Journey with Jeff

Ride A Bike, Change A Life –
The Children of ALYN give us medals

If you want to know what drives us to ride our bikes for hundreds of miles, to push ourselves to the brink of exhaustion, to keep climbing when our legs are screaming “no more” … then come with me to meet the Children of ALYN who are waiting for us with outstretched arms to give us medals for our efforts.

Each year, the entire ride congregates at the Kerem Junction and waits for police clearance to proceed for the last 4 km to ALYN.  It’s all uphill and above 10% grade the whole way and we’re exhausted from five days of pushing.  And our legs are burning.  But now the adrenaline is pumping and it will block out the pain and carry us up the final climb.  

As we approach the final kilometer, we can hear the music.  We can hear the cheering.  We can hear the families and friends and children all clapping for us.  We can hear the music.  Getting louder.  And louder.  We can see the confetti flying. 

And there, coming into view, is the giant yellow inflated finish line.  And we pass under the arch that says, “RIDE A BIKE – – CHANGE A LIFE!”

Won’t you help with your donation to this amazing place.  As of Thursday, we had raised over $2.5 million, on our way to our goal of $3 million.  To all of my dear friends and supporters who have already donated, I am so deeply grateful. 

It’s not too late to be a part of the ALYN magic. Please visit alynactive.org/participant/jeff-blye and join me at the medals ceremony. 

תודה רבה Todah rabah!! 

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.

Anybody want to bike 100 miles?
97 miles (ok, just a bit shy), 2850 feet vertical

After yesterday’s grueling ascent of Mt. Hermon, the ride organizers decided to pile on with a century ride of 100 miles.  The good news was that we had more flat road riding and a lot of downhill descents, so it finally allowed us all an opportunity to just ride.  And that’s what we did – with a lot of paceline riding and finally spinning out our legs.  (Oh, yes, there were still hills and climbs so we couldn’t get too comfortable.)

The morning started out pretty chilly and we all bundled up with a lot of layers, knowing that by the time we got down to the Knerret, it would get really hot.  Nevertheless, it was cold and windy.  Very windy.  This made the first segments much tougher than they otherwise might be.  But, we gave it a go and the miles started to pile up.   The route took us on a lot of zig-zagging and everytime we turned, the wind would blast us from a different angle.  So we dealt with the headwinds and the crosswinds before finally getting some tail winds. 

The long descent down to the Sea of Galilee was exhilarating and we dropped from over 3000 feet to minus 750.  I always get a little thrill when descending past the “Sea Level” sign. 

The group was no nonsense today and we set a blistering pace, knocking off 71 miles in about 4 hours before stopping for lunch (ahead of schedule).  After lunch, a couple of us (the sane ones) decided to back off the gas pedal and ride at a more human pace.  Unfortunately, even at 18.5 mph, a gap formed between us and the lead group and before we knew it, we were forced onto the bus for a couple of miles.  Mostly this was because the police had to control the traffic through many roundabouts.  Still, it was a little annoying to get picked up at that speed and being told you weren’t fast enough.  At any rate, compared to the temps now in the 90s, it was nice and air conditioned on the bus and we were quickly dropped off with the rest of the group at the next gas station. 

The final 15 miles were blissful in the late afternoon as the air began to cool a bit.  A nice group of like-minded folks stuck together and hummed along at 19 mph to the final stop where cold beers and refreshments awaited us.  A long bus ride brought us to our hotel for the night and a gala celebration of 20 years of ALYN Wheels of Love.  Thank you all for being a part of this wonderful program. 

Please enjoy these pictures from our fourth day on Wheels of Love. 

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.