vr 15 mei, 2009 16:33
There is a pie-shaped slice of Bicycle Pedaling Paradise that has been developing largely undetected by the Cycle Touring Community of Nederland. This area of hallowed ground is large and perfectly suited for on-road and off-road touring during the coming Winter Riding Season. I thought that you ought to have this news sooner rather than later.
First, let me introduce myself. My name is Ken Quinn and I was born and raised in North Carolina in the US of A. In 1979 when I first had enough money to travel internationally, I went to tour Israel and to work on Kibbutz. In 1982 on Kibbutz I met my future Dutch wife and I first visited Holland. So in Holland I was re-introduced to the bicycle and cycling as we know it. I am a cyclist since 1982 and a touring cyclist since 1988. I took a bicycle to Israel the first time in 1989 for a year and since then I have ridden over and toured Israel by bicycle for a total of 6 years altogether.
There is some information already here in the forum that will inform you in general about cycle touring in Israel. However my report to you Here and Now is to reveal the New State of Cycling in Israel and especially the Cycling Paradise of the Southern Deserts of Israel. I invite you to visit the web page link given here to view a slideshow of photos from my 20 year history of tours and day trips in the southern half of Israel. After you have viewed the slideshow you will have a good view of my experience and the landscape and a hint that the Israelis have been seriously infected with that now familiar road disease, White Line Fever!
http://gallery.me.com/seventypalms#100041
(I apologize for my English writing and speaking but I am not blessed with a talent for foreign languages. I have other talents
. I do however read and understand most of the non-technical Dutch language.)
What makes the Negev and the Arava Deserts of Southern Israel perfectly suited as a Cycling Paradise is that in the last 10 to 15 years the Israelis themselves have discovered both on-and-off-road cycling and have taken to it with a great passion resulting in the blossoming of a Bicycle Friendly riding environment and a Bicycle Support Services Industry. This industry is new and EXPLODING (no pun intended) across the whole of the country.
As a cyclist, I have been watching the cycling industry grow by leaps and bounds all over the world for these last decades. Now I can report to you that I have seen with my own eyes the leaps and strides that the sport has taken in the hearts and minds of the Israelis themselves. They have a fantastic country to ride over and explore. The landscapes and terrain of the country are varied and beautiful. However, I Am Not Going To Recommend The Whole Country To You As A Destination But Only The Southern Half. This Cycling Paradise is just a hop and skip from Amsterdam. The hop is from Schiphol to Ben Gurion and the skip is from Ben Gurion to Sde Boker and there you have entered the heart of the Negev Region of Israel.
The Negev Region is the entire keystone, pie shaped, Sparsely Populated southern half of the country. The Negev Region is made up of two deserts, the Negev high desert and Arava low desert. The topography of the area is important to understand because there is a difference of 1200 meters between the high and low steps. The Comfortable Riding Season in the Negev is from October until April. Outside of these months you had better like HOT! Although, in the Summertime I can recommend night-riding in the moonlit desert and day-hiding in the shade or canyons. By definition, a desert lacks MUD. In WINTER the Negev is MOSTLY SUNNY, and probably averages 15 to 18 C during the day throughout the season even in the high desert at elevation 850 meters. All of the scorpions and the snakes are hiding during this “slow moving” season. The Negev is not a sandy desert for the MOST part, it is a rocky and cliffy place. Watch your step.
I recommend road touring over the whole of the Negev. There are enough services and supply points that you can travel comfortably. I usually finished my riding around 4 pm and when no one was looking I turned onto a jeep track and rode a few kilometers into the landscape to always find an interesting and quiet place to make camp. During the dark of the moon, the night sky is just stunning with its star populations and its clarity reveals to the naked eye satellites moving across the expanse. Meteor showers happen in the Winter months and are announced and are not to be missed. During the time of the full moon, it is light enough to read a newspaper or ride a bit along the trail.
My favorite base of operations for day rides has turned out to be in the middle of the Negev high desert at Sde Boker. There is both a Kibbutz Sde Boker and a university campus at Sde Boker. These two villages are only a few kilometers apart. OFF-ROAD riding in the Negev either on the well worn jeep tracks or on the increasingly popular single tracks is catching FIRE in the minds of men. The landscapes of the desert are spectacular for drama and color and riding the well traveled jeep tracks will get you to places of interest like water holes, ancient ruins, breathtaking lookouts for lunch, interesting military installations, or places frequented by the wildlife.
Single track riding is developing and being developed. Trails of 35 kilometers are now marked and being worn in. It seems to me that riding single tracks will be a truly specialized branch of off road riding. The rocks are hard and the ground is just as hard so only the most daring riders will want to blast out across this rough terrain. Unlike riding single tracks in Europe, there will be no mud or soft spots. Single tracks in Israel are looking for A FEW GOOD MEN.
