Showing posts with label Cycling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cycling. Show all posts
Friday, March 11, 2011
An Achey Friday Morning
There is so much to say about the Ride 4 Reform. It was so much fun. I got to see incredible places all over Israel from the back seat of my bike. I took a pretty hard fall 8km from the end of the trip, so I'm pretty sore this morning. But on the whole, it was fantastic and I feel great and so accomplished. I don't have too much time to write about it now, I have two mid terms the first two days of the week and there will be a blog post for TC Jewfolk to come out with some information. I don't want to duplicate that post before it runs, so... more to come soon and you can see pictures on facebook already!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Riding for Reform Today!
Blogger has an incredible feature I've been abusing every so often. I can write a post in my free time and have it upload while I am nowhere near a computer. By the time this goes online, I will be on the seat of a bike somewhere in Israel. I have no idea where I will actually be, but we start around 7AM Israel Time.
If we're running on Israeli Standard time, that means a lot closer to a 7:30 in start time. Our last news letter gave us the route we'll be taking along with some information about the elevation and the steepness of the climbs. If you want to check that information, you can get it here The Route.
On Thursday last week, we picked up our Jerseys from Dusty, who has been one of the point people on our end. Of course we took a few pictures to have a good time with them.
A special thanks to Sam and Allie for taking the pictures and to Steven for sending them out to all of the riders.
I'm really excited to get on the road for the ride. And if you are able to support me at all, I'm still working on fundraising. You can donate and support me at this link Donate Here. Any support you can give is greatly appreciated.
If we're running on Israeli Standard time, that means a lot closer to a 7:30 in start time. Our last news letter gave us the route we'll be taking along with some information about the elevation and the steepness of the climbs. If you want to check that information, you can get it here The Route.
On Thursday last week, we picked up our Jerseys from Dusty, who has been one of the point people on our end. Of course we took a few pictures to have a good time with them.
A special thanks to Sam and Allie for taking the pictures and to Steven for sending them out to all of the riders.
I'm really excited to get on the road for the ride. And if you are able to support me at all, I'm still working on fundraising. You can donate and support me at this link Donate Here. Any support you can give is greatly appreciated.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Another Training Ride & In Joshua's Shoes: Riding for Reform
I went out for a training ride with Dusty and Steven on Friday morning. What a way to start the day.
I was up at six in the morning to eat a little and warm up before getting on the bike. By 6:50 I was on the road and meeting up with the two of them. Then the skies opened up and started to rain on us. Only for the first hour of the ride did we have to deal with the water. We went out to the separation barrier, through Gilo, towards the old city of Jerusalem, up into the Jerusalem Forrest and back to my apartment.
We took a long time to get through the ride, a solid three hours, and went 23 miles. I think it was better that we took or time because it's been a while since I've rode for that long. Usually I ride hard, but for less time. This was much better and more similar to what we're going to do on the Ride for Reform in three weeks.
I had a little problem during the ride. There was a point that a car tried to cut me and Dusty off. It ended up pulling put after me, before Steven. I couldn't see him as we continued down the hill. So as we made a long left turn I spotted my line and tried to look back over my shoulder to see if I could pick him up behind us.
Apparently I didn't get my line correct and as I was looking back for him, I smacked into the curb. BOOM! Over the handlebars I went, scraping my knees up pretty nicely. Nothing deep, nothing bloody. Just some skinned knees. The problem I'm having is that I didn't realized that I hurt my shoulder when I went over the top.
It's killing me now. I don't have pain free range of motion and it's really bugging me. But there's nothing I can really do, just hope I heal before the next flag football game on Tuesday.
I have a running now at TCJewfolk about the Ride for Reform. I'm trying to raise money to help the IMPJ and the Reform Movement in Israel. If you are able to contribute, any donations help! For those of you in the states, it is a tax deductible donation and you can donate at their website.
I was up at six in the morning to eat a little and warm up before getting on the bike. By 6:50 I was on the road and meeting up with the two of them. Then the skies opened up and started to rain on us. Only for the first hour of the ride did we have to deal with the water. We went out to the separation barrier, through Gilo, towards the old city of Jerusalem, up into the Jerusalem Forrest and back to my apartment.
We took a long time to get through the ride, a solid three hours, and went 23 miles. I think it was better that we took or time because it's been a while since I've rode for that long. Usually I ride hard, but for less time. This was much better and more similar to what we're going to do on the Ride for Reform in three weeks.
