slightly pear shaped and a bit scary.

Trio's Triple Digit Torture

Not sure how I got involved in this but I did the first century of the year. So one down and eleven to go. I must say I'm hurting a bit and hell of a tired. My fitness is down there somewhere and have never attempted a century other than at leisurely pace and definitely never all off road. The sense of accomplishment is amazing and will go over the ride tomorrow as soon as my crapping has stopped;) Thanks Trio for this challenge.

Bit of Mud

Very easy ride with Erez today. Had some fun around the singles that we, well I say we but really more they have been building. Only planned a short ride as I feel that the flu is on the doorstep and was feeling bit tired. I had planned to do the century ride today but looked out the window at half five and went straight back to bed. Luckily Erez and I had said we would meet up at seven so I had that down and forced my lazy arse out of bed.

The singles are around Har Gamal(Camels Back). Fantastic enjoying your own creation although I must be honest in saying that some of them do need some more work to get the flow into them. There is one that just sort is really like jelly as you throw your bike around with some technical sections.

The kids had been building berms every where, even where not exactly needed. I was trying to convince Erez that if you use them they can be quite fun but he didn't want to be forced in to a line.

This was my take on the line. there was a berm to the right that I said you could simply cut out and come straight down the hill. This way you can use the berm to keep your speed. My theory prooved correct so we'll see whether the changes are put in place. The problem is that there are not that many riders using the trails so they don't have their lines as solid if they were riden all the time, guess I'll just need to make more of an effort to get there.

Should I or shouldn't I

I've set myself a goal to ride 7 out of 10 days, or 70% of the time. Having been a slacker in the beginning of the month and the technical issues I now only have three days in hand, or had. I should have gone for a ride today but found my work so enthralling (read far too much on my plate) that I looked up and the sun is on its way down.
I have the trainer set up but my Achilles hurts, not sure why but don't want to take a chance sitting and pounding away. I will probably go for a swim because after seeing four walls all day I need to get out and do something. So I hope to do the century ride either tomorrow or Saturday. It seems none of my companions will be able to join so I will do it solo.

Sneaking out

Three days since my last ride and after a string of rides I was starting to have withdraw symptoms. Mainly super grumpiness and wasted hours browsing bike porn. My trusty stead was in need of some replacement parts in the rear shock so the bike went in on Sunday. So after some TLC and my first bike orientated purchase of the year I was keen to get out and ride.

I was supposed to go out with Erez today but I just could not get out of bed. I decided to sleep in a touch and raised from the grave at seven and was off to work. I normally get to work at this time so it was great to sleep in. Apparently it was really cold and windy this morning so didn't miss that much in terms of enjoyment. Erez said that his digits were still stiff after an hour and a half behind the desk.

I realised that a midday ride would be possible if I could sneak out and that was swap lunch for a ride. When you do something different it often make the ride so much more enjoyable and may become a weekly event just because I get to skip the cold of the morning and have some light to ride in. Also a great way to spice up the day and makes the afternoon much more palatable.

I rode between the fish ponds of Maagan Michael, the kibbutz on which the factory I work at is situated. The variety of birds trying to get some cover from the wind was amazing. I even saw something that looked very badger like so just that was enough to make the ride fantastic. I was only out for about an hour and covered 20km (12.4 miles) so basically a blood mover of a ride. I was just glad to get my fix.

Spring Ride

This was a great ride for two reasons: the best was that as you can see I finally convinced Mirit to head out with me, the second was that the day was absolutely amazing. This was Mirit's first serious ride so it was a big step for us. I'm hoping to keep it up with her and try and make it a weekly thing and hope that the bug bites.

Not wanting to head into the hills on the first ride we rode along the beach. We stopped as Mirit felt that she wanted to take a breather. I must say that she impressed me so much with the distance, we covered 20km(12miles) all said and done and were out there for more than two hours.

At the waters edge we took in the fresh air. The sky was clear and there was just a fresh breeze pushing us along. This might be the reason for Mirit's enthusiasm as she was not so impressed with the turn around where she had to deal with every cyclists favorite friend, the headwind. Luckily it was not at all bad but after 10km(6miles) on new legs it made the trip back a bit more interesting.

I also didn't get to kitted out and was actually under prepared because I didn't have anything to nibble on. Mirit's staying power completely blew me away as I thought we would be back home within an hour. She already loves her Kona so the bug may already have bitten. Wearing my clothing and helmet that I started riding with was kinda weird and I can tell you now that once you wear a bib going back is jsut not going to happen.

Even the water was pretty warm. This summer I definitely will make a better effort to go have a swim and even try getting my hands on a snorkel. There's also someone with a kayak on the kibbutz so may try and get on board that and see how the Med way of life really is.