The entire Negev Region, both the Negev high desert and the Arava low desert, is crisscrossed with camel tracks and jeep tracks. There are literally hundreds of ways to get from point A to point B. HOWEVER, there is a catch. The Israeli Army, the Israeli Defense Force, occupys large chunks of the territory in the inner areas between the different roads of the highway network in the Negev. There are infantry, tank, artillery, and air bases all over the Negev. Bike Riders are not permitted on the bases themselves ever, but the Training Areas of the infantry, tank, and artillery bases are usually open to riders from Friday noon until Sunday at 0800. When planning a ride into the desert Training Areas know the area perfectly before setting off and obtain any necessary permissions. That said, there are also many, many, spectacular places to ride at any time and some of these are Makhtesh Ramon, Makhtesh Hagadol, Makhtesh Hakatan, Maale Aqrabbim, Baraq Canyon, Ezuz(Beerotayim), Shivta, Mo’a, Avdat, the Zin Valley(Sde Boker), the entire area from Yotvata to Timna to Eilat, and some legs of The Israel Bike Trail. But one last caution concerning off-road touring, some of the dry river beds are a problem to ride, but not all. The problem is that you will find some long stretches of trail made of small pebbles which will not be ridable, RATS! Cross Country Off-Road Touring requires you to KNOW before you go. There are many easy-to-find information sources such as the local inhabitants, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (the S.P.N.I.), and The Israel Nature and Parks Authority. The local bike shops and riding clubs supply especially detailed touring information. Full bicycle services are available in Beer Sheva, Sde Boker, Mitzpe Ramon, and Elat.
I should give a warning here about clipon cycling shoes being unfit for climbing or descending a rocky trail. There do come times in the desert when it may become necessary to hike and carry the bike and the metal clip on the bottom of specialized cycling shoes will make rock climbing dangerous. Water needs in the Winter season are not particularly a problem. Water needs in the HOT Summer Season are critical. If you do not drink sufficiently between 10 AM and 4 PM, you will die. Not only riding and sweating takes large amounts of water out of your body but just simply breathing drains moisture from you. In the desert you inhale dry air and in your lungs the dry air robs you of H2O with every exhalation. You can dehydrate and die without ever breaking a sweat. And people do die of dehydration every year in the SUMMER season in Israel hiking and touring around without being aware or informed of the danger. Be well.
I have Many Years of experience riding Israel’s Southern Deserts and I can give advice and information on these and probably other subjects as well if you have any questions: helmets(A HELMET LAW IS IN FORCE), dogs(DISMOUNT, PRETEND TO THROW ROCKS), shoes(LIGHT-WEIGHT HIKING, COVER ANKELS), bus travel with bike(COSTS HALF PRICE OF YOUR TICKET), thieves(WILD CAMPERS BE CAUTIOUS BUT NOT HYSTERICAL), airport security(EL AL IS THE WORST), bugs(DON’T SLEEP IN CAVES, CHOOSE HIGH GROUND, CLEAR STONES AND SCORPIANS), mine fields(ISRAELI-JORDANIAN BORDER), cooling tricks(WET BANDANA COOLS HEAD AND NECK DURING DAY AND CHEST AT NIGHT), normal border crossings(ONLY EGYPT AND JORDAN), visa extensions(UP TO ONE YEAR), locating treasure(AFTER FIRST RAINS, OXIDISED COPPER STANDS OUT TO THE EYE), unexploded ordinance(DON’T TOUCH), airports(BEN GURION OR ELAT), hostels(IN EVERY TOWN), highway conditions(ASPHALT EMERGENCY LANES), The Israel Bike Trail(A LONG WAY FROM COMPLETION), etc., etc.
And speaking of The Israel Bike Trail, here is a link to a power point produced by the Israelis that gives interesting information. It is a quick read. And speaking of the Israelis themselves, I have found the Negev locals to be gracious, generous, and hospitable in every case. This is part of what keeps me going back again and again. When you do ride the Negev, I wish you all the very best and balanced tour of your career. Bon voyage!
http://www.ibt.org.il/english.aspx
click on Israel Bike Trail
I would say that you, we, have a few more seasons to run roughshod over these relatively undisturbed rocky and mountainous deserts of southern Israel before they are over built with tree lined asphalt covered bike paths.
