Back home ...

When I signed up for this ride late last year, I really had not thought the whole thing through. When I bought the tickets on 28 February 2008, I had only an inkling of what this event was going to require.

The months progressed and the ride rapidly approached. The details came together (love that ADHD-driven hyper-focus) and the training reached a head. The bike was boxed up and my bags were packed. Now all I had to do was start the ride.

Now that I have completed the ride, the trip and the journey back home, here is where I am:

Physically

I left for Israel at a weight my scale had not seen since Elaine was pregnant with my eldest (1994) and returned from the ride at a weight I had not been since after our honeymoon. All in all I lost 20 pounds during my training and another 7 during the ride.

My cholesterol went down 43 points between July 2008 and November 2008. HDLs up. LDLs down. Cardiologist happy.

Excercise is no longer something I do, it is part of how I live.

Politically

I left Atlanta with a view of the Middle East skewed by my education and the media. While in Israel, I met and spent time with Israeli soldiers, alumni and current students at Arava (Israelis, Palestinians, Jordanians, Egyptians, Canadians, Brits, Americans; Jews, Muslims, Christians), taxi drivers and Orthodox Jews by the Western Wall.

One can not legislate peace, only non-aggression. Peace comes from inside the citizenry. It comes from the people who want more balance, crave sustainability (social and environmental) and who plan with future generations in mind.

Those are the very people I met. They are the ones that will change the political landscape of the Middle East from the inside out - despite the best efforts of the political "leadership."

Yes, change from the inside takes longer. But it is the only change that is lasting.

I am more confident than ever that things can - and will - change for the better.

Emotionally

Judaism is almost 6,000 years old. We are a hearty, resilient and stubborn people. Israel makes the millennia of our history tangible. You can see it, hear it, touch it, taste it, smell it ... and feel it everywhere. The connection with that history, with our history, with our faith is powerful.

It is impossible to spend any time in Israel without being changed. I was at 15 and I am again at 43.

I am more connected to my faith and my culture than ever before.

Psychologically

Through most of my training, I was doubtful about my ability to complete the ride. It was not so much the potential physical limitation. I held a limiting belief that the distance and the terrain were beyond what I could handle.

On Wednesday, 12 November 2008 at 5:30am we were wheels up. I let go. I stopped over-thinking and over-analyzing. I just rode.

I watched the road. I took in my surroundings. I talked to the other riders. I felt the bike. I paid attention to my body. I let my mind go.

That made all the difference.

I am in touch with my strength again.

The Lasting Effect:

I planned. I trained. I soared. I learned about myself. I pushed my limits. I reached my perceived limits, far exceeded them, and found that my true limits were even beyond what I accomplished. Once I let go, nothing could hold me back.

Bringing that freedom home. Bringing that power home. Bringing that strength home. That is the lasting effect of this ride.

I am, as the saying goes, Dancing in the Moment.

Thanks for reading ...

David Taylor-Klaus
Team Atlanta

Team Atlanta Images & Videos

OK, folks ... We've updated the photo galleries and the video galleries from our trip. Wanna see?

http://picasaweb.google.com/TeamAtlantaRides
http://www.youtube.com/TeamAtlantaRides

Yad Vashem

The last time I was in Israel, it was 1980. Suffice it to say that the country has changed - physically, politically, environmentally, sociologically, psychologically ....

However, the commitment to history, rememberance and honor have remained core to the Israeli culture. The investment in Yad Vashem - the renovation, expansion and creation of a study center - has been extensive. With 51 acres atop one of the hills of Jerusalem, a visit to Yad Vashem is quiet, beautiful, poignant, moving, impactful, life-changing.

I spent the better part of 5 hours there moving from indoor exhibit to outdoor space. I moved through, and was moved by, the Holocaust History Museum. I wept in the Hall of Names. I was struck breathless by the Children's Memorial. I strolled in amazement through the Avenue of the Righteous Among the Nations. I was inspired by the Monument to the Jewish Soldiers and Partisans who fought against Nazi Germany. I was humbled by the Valley of the Communities and the loss it represents.

More than anything, I mourned the fact that my family was not there to experience it with me. When my 7 year old son is 10, I want to come back and share this country with my family.

Our Picasa site has a combined gallery of my Yad Vashem pictures along with Robert Port's and Bob Tucker's.

David Taylor-Klaus
Team Atlanta

Day trip to Petra (in Jordan)

Petra is an archaeological site lying on the slope of Mount Hor in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Arabah (Wadi Araba), the large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. It is renowned for its rock-cut architecture. (The Treasury building is pictured here.)

