Day 5: Rehovot to Zova

As can be seen from the figures below, this was a big day for climbing. This is the stage the future IBT will ascend to Jerusalem,and for the cyclist, there is no escaping the inherent topography.

The old cycling mantra, 'No pain, no gain' neatly sums up the experience.I chose to start my attack on the holy city ( not the most significant in its long history) from Rechovot. This was an inspired suggestion by Yotam as it skipped all the muddy bits around Tel Aviv. There was also the convenient fact that an articulated commuter bus, going in this direction, stopped nearby. So after some delicate negotiations with the driver my bike was let on board and placed on the swivelling floor in the middle. It was fun to see my riderless bike turning corners!

Oh, that climb. ...

Well here I am in Zova to Blog you the story, and that's all that matters. The pain was the wear on the knees over two mountain ranges (Estahol and Har Hatayasim) and the gain was the view down to the coastal plain then the well earned indulgence of a hot bath in Zova !

Ride Stats: Distance 60kms
Total distance 380 kms
Agg climbs 1177 metres
Duration 7 hours,
Average gradient 5%, Max Gradient ( a whopping) 18%
Max height 730 metres
Av temp 14c
0 punctures.

Sent from my iPod