The Negev will be discovered and ridden in a big way in these next years. Where Else Can You Get A Dry, Sunny Vacation Ride With Spectacular Views And Experiences During Europe’s Off-Season? In Israel, BECAUSE THERE, IT IS THE ON-SEASON. Wow! Who Thought You Could Have WINTERSPORT Without Snow?
First, let me introduce myself. My name is Ken Quinn and I was born and raised in North Carolina in the US of A. In 1979 when I first had enough money to travel internationally, I went to tour Israel and to work on Kibbutz. In 1982 on Kibbutz I met my future Dutch wife and I first visited Holland. So in Holland I was re-introduced to the bicycle and cycling as we know it. I am a cyclist since 1982 and a touring cyclist since 1988. I took a bicycle to Israel the first time in 1989 for a year and since then I have ridden over and toured Israel by bicycle for a total of 6 years altogether.
There is some information already here in the forum that will inform you in general about cycle touring in Israel. However my report to you Here and Now is to reveal the New State of Cycling in Israel and especially the Cycling Paradise of the Southern Deserts of Israel. I invite you to visit the web page link given here to view a slideshow of photos from my 20 year history of tours and day trips in the southern half of Israel. After you have viewed the slideshow you will have a good view of my experience and the landscape and a hint that the Israelis have been seriously infected with that now familiar road disease, White Line Fever!
http://gallery.me.com/seventypalms#100041
(I apologize for my English writing and speaking but I am not blessed with a talent for foreign languages. I have other talents
. I do however read and understand most of the non-technical Dutch language.)What makes the Negev and the Arava Deserts of Southern Israel perfectly suited as a Cycling Paradise is that in the last 10 to 15 years the Israelis themselves have discovered both on-and-off-road cycling and have taken to it with a great passion resulting in the blossoming of a Bicycle Friendly riding environment and a Bicycle Support Services Industry. This industry is new and EXPLODING (no pun intended) across the whole of the country.
As a cyclist, I have been watching the cycling industry grow by leaps and bounds all over the world for these last decades. Now I can report to you that I have seen with my own eyes the leaps and strides that the sport has taken in the hearts and minds of the Israelis themselves. They have a fantastic country to ride over and explore. The landscapes and terrain of the country are varied and beautiful. However, I Am Not Going To Recommend The Whole Country To You As A Destination But Only The Southern Half. This Cycling Paradise is just a hop and skip from Amsterdam. The hop is from Schiphol to Ben Gurion and the skip is from Ben Gurion to Sde Boker and there you have entered the heart of the Negev Region of Israel.
The Negev Region is the entire keystone, pie shaped, Sparsely Populated southern half of the country. The Negev Region is made up of two deserts, the Negev high desert and Arava low desert. The topography of the area is important to understand because there is a difference of 1200 meters between the high and low steps. The Comfortable Riding Season in the Negev is from October until April. Outside of these months you had better like HOT! Although, in the Summertime I can recommend night-riding in the moonlit desert and day-hiding in the shade or canyons. By definition, a desert lacks MUD.
In WINTER the Negev is MOSTLY SUNNY, and probably averages 15 to 18 C during the day throughout the season even in the high desert at elevation 850 meters. All of the scorpions and the snakes are hiding during this “slow moving” season. The Negev is not a sandy desert for the MOST part, it is a rocky and cliffy place. Watch your step.I recommend road touring over the whole of the Negev. There are enough services and supply points that you can travel comfortably. I usually finished my riding around 4 pm and when no one was looking I turned onto a jeep track and rode a few kilometers into the landscape to always find an interesting and quiet place to make camp. During the dark of the moon, the night sky is just stunning with its star populations and its clarity reveals to the naked eye satellites moving across the expanse. Meteor showers happen in the Winter months and are announced and are not to be missed. During the time of the full moon, it is light enough to read a newspaper or ride a bit along the trail.
My favorite base of operations for day rides has turned out to be in the middle of the Negev high desert at Sde Boker. There is both a Kibbutz Sde Boker and a university campus at Sde Boker. These two villages are only a few kilometers apart. OFF-ROAD riding in the Negev either on the well worn jeep tracks or on the increasingly popular single tracks is catching FIRE in the minds of men. The landscapes of the desert are spectacular for drama and color and riding the well traveled jeep tracks will get you to places of interest like water holes, ancient ruins, breathtaking lookouts for lunch, interesting military installations, or places frequented by the wildlife.
Single track riding is developing and being developed. Trails of 35 kilometers are now marked and being worn in. It seems to me that riding single tracks will be a truly specialized branch of off road riding. The rocks are hard and the ground is just as hard so only the most daring riders will want to blast out across this rough terrain. Unlike riding single tracks in Europe, there will be no mud or soft spots. Single tracks in Israel are looking for A FEW GOOD MEN.