Petra is also one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. We thought it was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and had a lot of trouble accessing the web via "crackberry" in the middle of the Jordanian desert just to find out we were wrong!

After crossing the Jordanian border (where we got "stuck" long enough to shop at the tchotchke shop in between the two gates) we boarded a bus for the two hour schlep through the desert to get to Petra.

Although Isaac and David enjoyed the kefiahs, they opted NOT to wear them when they crossed back into Israel ... let alone into the US. Can you imagine how the Atlanta airport TSA guys would react?

The hike into Petra was fascinating. That none of us were killed by the horse/donkey-driven carts that flew down the path was a miracle. After a while you began to hear our folks scream "Horse Back!" or, when applicable, "Ass Back!

There are many more pictures (some great shots of the carvings and landscape as well as the camels and the deadly horse-carts) on our Picasa site.

Final Dinner & Slideshow

All we seemed to do was eat (with a few bike rides in between meals)! The final meal was a spread to die for. G-d forbid we should miss a meal.

The riders ate, drank, laughed, danced, ate again and drank more. The crew seemed to be a bit more restrained. The slide show gave us a great recap of a life-altering week. Yasher Koach to the crew for capturing it so well!

JoJo - the youngest Israel Ride participant - and Gil had a chance to talk to the crowd and got a great hug from Ilana ... Smile boys!

You can check out more pictures of the dinner on our Picasa site.

From Kibbutz Ketura to Eilat

"It was the best of times. It was the worst of times." ... Charles Dickens came to mind when I saw the elevation chart for this last day ...

We started with one vicious climb out of Ketura (up the same great descent from yesterday) that was part of a nearly-continuous 37 mile climb! As a reward, the ride ended with a steep, smooth and beautiful descent into Eilat. Between the pretty robust headwinds and the few stops we made for photos (I said it was beautiful!), top speeds were not in the cards. Just a great end to our sojourn.

We finished at a bar in Eilat (great plan, no?) and there was much rejoicing.When we got to Har Hizkiyahu (at 37 miles), we had lunch and enjoyed a tremendous view.

We were right on the Egyptian border and could see Jordan just to our west.

We did bike salutes on the crest of the hill in spitting distance from some Egyptian border patrol.

I wonder what was going through their minds!

From Mitzpe Ramon to Kibbutz Ketura

We started the day with a fore-shortened Shacarit service on the edge of the Makhtesh.What a phenomenal experience. Rabbi Mark (Team Boulder) led a beautiful sunrise service. Ilana and the crew played the drums as we sang Modeh Ani (the morning prayer) and offered a few selected prayers related to our upcoming effort.

After the service, we did some stretching with Alma and one of the other limber crew members.

When we rolled out, it was directly into an all-out screaming descent into the Makhtesh with crazy switchbacks. However, once we were past the last switchback, we had a stupendous straight-away where a bunch of us hit our top speeds ... ever! I only got to 46.4 mph because I was sitting up too much - the view was gorgeous and I didn't want to miss it. Rabbi Mario topped 51 mph! He'd seen the view in May when he did the ride last time. ;)

Well, what goes down must come up. Each of the climbs (into Shdema, out of Nachal Pharan and the slow burn towards the last descent into Ketura) was work. This was not a day of rest.

The reward? Yet another screaming descent into Ketura. AND, plenty of beer and wine waiting for us at Kibbutz Ketura, Arava's home. We ended the day with a great meal and music around the campfire.

Makhtesh

WOW! Incredible. Shortly after arriving in Mitzpe Ramon and changing, we walked up to the Makhtesh - one of the 4 erosion craters in the world (the other three are in the Sinai Peninsula).

The views were incredible. We've posted an album of photos - taken by several of our team - on Picasa. Check it out ...

In the morning, we'll be riding into the crater on our way to Kibbutz Ketura - the home of the Arava Institute.

shabbas in mitzpe ramon - ron rosen

Shabbas morning and havdalah were two of my most memorable spiritual experiences.

meyers family blog

what an amazing week it has been. after 3 days of riding shabbat has never been more appreciated than this one!! we are staying on the 4th floor - 8 flights of stairs - in a building with no elevators and my thighs are more than grateful for a little rest. we are off again tomorrow am and will end up at kibbutz ketura - home of the arava institute and the meyers family cannot wait to visit for a second time. hugs to all and thank you again for all of your support of arava and hazon.

