Tuesday, November 16, 2004
The Last Day - Climbing to Jerusalem
The climb to Jerusalem is something that I had been anticipating for months. Starting out from the Dead Sea area, we would be riding a relatively short distance. But the ride would be virtually straight up.
A small group of riders stayed at the Kalya guest house, just off the Dead Sea. The bulk of the group was in Almog, about 13 kilometers northwest. The climb to Jerusalem was scheduled to be launched from Almog so we were given the option of either riding our bikes or taking a bus.
Most of the riders chose the latter because they reasoned that the climb would be hard enough; no reason to add thirteen kilometers. I considered taking the bus but ultimately decided to ride, for three reasons. First, my quads were very tight because of the previous day's climb of Mitzukei Dragot. I thought that a nice, flat warm up ride to Almog would loosen me up. Second, riding to Almog would put me over the 300 mile (and 500 kilometer) mark for the tour (when added to the climb to J'lem). And, third, I'm certifiable.
That was my first mistake. Only about a dozen of us decided to ride. We started out at 6:10 a.m. in a paceline and everything went well for the first few kilometers. But, as soon as we turned west, the nice, flat, warm up ride to Almog turned out to be anything but. We were riding into an amazingly powerful headwind. Even though the terrain was relatively flat, I felt as though I was climbing. In fact, I kept looking down at my tires because I felt like I was riding on a flat. After what seemed like forever, I finally pulled into the gas station at Almog.
I was very tired and although my legs were now looser, my thighs still felt fatigued. I was starting to appreciate the wisdom of those riders who decided not to do Mitzukei Dragot in order to preserve energy for the Jerusalem climb.
After a short break, the 235 rider "Yellow Swarm" started out to Jerusalem. Our first stop was to be in Mitzpeh Yericho, a strategic settlement east of Jerusalem that overlooks Jericho. We were scheduled to eat breakfast there.
As had become my custom on mass starts on this ride, I went as close to the front as I could in order to reduce the chances of getting caught up in a congestion crash. The hills started almost immediately and pretty much didn't stop for five miles until we reached Mitzpeh Yericho. The heat was brutal and again I suffered from burning eyes as a result of sweat pouring down my brow.
We ate a very hearty breakfast on the terrace overlooking Jericho. For the first time on the trip....Skippy peanut butter!!! That was awesome. At teh suggestion of some of the doctors on the ride they urged us to salt our food mightily in order to make up for all the minerals we were losing because of the heat. I took a hard-boiled egg and essentially drowned it in salt and sucked it down. Yech.
After waiting about a half hour for the slower riders to arrive, we got going again.
The next leg would prove to be the most difficlut part of the ride. After a two mile modest climb we got a bot of relief. When we hit the Adummim Junction it was 7 miles, straight up without any relief whatsoever. In those seven miles we climbed 2100 feet, with grades averaging as much a 8.9%.
Getting up this hill was about one thing. Willpower. You simply couldn't stop. You had to keep pedaling, albeit in a low gear and at a slow pace. You made your way up, bit by bit. It was not advisable to look anywhere but just in front of you. Looking up any higher would be discouraging because you would see the miles of hills still to come.
Today's ride was also different because it was all about each individual. Because of the nature of the road and the hills, you had to ride in single file. There was no one to talk to, no pacelines, no help. It was all about what you had in your heart and in your head.
As I got close to the top, I felt a surge of emotion overtake me. I had trained so long and so hard for this tour (and particularly for this day) and here I was about to finish. I had done everything I had set out to do and was sad about the prospect that it was about to end.
I pulled into the rest stop and was assured that I had completed what was by far the most difficult part of the ride. The organizers assured us that there would be no more hills as long as the one we had just completed. We were almost home.
A small group of riders stayed at the Kalya guest house, just off the Dead Sea. The bulk of the group was in Almog, about 13 kilometers northwest. The climb to Jerusalem was scheduled to be launched from Almog so we were given the option of either riding our bikes or taking a bus.
Most of the riders chose the latter because they reasoned that the climb would be hard enough; no reason to add thirteen kilometers. I considered taking the bus but ultimately decided to ride, for three reasons. First, my quads were very tight because of the previous day's climb of Mitzukei Dragot. I thought that a nice, flat warm up ride to Almog would loosen me up. Second, riding to Almog would put me over the 300 mile (and 500 kilometer) mark for the tour (when added to the climb to J'lem). And, third, I'm certifiable.
That was my first mistake. Only about a dozen of us decided to ride. We started out at 6:10 a.m. in a paceline and everything went well for the first few kilometers. But, as soon as we turned west, the nice, flat, warm up ride to Almog turned out to be anything but. We were riding into an amazingly powerful headwind. Even though the terrain was relatively flat, I felt as though I was climbing. In fact, I kept looking down at my tires because I felt like I was riding on a flat. After what seemed like forever, I finally pulled into the gas station at Almog.
I was very tired and although my legs were now looser, my thighs still felt fatigued. I was starting to appreciate the wisdom of those riders who decided not to do Mitzukei Dragot in order to preserve energy for the Jerusalem climb.
After a short break, the 235 rider "Yellow Swarm" started out to Jerusalem. Our first stop was to be in Mitzpeh Yericho, a strategic settlement east of Jerusalem that overlooks Jericho. We were scheduled to eat breakfast there.
As had become my custom on mass starts on this ride, I went as close to the front as I could in order to reduce the chances of getting caught up in a congestion crash. The hills started almost immediately and pretty much didn't stop for five miles until we reached Mitzpeh Yericho. The heat was brutal and again I suffered from burning eyes as a result of sweat pouring down my brow.
We ate a very hearty breakfast on the terrace overlooking Jericho. For the first time on the trip....Skippy peanut butter!!! That was awesome. At teh suggestion of some of the doctors on the ride they urged us to salt our food mightily in order to make up for all the minerals we were losing because of the heat. I took a hard-boiled egg and essentially drowned it in salt and sucked it down. Yech.
After waiting about a half hour for the slower riders to arrive, we got going again.
The next leg would prove to be the most difficlut part of the ride. After a two mile modest climb we got a bot of relief. When we hit the Adummim Junction it was 7 miles, straight up without any relief whatsoever. In those seven miles we climbed 2100 feet, with grades averaging as much a 8.9%.
Getting up this hill was about one thing. Willpower. You simply couldn't stop. You had to keep pedaling, albeit in a low gear and at a slow pace. You made your way up, bit by bit. It was not advisable to look anywhere but just in front of you. Looking up any higher would be discouraging because you would see the miles of hills still to come.
Today's ride was also different because it was all about each individual. Because of the nature of the road and the hills, you had to ride in single file. There was no one to talk to, no pacelines, no help. It was all about what you had in your heart and in your head.
As I got close to the top, I felt a surge of emotion overtake me. I had trained so long and so hard for this tour (and particularly for this day) and here I was about to finish. I had done everything I had set out to do and was sad about the prospect that it was about to end.
I pulled into the rest stop and was assured that I had completed what was by far the most difficult part of the ride. The organizers assured us that there would be no more hills as long as the one we had just completed. We were almost home.