The entire Negev Region, both the Negev high desert and the Arava low desert, is crisscrossed with camel tracks and jeep tracks. There are literally hundreds of ways to get from point A to point B. HOWEVER, there is a catch. The Israeli Army, the Israeli Defense Force, occupys large chunks of the territory in the inner areas between the different roads of the highway network in the Negev. There are infantry, tank, artillery, and air bases all over the Negev. Bike Riders are not permitted on the bases themselves ever, but the Training Areas of the infantry, tank, and artillery bases are usually open to riders from Friday noon until Sunday at 0800. When planning a ride into the desert Training Areas know the area perfectly before setting off and obtain any necessary permissions. That said, there are also many, many, spectacular places to ride at any time and some of these are Makhtesh Ramon, Makhtesh Hagadol, Makhtesh Hakatan, Maale Aqrabbim, Baraq Canyon, Ezuz(Beerotayim), Shivta, Mo’a, Avdat, the Zin Valley(Sde Boker), the entire area from Yotvata to Timna to Eilat, and some legs of The Israel Bike Trail. But one last caution concerning off-road touring, some of the dry river beds are a problem to ride, but not all. The problem is that you will find some long stretches of trail made of small pebbles which will not be ridable, RATS! Cross Country Off-Road Touring requires you to KNOW before you go. There are many easy-to-find information sources such as the local inhabitants, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (the S.P.N.I.), and The Israel Nature and Parks Authority. The local bike shops and riding clubs supply especially detailed touring information. Full bicycle services are available in Beer Sheva, Sde Boker, Mitzpe Ramon, and Elat.
I should give a warning here about clipon cycling shoes being unfit for climbing or descending a rocky trail. There do come times in the desert when it may become necessary to hike and carry the bike and the metal clip on the bottom of specialized cycling shoes will make rock climbing dangerous. Water needs in the Winter season are not particularly a problem. Water needs in the HOT Summer Season are critical. If you do not drink sufficiently between 10 AM and 4 PM, you will die. Not only riding and sweating takes large amounts of water out of your body but just simply breathing drains moisture from you. In the desert you inhale dry air and in your lungs the dry air robs you of H2O with every exhalation. You can dehydrate and die without ever breaking a sweat. And people do die of dehydration every year in the SUMMER season in Israel hiking and touring around without being aware or informed of the danger. Be well.
I have Many Years of experience riding Israel’s Southern Deserts and I can give advice and information on these and probably other subjects as well if you have any questions: helmets(A HELMET LAW IS IN FORCE), dogs(DISMOUNT, PRETEND TO THROW ROCKS), shoes(LIGHT-WEIGHT HIKING, COVER ANKELS), bus travel with bike(COSTS HALF PRICE OF YOUR TICKET), thieves(WILD CAMPERS BE CAUTIOUS BUT NOT HYSTERICAL), airport security(EL AL IS THE WORST), bugs(DON’T SLEEP IN CAVES, CHOOSE HIGH GROUND, CLEAR STONES AND SCORPIANS), mine fields(ISRAELI-JORDANIAN BORDER), cooling tricks(WET BANDANA COOLS HEAD AND NECK DURING DAY AND CHEST AT NIGHT), normal border crossings(ONLY EGYPT AND JORDAN), visa extensions(UP TO ONE YEAR), locating treasure(AFTER FIRST RAINS, OXIDISED COPPER STANDS OUT TO THE EYE), unexploded ordinance(DON’T TOUCH), airports(BEN GURION OR ELAT), hostels(IN EVERY TOWN), highway conditions(ASPHALT EMERGENCY LANES), The Israel Bike Trail(A LONG WAY FROM COMPLETION), etc., etc.
And speaking of The Israel Bike Trail, here is a link to a power point produced by the Israelis that gives interesting information. It is a quick read. And speaking of the Israelis themselves, I have found the Negev locals to be gracious, generous, and hospitable in every case. This is part of what keeps me going back again and again. When you do ride the Negev, I wish you all the very best and balanced tour of your career. Bon voyage!
http://www.ibt.org.il/english.aspx
click on Israel Bike Trail
I would say that you, we, have a few more seasons to run roughshod over these relatively undisturbed rocky and mountainous deserts of southern Israel before they are over built with tree lined asphalt covered bike paths.
The Negev will be discovered and ridden in a big way in these next years. Where Else Can You Get A Dry, Sunny Vacation Ride With Spectacular Views And Experiences During Europe’s Off-Season? In Israel, BECAUSE THERE, IT IS THE ON-SEASON. Wow! Who Thought You Could Have WINTERSPORT Without Snow?