To the Israel Ride Crew: THANK YOU!

We are at a meeting of the Arava alumni. What a fascinating bunch of folk.

They are Jewish, Christian, Muslim. They are Israeli and Palestinian.

They are from Britain, Vancouver, Israel, Jordan, the United States and more.

They are in their 20s and 30s. They came for a short time and many never left.

They are parents, students & teachers. They have Masters degrees and PhDs.

They are no different from us.

They study a wide range of physical sciences and their applicability, environmental technologies and their application, government policies and their sustainability, current conditions and their future impact.

This extremely well rounded and committed bunch helped us with planes, buses and vans; breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and road food; hotels, kibbutzim, bags and keys; tubes, tires, wheels, chains and seats.

And throughout all the support, all the hard work, all the schlepping, all the fixing, the very few hours of sleep … they have smiled, laughed, listened and been genuine and unreservedly friendly.

Without these angels, our wheels would have ground to a halt and the fundraising efforts of their alma mater would have been severely compromised. Their effort and hard work has made the Israel Ride much smoother than many of the roads we have ridden together.

From all of us on Team Atlanta, from the bottom of our hearts (and the bottom of our seats):

TODA RABA!

Shabbat in the Desert

Shabbat ended a few hours ago, and I am now thinking about the ride tomorrow. Gil and I (and the members of the Atlanta Team and all of our many new friends) have truly shared together a unique and wonderful experience. We have impressed each other by our endurance and our ability to get up the hills without artificial assistance. And we have been together, laughing and just experiencing each other. And we have made new and lasting friends. We also have learned about the visions of Hazon and the Arava Institute. Both have opened our eyes to new perspectives and possibilities for peace in Israel and an improved shared environment. Gil and I are now inspired and motivated. Hopefully, we will bring this inspiration and motivation home with us, but in the meantime, I hope we at least will bring then on the ride with us over the next two days. We are so thrilled to have been part of the Israel Ride this year, and we cannot wait to share this experience with everyone who will listen.

Craig Frankel

Tomorrow's (11/14/08) Ride ...

CLIMBING DAY!

We get to sleep late! it's 5:45am this time!

On our way to Mitzpe Ramon (where we'll spend Shabbos), we will be riding up Har Harif, highest point in the Negev Desert (2nd highest in Israel). We'll start at 640 feet above sea level and, over a 37 mile nearly continuous climb, we'll top out at just over 3,200 feet. We finish the 57 mile ride by 4pm in Mitzpe Ramon.

Because the rode along the border is not open to the public, many Israelis have not been on this road or up to Har Harif. IDF (Israel Defense Forces) gave our group special permission - and a military escort for our time along the Egyptian border.

Egyptian border patrol are un-armed foot-patrol. We'll be close enough to take a picture (although I bet it's not really while riding along with an IDF escort). Israel has well-armed and well-trained motorized soldiers on our side of the fence.


More later ...

Picasa site updated ...

Take a look. We've uploaded a number of new pics.

http://picasaweb.google.com/TeamAtlantaRides

Ashqelon to Nitzana

5:30am Roll-out (argh!). Nuts, fruit & coffee/tea for 'pre-ride-snack." 93.5 miles total. VERY close to Gaza for much of the morning (as close as < 1 km). We could see Gaza clearly from the road (see the sign above my head? Yes, we did turn right). Breakfast 30 miles into the ride – GREAT music with the crew.

Lunch was at 66 miles into the ride at Golda Meir park. It is an oasis in the middle of the Negev Desert. The food was great, the sun was high, we had a cool breeze and plenty of "seam creme."

From lunch to the end of the ride, we had a headwind. When the ride organizers told us “the last 20 miles tends to have a large headwind” we (a) didn’t believe them and (b) didn’t know that it was actually 27 miles!

I blew tire at 68 into the ride. it was my first flat tire ... ever ... The mechanics rolled up just as I had the bike flipped over and they had me ready to roll in 6 minutes. It took 19 miles (10 in paceline and 9 solo) to get back up to the front of the pack. OUCH!

I had 6:14 in the saddle. With breakfast, lunch, pit stops and almost 3000 feet of aggregate climbing, it took us until 3:30 to arrive. Oy.

The "hotel" in Nitzana is basically a kibbutz-gone-hostel. Simple rooms. Great showers (if you get in early enough), a bar with 5 shekel ($1.50) double-shots of vodka, a killer sunset and a great moon.

After a very locally-grown dinner, a quick blog, and then bed.

