Photo Friday (vol. LXXXIII) [bike edition]

I had to run down to Kfar Bilu (near Rehovot) this morning to see my beekeeper mentor about some medication for my bees.  Honeybee colonies can sometimes be infested by tracheal mites which can decimate them over the winter, so there is a medication that needs to go into each hive before the cold weather starts.

The fastest way for me to get to Kfar Bilu is to take a route down from Gush Etzion down a winding mountain road in the direction of Beit Shemesh.  This road, called 'Nes Harim', is extremely popular with cyclists because of its beauty and challenging elevation.  Today being a gorgeous fall day, the cyclists were out in droves.

The first hint that this might be a popular bike route is the following sign.  I've always wondered if the person who made this sign had ever actually seen a bicycle... or if someone simply described one to him over the phone.

A little further along is a fork in the road with a bunch of signs... one of which is the bike route (as well as mine):

It is worth pointing out that most of the cyclists come from the direction of Beit Shemesh... meaning they are  going up the hill and then turning around at the top for a nice reward in the form of a fast  coast towards the Elah Valley below.  However one doesn't want to go too fast because the drop off can be, um, a bit unforgiving:

OK, so where are all the cyclists you ask?  Here are a couple.  You can see that road and mountain bikes are both popular:

Here is a fairly well-developed specimen of the Israeli cyclist:

I can't imagine why they needed to carry backpacks, but here are a couple of mountain bikers on their way up the hill (I spotted them on my way back up towards the Gush):

I count among my friends many avid cyclists.  A couple of blogger friends recently took part in the 7th Annual International Alyn Charity Bike Ride from Jerusalem to Eilat.  This is a ride for charity that benefits the children of Alyn Hospital in Jerusalem.   Kol HaKavod to MoChassid and Devrei Moshe!  You guys (and all the other people who finished this incredible ride) are my heroes. 

All this talk of cycling has me itching to dust off my own Gary Fisher mountain bike and put in some miles.

Shabbat Shalom