My Cycling Trip to a Large City....

[93legendti]

oops, hold on...let me resize pics BEFORE I hit enter...:)

[Blue Jays]

Love cycling vacation pics! :beer:

[fiamme red]

Flint, MI?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/22/business/22flint.html?_r=1&hp

[93legendti]

ok, they are 5kb too big...I'll be back.

[Climb01742]

a big city means big pictures. :)

[93legendti]

Take two. Here are some scenes from my rides:

[Blue Jays]

Nice pics. The skyline with the coastline is cool.
The beach is clearly closed on Saturdays for everyone!

[93legendti]

Nice pics. The skyline with the coastline is cool.
The beach is clearly closed on Saturdays for everyone!
Thanks. The pics were taken with my iphone. The beach is open for everyone on Saturdays-it was packed! I thought the sign advertising downhilling on city stairways was a cool idea.

I have a few more, but they are still oversized.

[jblande]

Tel Aviv?

[Birddog]

Wow, Haifa has changed a little in the 42years since I was there.

Birddog

[paczki]

Adam,

I'll be going to Jerusalem in mid-December and I'm thinking about doing some cycling. Any suggestions? Also did you find any good bike rental places? A Breakaway seems too much of a hassle -- I know that it will get taken out of the case by security!

Aaron

[93legendti]

Adam,

I'll be going to Jerusalem in mid-December and I'm thinking about doing some cycling. Any suggestions? Also did you find any good bike rental places? A Breakaway seems too much of a hassle -- I know that it will get taken out of the case by security!

Aaron
Aaron,

I haven't cycled in Jerusalem. My friend lives in Modiin and does a 50km route thru Latrun and, iirc, Jerusalem. I will ask him for suggestions. Here is some info:

The Jerusalem-Tel-Aviv Route

This project has been sponsored by KKL-JNF as a gift to the nation in honor of sixty years of independence. It is 120 kilometers long, beginning at the mouth of the Yarkon River in Tel-Aviv and ending at the Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem, or visa-versa. The route connects the Dan region with Jerusalem via the lowlands thus creating a direct link to the cycling routes in Jerusalem's metropolitan parks...
http://www.kkl.org.il/kkl/english/main_subject/from%20the%20press/november%202008-from%20the%
Cycling Routes within Jerusalem's Metropolitan Parks

The 44-kilometer cycling route within metropolitan Jerusalem links the city's neighborhoods and surrounding suburbs -an additional 34 kilometers - at an estimated cost of NIS 34 million. The Arazim–Motza–Beit Zayit ten-kilometer segment has been approved for building during 2009...

Cycling Route for Commuters

The master plan for Jerusalem cyclists commuting from the north-west section of the city has been approved by the Ministry of Transportation and the Jerusalem Municipality. In 2008, the Ministry of Transportation, in conjunction with the Light-Rail system and the Jerusalem Municipality, approved funding for detailed plans... Length of the routes in both directions is about 15 kilometers of cycling routes and 20 km of city lanes.

http://www.kkl.org.il/kkl/english/main_subject/cycling%20routes%201/the%20jerusalem–tel-aviv%20cycling%20route.x
The trail begins at the north Tel-Aviv port, near Ganei Yehoshua and will end in Israel's capital Jerusalem, at the Biblical Zoo, near the train station.

...The route will pass alongside the Ayalon River bed, the hill-top route, Ben-Shemen forests, Modi'in, Gezer and Nachshon forests, Shoham Park, the KKL-JNF Regional Centre at Eshtaol, the Alexandroni Monument, the Sorek River bed and Harel Lookout point – until finally reaching the city of Jerusalem itself.

The trail is divided into four sections, giving us five points of entry:

1. The North Tel-Aviv port site near Ganei Yehoshua;

2. The entrance to Tel-Afek Archaeological Gardens;

3. The Modi'in Lookout site;

4. Beit Shemesh – near the Nesher Quarries;

5. Jerusalem, the Biblical Zoo parking site.

Well-trained cyclists will have the option of doing the entire trail, back and forth, while those who would find the uphill route to Jerusalem difficult can go or return from the coastal region to Jerusalem by car – or train...
This trail will be an international tourist attraction for cyclist and will include all sorts of interesting places for rest stops with shaded benches, lookout points, cold-water drinking fountains and so forth. At KKL-JNF we anticipate this trail will become a tourist magnet attracting thousands of tourists, mainly from abroad. This is because it connects the two largest cities in Israel: Jerusalem, the capital and Tel-Aviv, the city that never sleeps. KKL-JNF encourages cycling and the growing awareness of its many advantages. In addition, several historic sites that also draw tourists are located along this route: The Old Pumping Station, the Alexandroni Monument, the Lehi Monument, Tel-Hadid, Modi'in Lookout point, Burma Road and Harel Lookout point, among others."

http://www.kkl.org.il/kkl/english/main_subject/cycling%20routes%201/trans-israel%20cycling%20route%20inaugurated.x
http://www.kkl.org.il/kkl/english/main_subject/cycling%20routes%201/the%20jerusalem–tel-aviv%20cycling%20route.x


I saw bike shops (and cyclists) everywhere, but did not go in one. I will dig out a flyer I found for a rental store in Tel Aviv, I think it is a chain. Here is some info:

http://www.telavivguide.net/Tel_Aviv_Overview/Getting_Around/Tel_Aviv_Bicycles_20051018118/
http://www.telavivguide.net/Attractions/Outdoors/Tel_Aviv_Promenade_(Hatayelet)_20051127221/
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1200572503247&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
http://www.kkl.org.il/kkl/english/main_subject/cycling%20routes%201/kkl-jnf%20international%20bicycle%20mission.x

I would also suggest traveling to Beit Shaen, to climb Mount Gilboa. The views are stunning and the roads are worth climbing repeatedly. Eat at The Spice Farm/Havat Ha Tavlinim while on the mountain. Tell my cousins I sent you.

FWIW, they have left my Bike Friday case alone on 3 trips now. (Come to think about it, I need to post my stock, medium Pocket Rocket in the Classifieds.)
Security in Israel's airport is very different from here and not necessarily more invasive.

PBWrench has also cycled in Jerusalem.
http://www.israelspokes.com/

[PBWrench]

Adam -- I hope your Bike Friday stayed on the right side of the mehitza.

Paczki -- Bike rental in Jerusalem is problematic, but possible. E-mail me with your plans, and I'll try to help.

Best, PBW

[93legendti]

Adam -- I hope your Bike Friday stayed on the right side of the mehitza.

...Best, PBW
Even while riding no-handed and taking off my wind jacket! Try that on a Dahon or Brompton. :)