Tuesday November 1 Scorpion climb

We headed out from Leonardo Plaza hotel on the Dead Sea by bus to our start point at Arava Junction into  the Negev south of the small crater. After a good warmup on relatively flat terrain we got into the major climb of the day - Scorpion .  We had stopped for water before starting the climb and I had stepped into a sticky mess of dates that I  didn't see. I couldn't get into my left cleat and desperately clawed at this stuff  to clear the cleat. I  managed to get into the cleat but it wasn't fully engaged. I was back of the group with our Israeli champion Guy Sagiv, but as we rode up the 19 to 20% grades I started to pass everyone except Rick. I finished 2 minutes faster than 2 years ago.
We had a fast pace through a river bed into the valley with a brutal head wind. I had dropped back to help Rob Kwinter back to the group but we were too far back, Rob was hurting and went in the truck and I carried on to the next water stop. Another climb and ended just past Yeruham in the general direction of Dimona.

Monday October 31 riding to Dead Sea and Masada

It is no surprise that most of the 35 from yesterday's group have transferred to the Challenge group. With a strong and experienced group of 12 and two young pro riders who are the champions of Israel, we ride at a steady pace, not fast, but even along the Dead Sea. We have 2 major climbs for the day.

The first climb starts just over 400 meters below sea level and in just under 5 kms finishes at 0. The grade varies from 10 to 18 %.  I broke from the pack and attacked the initial climb of about 1 km and as it leveled for a very short distance I waited for Rick and the two pros. We rode most of the way up together and David Speigal joined us until Rick dropped us. David went ahead of me but I  caught him near the finish and overtook him to finish just back of Rick. I  felt tired but really pumped.

The next climb was much shorter but quite steep as well and again Rick and I finished  1 and 2. Not exactly competitive!

Sunday Oct 30 2016

We leave Tel Aviv by bus from the Sheraton Hotel around  9ish for the start of our ride at Yoav Fortress near Ashkelon. There are 35 riders registered for the Extreme Challenge ride. Most have no idea how hard it will be for them. It is 31C and sunny and will be difficult going. There are basically 12 of us that can handle the big climbs and we stay together pretty well but Rick and I are always first up.  The remainder of the 35 riders as predicted fall well back.

We are riding up to Jerusalem and it is uphill all the way. I am quite familiar with this route and the very last climb which is long and steep .  Again our group handled it well and we finished at Beit Halochem.

I  rode surprisingly strong finishing the climbs just behind Rick who is going to be in the polka dot jersey as King of the mountain. I am also the oldest rider.



We stayed at the Neve Ilan hotel again just outside Jerusalem . Even though there is a great selection of food at breakfast I have learned from past trips to chose carefully with fruit, yoghurt, granola so I am good on our rides.
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CIM trip 2016 Sat Oct 29

Next morning Rick and I walked along the boardwalk and to the Ports for breakfast. It was 7am and we found a place just opening. Rick introduced me to Shakshuka a spicy tomato sauce with onions, hot peppers and a poached egg on top - delicious!
We walked to Jaffa later and took a walking tour of the port in the early afternoon. The guide was entertaining but not that informative so we cut out early as our legs were sore.

That evening we met about 9 other people on the trip for supper back in Jaffa. We took  cab this time. A few of the guys took charge of ordering many appetizers and various meat selections.  Another great meal.
We decided it might be a better idea to walk back and work off that meal.

Courage in Motion 2016 Oct 27-28

Depart Toronto Thursday Oct 27 EL Al ...flight delayed over one hr. Spanish plane and crew. Georgeous stewardesses  dressed in snazzy outfits with little caps and leather gloves. but not least bit friendly.  I had booked my seat on a window aisle but configuration changed to 3 x 3 x 3 so I  was stuck on middle coincidentally with Stanley Mann on outside.

Arrived after 1pm in Tel Aviv and our driver Yosi was waiting to take 4 of us to Beit Halochem to assemble bikes. Rick Pencinor and I took a cab to our Airbnb on Ben Yehuda .  Very decent apartment for 90 Canadian each person /night.  We checked out the beach later.

That evening we met Rick's family for dinner at a restaurant not far away. I had a really nice time with his family - his brother and family live in Kibbutz Gaash and his sister in Netanya . Rick's mom  was there as well visiting from TO.

May 15 Fly to Barcelona and begin touring

Nimi  and I got up at 5:30 am. We had packed the night before, so after breakfast of chopped egg and tuna, yoghurt and fruit, we drove back to the car rental near the airport. The rental place didn't open until 8 (it had only taken 20 minutes using our GPS), but a woman waiting there to return her vehicle had found out we could leave the car at the Airport Parking nearby. We were shuttled to the airport quickly and so now we were really early. Could have easily slept another hour.
Quick flight to Barcelona and our apartment owners Rosa and Miguel came to take us to our apartment.  Unbelievable hospitality! Along the way, they gave us a tour of major sights nearby then in our beautiful, recently renovated apartment .