I had a little problem during the ride. There was a point that a car tried to cut me and Dusty off. It ended up pulling put after me, before Steven. I couldn't see him as we continued down the hill. So as we made a long left turn I spotted my line and tried to look back over my shoulder to see if I could pick him up behind us.
Apparently I didn't get my line correct and as I was looking back for him, I smacked into the curb. BOOM! Over the handlebars I went, scraping my knees up pretty nicely. Nothing deep, nothing bloody. Just some skinned knees. The problem I'm having is that I didn't realized that I hurt my shoulder when I went over the top.
It's killing me now. I don't have pain free range of motion and it's really bugging me. But there's nothing I can really do, just hope I heal before the next flag football game on Tuesday.
I have a running now at TCJewfolk about the Ride for Reform. I'm trying to raise money to help the IMPJ and the Reform Movement in Israel. If you are able to contribute, any donations help! For those of you in the states, it is a tax deductible donation and you can donate at their website.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Training Day
Wait, we have a few days off?
Yes!
For Chanukah HUC gave us a four-day-weekend! That means I actually had a lot of free time and a Sunday like I was used to.
So instead of sitting around all day on Saturday doing homework, I joined a a few of the other riders for Ride4Reform this year on a training ride. Dan took us on a short route towards Yad Vashem. But instead of going to the museum, we took a left down a sweet hill into Ya'ar Yerushalayim (the Jerusalem Forrest). It was a nice ride complete with some hills both up and down. I hadn't been out on a bike for a few weeks so it felt great getting out there on the road and feeling the pavement pass beneath me.
The is something rewarding about climbing a hill for five minutes. Winded and fighting for breath climbing over the crest and seeing a steep decline. Whipping down it as wind rushes past your face to the point that you can no longer hear the traffic. There is nothing better for a Shabbat afternoon.
Why on Shabbat? Because most of the city of Jerusalem doesn't drive on that day. Fewer cars means that we all feel much safer.
It's also great going in a group. For me, I do like sitting on a bike at the Yimkah (spelled in English YMCA), and listening to music to keep my legs churning as hard as I can. But it's so much better to go out with a group of friends. Today there were only five of us, which is a good start to the group we have riding in March. I missed a few of the earlier rides, so I am a bit behind.
On the bad news side of things, my brakes were squeaking. Every time I squeezed it, a high pitched whine came from the front wheel. Then, as we were riding, I could hear the brakes rubbing while we were out. That means tomorrow, when I still don't have school, I'm going to head down to the bike shop and see if they can fix that. I would take care of it myself, but there are two issues.
1) I don't own the right tools here.
2) I've never had disc-brakes on a bike and I'd rather not break them.
Back to the homework,
Happy Hanukah
Yes!
For Chanukah HUC gave us a four-day-weekend! That means I actually had a lot of free time and a Sunday like I was used to.
So instead of sitting around all day on Saturday doing homework, I joined a a few of the other riders for Ride4Reform this year on a training ride. Dan took us on a short route towards Yad Vashem. But instead of going to the museum, we took a left down a sweet hill into Ya'ar Yerushalayim (the Jerusalem Forrest). It was a nice ride complete with some hills both up and down. I hadn't been out on a bike for a few weeks so it felt great getting out there on the road and feeling the pavement pass beneath me.
The is something rewarding about climbing a hill for five minutes. Winded and fighting for breath climbing over the crest and seeing a steep decline. Whipping down it as wind rushes past your face to the point that you can no longer hear the traffic. There is nothing better for a Shabbat afternoon.
Why on Shabbat? Because most of the city of Jerusalem doesn't drive on that day. Fewer cars means that we all feel much safer.
It's also great going in a group. For me, I do like sitting on a bike at the Yimkah (spelled in English YMCA), and listening to music to keep my legs churning as hard as I can. But it's so much better to go out with a group of friends. Today there were only five of us, which is a good start to the group we have riding in March. I missed a few of the earlier rides, so I am a bit behind.
On the bad news side of things, my brakes were squeaking. Every time I squeezed it, a high pitched whine came from the front wheel. Then, as we were riding, I could hear the brakes rubbing while we were out. That means tomorrow, when I still don't have school, I'm going to head down to the bike shop and see if they can fix that. I would take care of it myself, but there are two issues.
1) I don't own the right tools here.
2) I've never had disc-brakes on a bike and I'd rather not break them.
Back to the homework,
Happy Hanukah
Friday, December 3, 2010
Ride4Reform Update
As a group, we have been doing a lot of fundraising already. We've had two bake sales, which have been going well. Last night was a ton of fun; the Latke Eating Contest.
