Journey with Jeff

October 30, 2018
Our Longest Day – Double Century (Metric)
Scheduled:  200 km (125 miles), vertical climb 2,161 m (7,098 feet)
Actual: 113 miles, 6,500 feet – more on this later.

Today was billed as a double-century ride at 200 kms.  (Ok, that was in metric, but it still comes out to 125 miles – pretty daunting, especially with all the climbing.)

Once again, we headed out south along the edge of the Dead Sea.  This time, instead of climbing up to Arad, we continued past the Dead Sea Works to the same Route 25 descent we did yesterday.  It was a long and at times steep descent.  Seriously?  They want us to climb back up??  And so we did.

I learned on my cross-country ride this summer that the only way to survive a long ride over 100 miles is to take it in pieces.  You never think about the entire ride.  You think about making it to the first pit stop, up the first climb, making it to lunch.  Each 20-mile “chunk” is an accomplishment and gets you closer to your goal.  And that’s how it was today.

We entered the Large Makhtesh (crater) and climbed up the steep cliff through a series of switchbacks into the town of Yeruham.  Our lunch stop was precisely at the midway mark at 100 kms (62.5 miles).  After lunch, though, it was all business as we headed out in a double paceline and cooked for the next 27 miles.

Regrettably, at the 89 mile stop, we heard some tragic news about a fatal car accident on the road back to our hotel.  An SUV had apparently crossed the median and crashed head-on into an oncoming car.  The resulting devastation (fire, crushed vehicles) took the lives of the entire family of the car that was hit (both parents and six kids).  Just horrible.  And quite a mess, so much so that the police shut down the highway.  Very sobering, indeed.

We were 12 miles from the finish, and no one really complained about getting on the bus for the last piece.

Please enjoy these photos from the day.  UPDATE:  check out this neat 3D replay of the ride – but a lot quicker! Click here.

You can click here to find out Why I Ride and to support me.  Or copy and paste this link: www.wolusa.org/goto/jeffblye

To all of my generous supporters – past, present and future – I thank you so very very much.
…Jeff
Wheels of Love Challenge Rider
2007-2018

 

October 29, 2018
The Zohar Ascent
79.2 miles, vertical climb + 4,934 feet

So what goes down, must come up.  Today, after a 15-mile wake up call along the shores of the Dead Sea, we hit the Zohar Junction.  Remember how excited I was about our exhilarating descent yesterday?  Over 3,000 feet from the high desert to the lowest place on earth?  Well, today we had to climb back up.  Yeah, I know … whine, whine, whine.  Anyway, once we got back on the climb, it was more like grind, grind, grind.  The first 8k were pretty steep (8-10% gradient), but then it moderated somewhat.

I think we were all feeling a little stronger today and the wind subsided a bit so all in all not so bad.  Everybody’s a bit nervous and anxious the first day, so it’s usually better as the week goes on and as we get to know each other’s riding abilities better.

After biking around the Judean Desert, over “rolling hills” (translation:  long ups and downs), we had a quick pit stop at the top of another descent – this one on Route #25.  From 400 meters above to 400 meters below, this again was a spectacular and exhilarating descent.  (Oh yeah, there’s a catch – we’re climbing back up here tomorrow!)

Our final 30 mile slog back north to Masada was spent huddled together in a double paceline to help fight the headwind.  It worked, but we also realized that the group needed a little refresher on paceline techniques (which we got at our after-dinner lecture.)  We’ll try again tomorrow!!

Tomorrow is our biggest challenge ever at ALYN – a brutal day at 200km.  That’s 125 miles!!  So, I better get some sleep.

Please enjoy these photos from the day.  To see a neat 3D replay of the ride (don’t worry, it’s a lot quicker!) click here:

You can click here to find out Why I Ride and to support me.  Or copy and paste this link: www.wolusa.org/goto/jeffblye

To all of my generous supporters – past, present and future – I thank you so very very much.

…Jeff
Wheels of Love Challenge Rider
2007-2018

 

October 28, 2018
Yatir Forest to Masada (Dead Sea)
67.3 miles, vertical climb + 3,356 ft, – 6,418 ft

And, … we’re off! The wind was howling. More on that later.

After a brief opening ceremony, the Challenge Riders set out from the Yatir Forest (Ya’ar Yatir) to begin the five-day journey in the south. This looked to be the easiest day of the this year’s ride at a relatively modest 67 miles and a long descent to the Dead Sea. But with the desert winds blowing constantly at over 20 mph, there was nothing easy about it. Still, with fresh legs and a healthy resolve, we took off and used the opening kilometers to reconnect with old friends and welcome the new riders.

Our pit stop was filled with the usual healthy assortment of nuts and dates and such, along with Brenda’s homemade flapjacks and other assorted treats. I’m not a big fan of soda, but after battling the wind for the first 20 miles, a cold Coke was very welcome. We continued along the desert roads – some up, some down, mostly rolling – through the barren and arid landscape. About six kilometers outside of Arad, we stopped for lunch and regrouped before making the long descent.