David Taylor-Klaus
Team Atlanta

Tomorrow's Ride ...

Today, Team Atlanta had 8 riders do the Chalutzim route - the longest of the three. The other 11 did the Tzofim route - the middle distance. It was only a 6 mile difference.


On Thursday, Chalutzim will be almost 100 miles through the desert to Nitzana on the Egyptian border. Tzofim will do 71.

An, yes, we roll out again at 5:30am. Oy.

Jerusalem to Ashqelon

5:45am. Yup. That's when we rolled out. Wake at 4:30, breakfast at 5, gather at 5:30, Traveler's Prayer (in English, Arabic & Hebrew), and the sound of the Shofar and we were off.

Yes, it was dark out (notice the reflections from the reflective parts of our jackets) but that meant we could get all 106 riders to Ashqelon - on the Mediterranean Sea - in time to swim in the Sea.

After a screaming downhill run we arrived at the pit stop at Sataf (mile marker 8.7). From there we had a nearly 7 mile climb with over 1200 feet of elevation change. The reward? ANOTHER screaming descent.

We had lunch by the Bell Caves (at mile 44.6) with the entire crew.

We'll upload some of the pictures from today's ride on our picasa site ...

First "Briefing"

OK. It is the night before the first ride and the all 106 of the riders and many of the coordinators and crew are in one room for a "briefing" ... safety, rules of the road, logistics ... and then there was the role playing.

The information was essential and helpful .. but ANYTHING but brief.

Cute, huh?

It's 9:30 PM on Tuesday night in Jerusalem. We are waking up at 4:30am to eat breakfast, load our gear into the vans, say a prayer and roll out at 5:45am Sleep is for the weak!!

Quick test ride ...

After the Old City walking tour, a picnic lunch in the gardens of Augusta Victoria hospital on Mount Scopus and a walk back to the hotel, we reassembled our bikes. Once they we were done and ready to test them out, took them out for a spin around the Hebrew University and Hadassah Hospital and back to the hotel. 4 miles in Jerusalem traffic raised our pulses more than the hills!

I am really looking forward to our police escort through Jerusalem in the morning!

Time in the Old City

After an early breakfast about 35 of our group went on a walking tour of the Old City in Jerusalem. Our guide, was an incredible fount of knowledge of both religious and secular history and with equal depth and respect for Christian, Muslim and Jewish traditions.

We started at the Mount of Olives where we could look out across the ancient Jewish cemetery to the walls of the Temple Mount upon which rests the Old City.

We learned that the Jerusalem's Old City is the oldest, continuously inhabited, completely enclosed walled city on the earth.

I have uploaded a number of our photos from the Old City to Team Atlanta's Picasa site.

I had an incredibly moving experience at the Kotel (the Western Wall) today. As I rounded the corner after entering the gate to the old city, I saw the Wall and completely lost my breath. I sat in the middle of the courtyard in front of the wall thinking about my wife and children, writing down my wishes and prayers for our family and weeping.

I got up and walked around to the entrance to the area in front of the wall, found the place at the walled that felt right, placed my hands and forehead on the cold Herodian stones. As I placed my prayer into the wall and turned around, I heard a camera shutter. One of the Rabbis spending their time at the Wall was taking pictures of the Wall and the folk there. I didn't know photos were allowed that close ...

The Rabbi asked me about the yellow bracelet I was wearing. I shared with him the story of a dear friend who is a cancer survivor who was asked to participate in a Lance Armstrong Foundation event in DC. During the event, my friend was presented with one of the first 100 of the livestrong bracelets and he lent it to me for the trip. Darren, it has been brought to the Wall and a prayer has been said for your continued health.

More stories to tell. They'll have to wait ... for now.

David Taylor-Klaus
Team Atlanta

JNF "Northern Exposure Tour"

On Monday (10 November 2008) several of us went on a tour of northern Israel with a JNF tour guide. We drove from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv along the Sea of Gallilee and up to near the Golan Heights.

We spent part of the morning at an Israeli Air Force base where we sat with a dozen very bright and very well armed Israeli soldiers. This group was made up of men and woman responsible for training the newest inductees to repair and maintain the planes and helicopters used in both training exercises and combat. These soldiers also meet and review high school students interested in the Air Force for their obligatory three year assignment.

Not ONE of these soldiers were over 22!

After lunch with the soldiers, we were off to Agamon Hula - a JNF / KKL (Keren Kayemet L'Israel) nature preserve surrounding Laka Agamon in northern Israel below the Goln Heights.