The Year in Israel Program was challenged by the Los Angeles campus of HUC-JIR to a latke eating contest. The rules were, eat as many latkes as possible in 7 minutes. After our Chanukah celebration last night, the contest was on. I decided that I didn't really want to risk throwing off my "intense training regimen" (read; casual workouts) by piling on tons of latkes. Instead there were six competitors that ate as many as possible. Guess who won? Yeah, my roommate. Apparently she is the latke eating champ! And she beat the highest number put up by LA by eating 25 or 26 latkes.
I wish I had pictures to put up, but my camera is in transit to the states to get fixed. Hopefully that will be back with Kaitin when she gets here so I can resume taking an obnoxious number of pictures.
There are also a few quick updates about the Ride4Reform this year;
Check out the page I created on Facebook at the link here.
Or if you would like to check out their page, they have a Facebook Fan-Page, complete with some photos from a recent ride on part of the route for this spring.
Finally, the last place you can check out if you need to get your fix of ride4reform information, Marina and Dusty put together a wordpress site that will be the main way the group will put information out, read bios about everyone who is riding with our team this year, and look at some of the videos from the latke eating contest.
And last but not least, I will shortly be finally registered for the ride. Once I have taken care of that, I will let you know how you can donate to the cause if you are able to. Honestly, every little bit will help!
Off to the gym, I'm going to try to sit on the bike for a little while this afternoon.
The Year in Israel Program was challenged by the Los Angeles campus of HUC-JIR to a latke eating contest. The rules were, eat as many latkes as possible in 7 minutes. After our Chanukah celebration last night, the contest was on. I decided that I didn't really want to risk throwing off my "intense training regimen" (read; casual workouts) by piling on tons of latkes. Instead there were six competitors that ate as many as possible. Guess who won? Yeah, my roommate. Apparently she is the latke eating champ! And she beat the highest number put up by LA by eating 25 or 26 latkes.
I wish I had pictures to put up, but my camera is in transit to the states to get fixed. Hopefully that will be back with Kaitin when she gets here so I can resume taking an obnoxious number of pictures.
There are also a few quick updates about the Ride4Reform this year;
Check out the page I created on Facebook at the link here.
Or if you would like to check out their page, they have a Facebook Fan-Page, complete with some photos from a recent ride on part of the route for this spring.
Finally, the last place you can check out if you need to get your fix of ride4reform information, Marina and Dusty put together a wordpress site that will be the main way the group will put information out, read bios about everyone who is riding with our team this year, and look at some of the videos from the latke eating contest.
And last but not least, I will shortly be finally registered for the ride. Once I have taken care of that, I will let you know how you can donate to the cause if you are able to. Honestly, every little bit will help!
Off to the gym, I'm going to try to sit on the bike for a little while this afternoon.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Ride for Reform
Earlier this week I went to the first meeting for the Ride for Reform, the bike ride I am doing next spring. I'm really excited to be getting started on this. Then reality started to set it, I only have a few months to get ready for the ride.
They have posted the route on their website, and it doesn't look that intense, but I've never rode this far on back to back days before. But other than that, I think I can get my legs into shape to take care of that. Tomorrow I'm planing on joining Dan and Leah, and maybe others, on the road to take a little ride to the Jerusalem Forrest.
The route this year starts in Modiin, if you're familiar with the Channukah Story, it is said to have taken place here. By the end of five days we will be finishing at Masada and the Dead Sea. So I guess I have a way to get down there this year, it's just going to be on a bike and not a bus!
I am worried about one thing though, fundraising. I've never done fundraising for myself before. We're kicking it all off by having a bake sale on Sunday to see what we can start raising together. Adding in to my wariness is that I need to do this all from Israel with little "actual" contact with people in the states. I know this is the digital age, but I would feel more comfortable doing this face to face. ?מה לעשות (Mah La'asot). What to do?
If you are a facebook user, I have created a community page. Please follow along there as I post about my progress. I will probably be putting more on that page than on here.
But what organization is this fundraising going towards? The Ride4Reform collects donations that benefit the IMPJ (Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism). Reform Judaism in Israel is very different from back in the USA. The communities are smaller and there are not a ton of them. Part of the issue is that they are at a disadvantage because so many people in Israel see what many call Orthodoxy as the only way to be observant.
