IsraelRide 2013 - Ashkelon to the Northern Negev | Thursday, Oct. 31 - 111km

As we ride south from Ashkelon the terrain starts to change as we transition into the desert climate. We pass by various towns and agricultural kibbutzim but soon we leave the density of central Israel behind. We will learn about water conservation as we stop by a reservoir and see one of Israel’s many desalination plants.Our groups will split for the overnight, with Chalutzim staying at Nitzana near the Egyptian border and the other groups at Kibbutz Mashabei Sadeh in the northern Negev.  Tzofim: 69 miles, 2500 feet climbing. Overnight: Mashabei Sadeh. - Trip Notes

I have ridden today's ride several times in the past and it is not very exciting, although it can be if something is happening in Gaza!

I handed off the Torah to Brenda Jaffe, who is riding a tandem, with her husband, and off we set around 6.45am heading south to the Negev.
  

 
I didn't feel great today but carried on after the 30km pitstop to the 52kn mark where I caught the bus to lunch and called it a day to join the Shomrim Tour to an unrecognised Bedouin village at Wadi al Na'am. Very interesting. Click link for more detail: Bedouin Village

Dinner time now. Hope I can get something that won't upset me... and a good night's sleep!

IsraelRide 2013 - Jerusalem to Ashkelon | Wednesday, Oct. 30 - 96km

We ride west from Jerusalem through the Jerusalem forest towards the Mediterranean coast. We will learn about the history of the land as we pass modern farms, Roman ruins, and Biblical landscapes. Lunch will be at Beit Guvrin, a Roman-era city with underground caverns. We end on the shore of the Mediterranean in Ashkelon, one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world.Tzofim: 56 miles, 2800 feet climbing. Overnight: Holiday Inn Askelon. -Trip Notes.

We rolled out by bus to our starting spot just outside of Jerusalem and started the day with the traditional Traveller's Prayer in English, Hebrew and Arabic followed by the blowing of shofars - in stereo - by two of our riders. Then we were off cycling in reasonable weather - no rain but some headwinds.

 

It was nice to have rolling hills and no climbs like Jordan and we made it lunch in good time. The Torah even made an appearance! And the Aussie flag was broken out for the first time this trip before we found our way to Ashkelon. A full day's riding was a great result today!

IsraelRide 2013 - Orientation in Jerusalem | Tuesday, Oct. 29

Our orientation will be at our hotel in Bayit VeGan in southwest Jerusalem. We have times to assemble bikes or pick up rental bikes both in the morning and afternoon, and a short test ride to make sure everything is working. All riders must have their bikes ready by 4 pm, ready before orientation. We also are offering two optional tours for riders while not dealing with their bikes.Overnight:Rimonim Hotel = Trip Notes

I took the local bus from Elahn's place to the Hotel at around 6.15am and dropped the bags off before heading out on a tour of The Mount of Olives and The Old City with legendary guide Bill Slott.

Options

We got back to the hotel in time for a picnic lunch and then assembled the bikes before a rest and then a long session of orientation, route briefings etc followed by dinner at 7.30pm

There is a new tradition with Hazon Rides, started last year, that a miniature scroll of the Torah is carried each day by a rider and I was honoured to be presented with the Torah to take on tomorrow's ride out of Jerusalem.

 

 

Coming up next: IsraelRide 2013

The Arava Institute Hazon Israel Ride:
October 29 – November 5, 2013


The Israel Ride is a seven day experience. We begin with an orientation day for check-in, building your bike, and a practice ride. The adventure continues with 5 days of riding, with a day of rest (Shabbat) in the middle. Our 2013 Israel Ride will feature some of the best cycling in Israel: from Jerusalem to Eilat, through the Negev Desert.


Daily blog will commence next week.

Jordan Day 10 - Aqaba to Tel Aviv

A morning of swimming and relaxing. After lunch, we set on the drive back to Amman, stopping off en route for dinner at a restaurant, and arriving at the airport in the early evening. KE Land Only package services end on arrival at the airport. - KE Adventure Trip Notes

After our last buffet breakfast, we bused to Berenice Beach Club where the Poms swam and snorkeled in the sea and I updated the blog.

Photo by Andrew Douglas

We then headed back into town for our final lunch before starting out on the 350km drive to Amman Airport.

Photo by Anas

We bade our crew Anas, Samir and Sohaib a fond farewell and then proceeded to check in where we said our goodbyes and I bought a new camera which I hope I won't drop in Israel!

Even though the cycling was a bit over my abilities, I rode where I could and otherwise enjoyed the route from the bus. It was a terrific itinerary and I would highly recommend this trip to all my cycling buddies around the world. Jordan is a great place to visit and a challenging place to cycle.

For trip details, check out KE Adventure on this link: Jordan-end-2-end-road-bike-tour

Boarding Royal Jordanian for Tel Aviv soon and looking forward to my eighth IsraelRide next week.

Jordan Day 9 - Petra to Aqaba - 120km

Still following the King’s Highway, we ride towards the villages of Taybeh and Rajef, along a scenic and undulating route with great views of the rugged peaks of the Petra Mountains. We descend easily to a junction with the Desert Highway (Jordan’s main north-south road) and turn south on the last leg of our journey to Aqaba and the Red Sea. The highway descends gradually all the way from around 1400 metres to the coast and for the next 40 kilometres we have no alternative but to ride on this relatively busy road, but we will ride as a group, keeping an eye out for trucks and avoiding the debris on the hard shoulder (depending on traffic and weather conditions, we have the option to transfer this section). Descending into Aqaba we check into our hotel before a short transfer where we can take a well earned dip in the Red Sea and relax with a cold drink in hand! After repacking the bikes, we will enjoy a most deserved celebratory meal and maybe wander around the local markets taking in the local culture. Ride Distance: 120 km (75 miles) with 1400 metres of ascent and 2550 metres of descent.- KE Adventure Trip Notes

Today's ride started with hills, just for a change, and I had company in the bus for that section.Once the terrain flattened out just after lunch in the bus stop, I rode for the remainder of the day and clocked up 84km.

We cycled in to Captain's Hotels and there was much jubilation amongst the Poms - Three EFI's, three almost EFI's (just missed out on some parts of today), one great effort -- and me! 

We packed up the bikes, showered and then partook of our "celebratory dinner" at the hotel restaurant.

 Photos courtesy of Andrew Douglas