Rosa gave us a map and details of how to get around by bus and subway and sights we must see. At this point it was sort of overwhelming for us.
Not only is the apartment special but Rosa and Miguel had left a huge basket of fresh fruit, all kinds of crackers and buns, chocolate, coffee, milk, juice and even a bottle of wine!

We devoured some of the goodies and then set out on exploring on our own. We needed a proper lunch and not to far was the original bull-fighting coliseum that was converted inside into a multilevel mall with a restaurant on the top.

We had a good lunch there and took a bus to the port near the old part of town. Along the way, there were huge crowds waving soccer flags - their national soccer team was going to be paraded in.
We took in the sites along the marina and relaxed for a very short time before we headed into the old city. The crowds were enormous. What an amazing town!
We had a late dinner off Rambla

in an outdoor restaurant. Now we were really tired so we took the subway/Metro home.

Day 2 Barcelona. ....Lots of walking/touring

After a leisurely morning with breakfast and coffee in our lovely apartment, we set out towards the Placa España to view the gardens and buildings and then did a tour of the museum of Contemporary Art.

 The building was originally the summer home of royal family of Spain. Not too shabby.  I'm not much into examining the gallery stuff like Nimi but I  behaved.  By the time we finished it was well past lunchtime and we were starved. We used the Metro to go toward the old city off Rambla St. and found  souvlaki place and had a very satisfying lunch. We wanted to search out what was the original Jewish synagogue, now only a tiny room in the Jewish quarter. This was no easy task but with my smartphone and GPS we found it!

Our timing was perfect as a woman was going to give a short explanation of the synagogue and the remnants remaining.  Along the way we tried to get into the Picasso museum but it was closed on Mondays, and also a large marketof St Caterina place closed for the civic holiday today. At least we know where they are.
We now found the Barcelona Cathedral ,

very magnificent large cathedral and did a tour inside. I patiently let Nimi examine everything, but I was suitably impressed.
Time for Gelato break, then more walking then at around 7 pm, supper. I tried grilled octopus.  OK but not a favorite.
Time to take the Metro back to the apartment and call it a night.

Last day in Majorca

Today was casual cycling before returning our bikes. We parked our car  along the Palma port bike path right beside the rich folk's yachts and unloaded our gear. The plan was to cycle along the bike path along the waterfront  as far out as s'Arenal. ...about 24 km.  Beautiful beaches and lots of people and activity with outdoor cafés on the other side of the path.
The weather couldn't have been better  - sunny and warm with a fresh breeze. We just toodled along enjoying the view. Around 12 we stopped at an outdoor  cafe for lunch and then sat relaxing in the sunshine for awhile before returning back to our car to get our walking shoes and backpack, then cycled  a short way to the bike rental and returned the bikes and took our pedals, Nimi's saddle and our Garmins.  Now we became pedestrians and hiked back to our vehicle and headed home to start packing for Barcelona.

All in all, this was a fabulous holiday in Majorca.  Great accommodations, great location, good weather for our activities and good food particularly because Nimi made great meals.

My big ride of the trip

Check out my 90.3 km Ride on Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/574555823

I got up early and left around 7:45am. Slightly cool but very sunny. The plan was to do the more challenging sections of climbing starting with the 6km climb just past

Genova  (near our apartment ) and work my way to Andratx and do the climbs along the east coast  we drove early in our last week. Beautiful vistas along smooth roads with many switchbacks.

At the 65km mark - Banyalbufar, it was time to head back to Palma. At that point I had enough climbing for the day. This "older" cyclist with no helmet, old soft mtn bike shoes and shorts, who spoke not a word of English came up to me and said "Palma?", and I nodded yes. I followed him in long winding descents into Palma. I'm  sure he was a pretty experienced rider...I  had a hard time keeping up with him.

Cycling on the west coast - Alcudia and Polencia

Missed a few days entries. I guess too busy having fun.

We have been really lucky with weather. The 12th was probably the most summer like weather we have had, very sunny, blue skies and mid 20s C. We drove back to Alcudia and cycled from there to Polencia along a great bike route right along the ocean. I used my Gopro to video so will have edit the stuff later. Gorgeous beach areas filled with people sunbathing and some in the water although water temperature is still cold. We continued further along some rolling hills areas to Sa Pobia for lunch at an outdoor cafe. Nimi had a beautifully prepared fish dish  and I had the daily special with a delicious pea soup and couldn't finish the pasta or dessert. We continued cycling  back to Alcudia along mostly downhill route after a short climbing section. Good day all in all.

Sightseeing day...Alcudia and Polencia

We have been here a week now. Weather looked ominous with heavy clouds and wind so we drove to the east coast of the island to Alcudia to do some sightseeing

and check out the bike route we will do there tomorrow.   All of 45 minutes away by car on the main highway. With this Kia hatchback and diesel engine and all the driving we still haven't got down to half a tank.

As it turns out the weather cleared for the most part and we got lots of sun.