The IMPJ is the Israeli version of the URJ that helps support these communities, helps them with outreach and putting out information about being involved in the Progressive Movement here. They also support youth activities and so much more. This is an incredibly important cause to me, especially in light of some of the issues with the "Rotem Conversion Bill" that was in the forefront this summer. I am really excited to help the IMPJ and to have a lot of fun riding across Israel to do it.
If you're looking for more information about the IMPJ, you can visit the IMPJ website.
There is also plenty of information on the web about the Rotem Bill that still has not been defeated in the K'nesset.
They have posted the route on their website, and it doesn't look that intense, but I've never rode this far on back to back days before. But other than that, I think I can get my legs into shape to take care of that. Tomorrow I'm planing on joining Dan and Leah, and maybe others, on the road to take a little ride to the Jerusalem Forrest.
The route this year starts in Modiin, if you're familiar with the Channukah Story, it is said to have taken place here. By the end of five days we will be finishing at Masada and the Dead Sea. So I guess I have a way to get down there this year, it's just going to be on a bike and not a bus!
I am worried about one thing though, fundraising. I've never done fundraising for myself before. We're kicking it all off by having a bake sale on Sunday to see what we can start raising together. Adding in to my wariness is that I need to do this all from Israel with little "actual" contact with people in the states. I know this is the digital age, but I would feel more comfortable doing this face to face. ?מה לעשות (Mah La'asot). What to do?
If you are a facebook user, I have created a community page. Please follow along there as I post about my progress. I will probably be putting more on that page than on here.
But what organization is this fundraising going towards? The Ride4Reform collects donations that benefit the IMPJ (Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism). Reform Judaism in Israel is very different from back in the USA. The communities are smaller and there are not a ton of them. Part of the issue is that they are at a disadvantage because so many people in Israel see what many call Orthodoxy as the only way to be observant.
The IMPJ is the Israeli version of the URJ that helps support these communities, helps them with outreach and putting out information about being involved in the Progressive Movement here. They also support youth activities and so much more. This is an incredibly important cause to me, especially in light of some of the issues with the "Rotem Conversion Bill" that was in the forefront this summer. I am really excited to help the IMPJ and to have a lot of fun riding across Israel to do it.
If you're looking for more information about the IMPJ, you can visit the IMPJ website.
There is also plenty of information on the web about the Rotem Bill that still has not been defeated in the K'nesset.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
A Long, Long Week It's Been
This week has been long, very long. I haven't really updated too much.
Ulpan is almost finished. This week is our last week of the Hebrew only section of our school year. To finish up, I get to work with a partner to create a game to play with our class to help study for the Ulpan final. The final is next Wednesday and I'm pretty nervous about how well I will be able to do on it. At this point, I can just study and hope for the best.
Another part of the finishing of Ulpan is that on Wednesday we will have a chance to perform again for the rest of the HUC Year in Israel class. As a class, we are rewriting the words to David Broza's, Mitachat HaShamayim including jokes that have come up in the last six weeks.
We weren't sure if we would have the same teacher for the Hebrew we will continue to study throughout the year. As a class we were lobbying for her to stay because she is fantastic! Luckily, we get to keep Zohara for the rest of the year and our class is very excited. We learned this for sure during our Academic Orientation last Thursday.
We got to look at our schedule, which this year we have no choice in what the classes are. I knew this was graduate school, but this course load is intense. I am really excited to get started on studying though. We get to have classes on Bible, Biblical History, Liturgy, Modern Hebrew, Biblical Grammar, Modern Israeli History, Rabbinic Texts and one more that I can't really figure out from looking at the grid. Yep, that's eight classes and an optional course with Rabbi Zweibeck that I want to take over lunch on Tuesdays. This is a lot more than the four or five from High School and University of Minnesota. I guess that's why this is grad school and not a vacation, right?
What else has been going on? Rabbi David Ellenson, the President of the College-Institute, was in town and gave a lecture during the week. It was great getting a chance to meet him again. The lecture was good and it was a good introduction to the college. Some of what he mention caused some controversy with some of my friends here. It prompted some good discussion that distracted from studying for the exam we had Wednesday. But maybe that was the point, to get us to start thinking on a different level.
I went for a bike ride on Friday morning. Let me put it this way. Jerusalem is not the best place for a biker. It was a little bit crazy. I really enjoyed the ride with the other people who will be going on the Ride for Reform. One little anecdote though.