The descent from Arad (at about 1,700 feet elevation) down to the Dead Sea (at about -1,400 feet) is nothing short of exhilarating. Carved into the rocks along the road are markers – in meters – clocking your descent, starting at +500 meters and continuing down in 100 meters increments (or decrements in this case). After the requisite “Sea Level” sign, the numbers go negative. (You’ll see some in the photos.)

The Dead Sea (in Hebrew Yam Hamelach, or Sea of Salt) is the lowest place on Earth. Because the rate of evaporation exceeds the rate of replenishment, the salinity level is about 35%, or ten times as salty as ocean water. Nothing lives there (hence the name). And still, it is rich in minerals and other natural resources making it a mecca for tourists who come here for rest and relaxation. The water helps treat psoriasis and other skin conditions and the oxygen rich air helps folks with asthma. The numerous resort hotels along the road bear witness to this.

The last 15 miles or so were nothing more than a brutal slog. Period. But when we took the left turn for the final mile-and-a-half (uphill) to the Masada Guest House, we knew we had made it. What would the day be without some post ride refreshments and carbohydrate recovery (aka, cold beers).

Please enjoy these photos from the day.  You can click here to find out Why I Ride and to support me. Or copy and paste this link: http://www.wolusa.org/goto/jeffblye
To all of my generous supporters – past, present and future – I thank you so very very much.

…Jeff
Wheels of Love Challenge Rider
2007-2018

October 26  –  Jerusalem, Israel

It’s our final few days here in Jerusalem before heading for the Negev on Sunday.  How to spend the time?  That’s easy.  Plenty to see and do here.

First things first:  Breakfast!!  Now normally, I am not a big breakfast eater, as you may recall from my minimalist start-up meals on my ride across America.  No bacon donuts here, for sure.  Instead, an Israeli breakfast is a sumptuous feast of more variety and options than you can imagine.  Just check out the photos!  Seriously.  It’s hard to be a disciplined eater here.  I could live on the halva alone.

On Thursday, we made our annual visit to the Western Wall (the Kotel) and enhanced by taking a tour of the underground tunnels.  All these years coming here, and I never had an appreciation for the grandeur that this tiny piece of the wall represents.  This remnant was part of a grand foundation of a massive Temple Mount prior to its destruction 2,000 years ago.  The full Western Wall was a third of a mile long!  Much of the old City was built atop this site and the preservation of the underground structure is of paramount importance.  When you walk beneath the city through these passageways, you are literally walking back in time thousands of years.

I managed to get in a few training rides in the mornings, but the weather has not been cooperating.  Friday was cold, wet and very windy – in fact it felt like the MS ride last week in New York!  I cut it short and rode over to ALYN to drop off my bike, pick up my official ride jerseys and say hi to more of my friends.

I was humbled to find my name and photo on the long-time fundraisers board.  Thanks to all of YOU, Joanne and I have raised over $100 thousand over the years.  (I’m not sure of the exact total, but apparently it has yet to hit $250 thousand.)  Every dollar of this has gone to the hospital and the Children of ALYN.  Once again, thank you, thank you, thank you.

You can click here to find out Why I Ride and to support me.  Or copy and paste this link: www.wolusa.org/goto/jeffblye   To all of my generous supporters – past, present and future – I thank you so very very much.

Please enjoy some more pictures and follow me on jeffblye.com

…Jeff
Wheels of Love Challenge Rider
2007-2018

October 22-24, 2018
Great Neck, NY to Jerusalem, ISRAEL

Dear Friends and Generous Supporters,

Yes, the blogs are back.  And it’s time to ride my bike across another country – thankfully, a much smaller one this time.  Still, with 400 miles in 5 days, it won’t be a picnic.  Welcome to the ALYN Wheels of Love.

The last few days are a bit of a blur starting with a long-ish midnight flight from JFK to Tel Aviv.  The first hurdle was getting my bike past the TSA inspectors and hoping they didn’t rip everything apart.  Last year, the gorilla TSA agent slammed the case shut and broke off one of my bottle holders.  This year, it looked like they were just going to swab it for, … well, you know, … bad stuff, and I thought I might skate through.

Not to be.  Who knows what set off the alarm, but the alarm did go off and once again the inspectors unpacked EVERYTHING in my bike case and confiscated all of my CO2 cartridges.  (Last year, three of them made it through.)  The good news is that they packed it back relatively carefully and nothing else got damaged.

The plane left NY two hours late, but with a brisk tailwind, we made up time and the flight took only 9 hours 30 minutes.  We lucked out with an empty seat next to me and managed to sleep most of the way.  Relatively easy, comfortable flight.

The ride doesn’t start until Sunday, but I love spending time in Jerusalem getting acclimated.  Wednesday morning, I reassembled my bike and went for a ride, ending up at the hospital.  (No, not IN the hospital, … AT the hospital.  I realized that might need clarification.)  It was great to meet all my Israeli friends at check-in, many of whom had been following my Bike Ride of a Lifetime journey across the US.  (“Hi, guys!!”)

I think we’ll leave it here for now.

You can click here to find out Why I Ride and to support me.  Or copy and paste this link: www.wolusa.org/goto/jeffblye   To all of my generous supporters – past, present and future – I thank you so very very much.

Please enjoy some pictures to get us started.

…Jeff
Wheels of Love Challenge Rider
2007-2018