Had lunch at an outdoor cafe in Alcudia,  a very pretty town with lots of tourists and cyclists.  Then we drove to Polencia a little further along on the coast and figured out the route to cycle tomorrow.

Hill climbing day

I woke up early to get out on my ride and when I went out on the terrace to check the temperature, I  saw a huge cruise ship passing by.
The route I took started right from the apartment, cycling through a small village called Genova and then out to a junction to Ma-1043 along which I  had a 6 km climb and then a fast descent with tight hairpins leading out to the left to Calvia. The scenery is breathtaking.  Smooth narrow roads with no car traffic and interesting villas with goats and vinyards. A little difficult finding my way out of the town but then headed further west to es Capdella, a flattish road with some traffic. From there I headed north into the mountains with some good climbs to Puig pungent and then further north east still climbing to Esporles.  These are not long sections, about 10 km south each. From this point it is pretty much downhill descents back to Palma.

Some good cycling today

Overcast in the morning and a few raindrops while we rode but cleared up nicely. Nimi is great at navigating a few routes that would be relatively flat. Interesting rides north through some neat little towns leading up to the mountains. We started into the foothills and turned around when the grade became more challenging.
We worked our way back to the centre of Palma and inquired at the bike rental if we could get different gearing for Nimi but not possible. However the bike mechanic gave us some good options for routes and also suggested taking the train to Inca at the most western tip of the island. Great sightseeing along that coast and relatively easy cycling.

We stopped for lunch at an outdoor cafe in the centre square before heading back.
On route back, I left Nimi at a junction where I could do some hills climbs and she was just a short way from the apartment. I enjoyed the climbs and will continue on that way tomorrow. Only the descents with the tight hairpin turns were difficult for me to go with speed. My hands were sore from squeezing the brakes.

Rain day yesterday. ...cycling today

Yesterday started off cloudy with patchy drizzle.  There had been light rain overnight and forecast was for rain off and on all day. A good day to check out bike routes suitable for Nimi. We drove east along the coast from Palma and could see an extensive bike path. There were roads inland that looked good for cycling. We stopped at Llucmajor for late lunch. At that point, it was raining steady but no wind. Interesting lunch as we tried different things including a pea soup with Wasabi and peppermint - quite good.

We had a late dinner at a fish restaurant Parada del Mer. The restaurant opens at 8pm and there is a large display of fresh seafood on ice. You choose what you want and they cook it for you and bring it to your table. Unbelievably good.

Today we picked up our Specialized Tarmacs at the bike rental right beside the large church in town. We brought our own pedals and Nimi'so saddle. To get our bikes, we had to park the car 2 km  back along the port and walk up to the shop. We did a cycle along the bike path going east and hooked on behind a Swiss bike team for a fair ways.  They were heading to the mountains and we turned back at our 22km distance. Got a little confused at one point where we picked up the bike path but otherwise was fine.  Although the path is free of cars, there were so many  bicyclists that are more dangerous.

Hopefully, if the rain holds out to tomorrow we can do a longer ride inland on flat terrain. Then I will likely do some hills the next day.

The afternoon was sunnier and we did a long walk to a restaurant for gluten free pIzza foe Nimi.

Nimi is an amazing rally car driver!

Today, we drove up the coast to check out some serious bike rides. Steep, narrow roads with vicious hairpin turns while navigating around many groups of cyclists and avoiding oncoming traffic made for a very interesting and exciting drive. Many spectacular views to be seen

and I felt I  had to share the experience of driving the route with Nimi. She handled it like a pro! However, she was happy to let me drive the return route.
I'm planning on attempting the ride but rather nervous about riding it solo. Navigating the start and finish will be interesting.

The weather turned out pretty good considering there was supposed to be rain.

Majorca trip May 2016- day after travelling

All in all, we did well the past 2 days. In spite of flying on 3 different flights, TO. to Philly, then to Barcelona on American Airlines  (nice new planes and fairly spacious), and then Air Europe (long delay before take off) to Majorca.  Car rented is a new Kia diesel hatchback stick, similar to my Mazda. We almost managed to get to our destination with our GPS but it screwed up at the very end and we walked around close to where we were supposed to drive as very hilly narrow one way roads made it challenging. However we were successful finally.

Our apartment is a jewel.  A very pretty place with lots of windows and walkout from the living room on to a terrace overlooking the ocean. Twe bedrooms, spacious bathroom, and eat-in kitchen with all amenities , a laundry room and then a walk up to a terrace on the roof.  Location is beautiful with view of the Mediterranean and lush vegetation. A very hilly but very short walk to the main drag (just 6 minutes) and there is a supermarket and lots of shops and restaurants.
Today, we walked to the supermarket with a grocery buggy, did a basis shopping and relaxed on our rooftop
terrace after lunch in warm sunshine. Afterwards, we drove in to Palma port for some sight-seeing.
Now back at "home" and Nimi is making us pasta for supper. My legs are very sore from all our walking. Looks like we may have some weather moving in so tomorrow might be a driving around day...my legs need a rest. Looking forward to some cycling in a few days.