I was riding and didn't realize that one of the medians was raised. I noticed that it was up as I was coming up to it and immediately reverted to the last few years of riding a road bike. I braced myself for going over the top of my bike. Here's some great news though, mountain bikes have front-fork suspension for a reason. I barely felt the little bump as I rode over it. No biggie, it's a mountain bike.
Now it's time to get to some homework and studying.
Shabbat Shalom,
Ulpan is almost finished. This week is our last week of the Hebrew only section of our school year. To finish up, I get to work with a partner to create a game to play with our class to help study for the Ulpan final. The final is next Wednesday and I'm pretty nervous about how well I will be able to do on it. At this point, I can just study and hope for the best.
Another part of the finishing of Ulpan is that on Wednesday we will have a chance to perform again for the rest of the HUC Year in Israel class. As a class, we are rewriting the words to David Broza's, Mitachat HaShamayim including jokes that have come up in the last six weeks.
We weren't sure if we would have the same teacher for the Hebrew we will continue to study throughout the year. As a class we were lobbying for her to stay because she is fantastic! Luckily, we get to keep Zohara for the rest of the year and our class is very excited. We learned this for sure during our Academic Orientation last Thursday.
We got to look at our schedule, which this year we have no choice in what the classes are. I knew this was graduate school, but this course load is intense. I am really excited to get started on studying though. We get to have classes on Bible, Biblical History, Liturgy, Modern Hebrew, Biblical Grammar, Modern Israeli History, Rabbinic Texts and one more that I can't really figure out from looking at the grid. Yep, that's eight classes and an optional course with Rabbi Zweibeck that I want to take over lunch on Tuesdays. This is a lot more than the four or five from High School and University of Minnesota. I guess that's why this is grad school and not a vacation, right?
What else has been going on? Rabbi David Ellenson, the President of the College-Institute, was in town and gave a lecture during the week. It was great getting a chance to meet him again. The lecture was good and it was a good introduction to the college. Some of what he mention caused some controversy with some of my friends here. It prompted some good discussion that distracted from studying for the exam we had Wednesday. But maybe that was the point, to get us to start thinking on a different level.
I went for a bike ride on Friday morning. Let me put it this way. Jerusalem is not the best place for a biker. It was a little bit crazy. I really enjoyed the ride with the other people who will be going on the Ride for Reform. One little anecdote though.
I was riding and didn't realize that one of the medians was raised. I noticed that it was up as I was coming up to it and immediately reverted to the last few years of riding a road bike. I braced myself for going over the top of my bike. Here's some great news though, mountain bikes have front-fork suspension for a reason. I barely felt the little bump as I rode over it. No biggie, it's a mountain bike.
Now it's time to get to some homework and studying.
Shabbat Shalom,
Sunday, August 15, 2010
I Bought It
Last week I blogged about wanting to buy a bicycle. Once I put my mind to something, I had to go out and get it. After a lot of thought I just decided, I had better spend the extra 500 Sheck to get a nice bike with better breaks. So I went back to Eldar Cycling and bought the bike.
I'm pretty happy with it. It's nothing special. Just a nice 28-speed (8x3) set of gears. The front suspension is alright although while I was biking up the hill home, I noticed that if I pedal the wrong way I put some of my momentum into the suspension and not all into the pedals. I am really happy with the purchase though and it already has a name, thanks Dusty and Leah. The bike is going to be called the Orange Dream-Cycle. I haven't quite decided if it's male or female though.
Riding home though was tough. Not the hills, I can manage those, especially once I figure out how the gear ratio works a little better. It's the atmosphere. This is not a good biking town. You are supposed to bike on the sidewalks, which don't always have an easy way to get onto them. People also park their cars all over the sidewalks. This complicates the situation that involves a lot of trees, dumpsters and other just random stuff in the way. Not to mention the people you need to dodge because they walk like they are daring you to hit them. It's is for this reason I decided to pick up a helmet now and not wait for someone back home to mail me my helmet. Check out the "amazing" helmet I get to wear here.
Since buying the bike, I've taken it out on the streets a few times. I cannot get used to riding on sidewalks. It feels so wrong to be on the sidewalk. On the plus side, it is possible to bike on the wrong side of the road when you're on a sidewalk. Nobody really cares and they stand in your way no matter which side of the road you're on.
The other thing that is taking a while to get used to are the shocks. I'm not used to having a suspension in the front fork. It feels weird not needing to brace when you come across something in the road, or when the path has some change in gradient. Eventually I will get used to this, but I can't wait to get out on the trails.
