The final emotional climb to ALYN (part 1) –
50 miles, 5456 feet vertical
It was only four short days ago that we began our journey for the Children of ALYN. But there was nothing short about the cycling, the climbing, the headwinds, the pacelines, the struggles to keep up or the ordeal. Today is the day that it all becomes clear why we do this every year – when we ride into the ALYN Hospital to the cheering throngs of family, friends and children.
But … before we get to all that, we still have little matter of a 50-mile ride with over 5,000 feet of climbing. So let’s talk about that first.
All the other routes (Touring, Road and Road-plus) had left the hotel to travel by bus to their respective starting points. Since we’re tough Challenge riders, we had extra miles to cover and got to leave directly from the hotel. And we had a leisurely 8:30am start. And, we started with a downhill. Yay.
What goes down must go up and up – especially when you’re near Jerusalem – so climb we did, up some steep (again) grades. After a lot of zigging and zagging, we found ourselves on Route 395, the upper road to Eshta’ol and Bet Shemesh. If it sounds familiar, it is. It’s exactly the counter-clockwise training route I took a week ago. It was rough then, and it would be rougher today as the temperature was already climbing into the 90s.
After a lengthy pit stop – unusual in its own right – we continued on toward the climb up to Nes Harim. Simply put, it’s a killer. Steady stretches of over 10% that just don’t seem to quit. We caught up to the other Road groups and had company huffing and puffing.
Bad news for me came near the top when I lost rear derailleur shifting and got stuck in an intermediate gear (25). It could have been better, but it also could have been a lot worse. I soldiered on up and made it to the mechanics at the lunch stop. Turned out it was a minor adjustment and I’d be all set for the final climb.
Check back here for the conclusion of Wheels of Love and the emotional finish! In the meantime, check out these photos.
And, if you want to support my ride, please visit alynactive.org/participant/jeff-blye. To all those who have already donated – THANK YOU so very much. I am deeply grateful for your support.
Journey with Jeff 