The sky was beautiful, the breeze welcome and the animals plentiful. This picture is from the middle of the preserve, looking across some of the re-claimed wetland towards the Golan with the moon just appearing over the mountains.

We experienced water birds. wild boars, Netanyas (huge rat-like creatures), birds of prey and even a few tourists.

After Agamon Hula, we headed back to Jerusalem for dinner ....

Jerusalem Regency

The Jerusalem Regency sits atop Mt Scopus
in Jerusalem with a terrific view of the city.

Darna and Leg ...

The good news: The food at Darna is fantastic.

The bads news: we had to walk several blocks to get there!

--------------------

We checked into the hotel (Jerusalem Regency), freshened up and took a couple of cabs to Ben Yehuda Street for some outstanding authentic Moroccan food.

Consensus: the best we'd had.

As one diner - leaving as we arrived - remarked, "It's better than the Moroccan we have back in Oklahoma City!"

Back to the hotel to prep for the day ...

Not quite a minyan ...

911/8/08. 9:30pm EDT. Atlanta Airport. Terminal E. Crown room.

Awaiting boarding. Drinks to prep for the flight ...

David Taylor-Klaus, Mario Karpuj, Judy & Chuck Perlow (Pittsburgh), Jim Lando, Isaac Antebi ...

One week to "Wheels Up"

OK, I'm just one week from 'wheels up" ... on Wednesday, 12 November 2008 I'll be cycling out of Jerusalem with only 341 miles to go to get to Eilat. My outdoor training is over and my bike is all boxed up and ready to go (sad). All that's left is some indoor training, packing and picking up the Ambien for the flight!.

And, yes, the distance is different. David Rendsburg & Nancy Lipsey (our folk at Hazon) just sent both the revised distances and a map of the route:

   Day       Shomrim  Tzofim  Chalutzim
   Wednesday   37       61       71
   Thursday    40       71       97
   Friday      36       46       60
   Sunday      44       59       59
   Monday      25       46       55     
   Total      182      282      341

The map is actually from a GPS trace submitted by a rider from last year ... check it out on Google Maps.

David Taylor-Klaus
Team Atlanta

Meet the Riders of Team Atlanta

We have a much more personal way for you to meet the Team Atlanta riders.

The Team Atlanta Bios are online ...
click here to read about us >>

Learn a little something about the folks you've sponsored: who we are, why we're doing this, and what makes us smile.

Enjoy!

We have corporate sponsorship!

Some wonderful companies have stepped up to support our riders, our team and our effort.

Here’s who we have on-board:

Century Sponsors:

• Coca-Cola Enterprises >
  
• Delta Airlines >
  

“Road Scholar” Sponsors:

• Grant Thornton >
  
• Bigelow Advertising >
  
• Digital Positions >
  
• Ektron >
  

“Chai Road” Sponsors:

• Brian Cork Human Capital >
  
• Robert P Marcovitch >
  
• Cohen, Goldstein, Port, & Gottlieb >
  
• The Spiegel Calvin Group
• Gaslowitz Frankel >
  
• JNF >
  

Because of their generous support, Team Atlanta is expanding our contribution and the impact we will make!

THANK YOU!

David Taylor-Klaus, Team Atlanta

Life is like riding a bicycle ...

It is with great joy and anticipation that I'm getting ready to be part of - for the second time - the Israel Ride.

When I first experienced this amazing ride, I kept telling to myself how amazing it will be to have a larger group from Atlanta. This year Team Atlanta is the largest team in the ride with 19 riders!

As you already know by now, the ride is organized by two wonderful institutions doing amazing work: The Arava Institute and Hazon. With our riding and the help of all those who donated to support us we are helping them to continue their mission.

What the riders will discover during the ride, is that more than we helping them, they will transform us by helping us seeing Israel with very different eyes and from an unique perspective. To ride through the wilderness creates a special connection with the land and with the history of our ancestors who toured and lived in many of the places we'll be riding at.

And we'll be riding with an amazing group of men and women from every corner in the US, Australia, Canada and Israel. People who share the love for the land, for biking, for the environment and for peace and coexistence in the middle east. The ride also teaches a lot to every individual about themselves. It is a true religious experience in the sense that it really challenges each rider in so many ways.

Stay tuned to listen to the amazing stories, and inspirational ideas that I know we'll come out of many of the riders. And the lessons they will learn about life.

After all as Einstein taught us many years ago: "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving."

L'Shalom
Mario