I'm pretty happy with it. It's nothing special. Just a nice 28-speed (8x3) set of gears. The front suspension is alright although while I was biking up the hill home, I noticed that if I pedal the wrong way I put some of my momentum into the suspension and not all into the pedals. I am really happy with the purchase though and it already has a name, thanks Dusty and Leah. The bike is going to be called the Orange Dream-Cycle. I haven't quite decided if it's male or female though.
Riding home though was tough. Not the hills, I can manage those, especially once I figure out how the gear ratio works a little better. It's the atmosphere. This is not a good biking town. You are supposed to bike on the sidewalks, which don't always have an easy way to get onto them. People also park their cars all over the sidewalks. This complicates the situation that involves a lot of trees, dumpsters and other just random stuff in the way. Not to mention the people you need to dodge because they walk like they are daring you to hit them. It's is for this reason I decided to pick up a helmet now and not wait for someone back home to mail me my helmet. Check out the "amazing" helmet I get to wear here.
Since buying the bike, I've taken it out on the streets a few times. I cannot get used to riding on sidewalks. It feels so wrong to be on the sidewalk. On the plus side, it is possible to bike on the wrong side of the road when you're on a sidewalk. Nobody really cares and they stand in your way no matter which side of the road you're on.
The other thing that is taking a while to get used to are the shocks. I'm not used to having a suspension in the front fork. It feels weird not needing to brace when you come across something in the road, or when the path has some change in gradient. Eventually I will get used to this, but I can't wait to get out on the trails.
Friday, August 6, 2010
I Want To Ride My Bicycle, I Want To Ride My Bike
In the last few years I've been getting into biking. Being that I needed to fly to Israel, I chose not to bring my bike with me. Additionally, Jerusalem is very hilly and you don't see a lot of road cycles around because it's really tough to ride one around here.
[Enter Dusty]
She is one of the other students and is taking the lead on organizing the HUC group for the Ride For Reform . This is a 5 day bike ride that covers different parts of Israel every year. Participants raise funds that are donated to promote Progressive Judaism in Israel and I'm really excited to take part in it this year.
From what I understand, she knows someone back in the states that has worked with a bike shop down in the Talpiyot area. Steven, another of the Rabbinic students, knew about this shop too. This morning a bunch of us went down to look and shop around a bit. Walking into the store, there was a fantastic smell that burst through the door when we opened it. It's that smell of rubber and oil that you can only find in a garage or a bike shop. It was great!
The guy working there was very helpful. He showed us a few bikes, talked to us about why we were going to need them and what is our price range. Since none of us really have a clue about off-road biking, we started from the beginning and looked at some of the different types and talked pricing. It turns out I may be getting in deeper than I want to here. The bottom of the line that we looked at will end up costing around 500 dollars. Not brutal, but not cheap either. I also need to think about whether or not I want to bring it back to the states with me or to try and sell it here.
We were measured and the guy working at Eldar Cycling said he will call us when they get some new ones that he thinks we would be more interested in. Overall, it was a pretty exciting morning and I'm really tossing around the idea of whether or not I should just go for it.
Since I don't have a lot of time before Kabbalat Shabbat, I can't really type much more.
Shabbat Shalom
[Enter Dusty]
She is one of the other students and is taking the lead on organizing the HUC group for the Ride For Reform . This is a 5 day bike ride that covers different parts of Israel every year. Participants raise funds that are donated to promote Progressive Judaism in Israel and I'm really excited to take part in it this year.
From what I understand, she knows someone back in the states that has worked with a bike shop down in the Talpiyot area. Steven, another of the Rabbinic students, knew about this shop too. This morning a bunch of us went down to look and shop around a bit. Walking into the store, there was a fantastic smell that burst through the door when we opened it. It's that smell of rubber and oil that you can only find in a garage or a bike shop. It was great!
The guy working there was very helpful. He showed us a few bikes, talked to us about why we were going to need them and what is our price range. Since none of us really have a clue about off-road biking, we started from the beginning and looked at some of the different types and talked pricing. It turns out I may be getting in deeper than I want to here. The bottom of the line that we looked at will end up costing around 500 dollars. Not brutal, but not cheap either. I also need to think about whether or not I want to bring it back to the states with me or to try and sell it here.
We were measured and the guy working at Eldar Cycling said he will call us when they get some new ones that he thinks we would be more interested in. Overall, it was a pretty exciting morning and I'm really tossing around the idea of whether or not I should just go for it.
Since I don't have a lot of time before Kabbalat Shabbat, I can't really type much more.
Shabbat Shalom
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)