When invited on a trip to Israel to ride our bikes for 10 days in the desert, Mike Hopkins and I initially didn't take time to consider our personal politics about the issues of the region, nor did we take time to fear the dangers, sensationalized by the media, of traveling to the Middle East. We agreed that the best approach to take for this trip, to somewhere we had never dreamed of visiting in our lifetimes, was to put the widespread attitudes (be they accurate or misguided) of the region aside and approach it all with an openness to learn and try to understand an area we knew very little about.
This is the first instalment of two articles about our mind blowing trip to Israel in November of 2013.
It wasn’t until Mike and I started planning our trip to Israel that we came to terms with the fact we were both laughably uninformed and uneducated about the politics and history of Israel, Palestine and its neighbours. We aren’t aligned with any particular political agenda – if you sat either of us down, you'd find that Hopkins and I both have strong views on human rights, equality and people’s equal right to their own religion. We don’t know much about war besides what we were taught in school and what we all try to digest from the mainstream media; we have no first-hand experiences of human adversity as a result of war. Hopkins and I certainly did not fully understand what has gone on in the Middle East for thousands of years before we went to Israel, and we accepted that as we prepared for our trip.
After an epic flight to Tel Aviv direct from Los Angeles, Mike and I were driven straight to Jerusalem. We had the night that we arrived and the better part of the following day to explore Jerusalem on our own. We had no plan, no idea where we were going and no concept of what we should see, but we made the most of our available 12 hours in the city by visiting Jerusalem’s Old City, The Western Wall and Mount Zion on foot. Jerusalem is an incredible, humbling place. While it is sacred to so many millions worldwide, the centre of the city has the feel of a polished European metropolis. Friendly but feral cats (one peed on my bag on our last day, so maybe not that friendly) are a common theme throughout Israel, but if you start your journey in Jerusalem, finding them circling your table at dinner is an interesting surprise. Overall, we felt incredibly safe and secure in our time in Jerusalem. We didn't see a heavy military presence in the areas we visited, and the tensions we expected in the area, while not totally invisible, were notable but not overwhelming in any way.
The staggering busyness of Jerusalem’s Old City during the day was then completely contrasted on our second night when we rode through the Old City on our bikes. This is totally legal and only possible at night – by day, the Old City is packed with shoppers, merchants, locals and tourists, but by night, it is empty. It was the perfect way to get a high speed (by bike), intimate look at this place as old as civilization and it felt like we had it all to ourselves. It helps to take a guide too.
Our next day had us heading out of town to ride Israel’s ancient Sugar Trail. Our friends at
SabaBike describe the trail as “
an old trade route that was used to transport spices and condiments up from the Dead Sea towards Jerusalem. Today, with the help of the modern mountain bike and a shuttle to the top, we enjoy the trail in the opposite direction. The Sugar Trail ride starts in Ma’ale Adumim, adjacent to Jerusalem, and you very quickly find yourself isolated and feeling like you just landed on another planet.”
The Sugar Trail took us along some of the sickest singletrack we have ever seen: it ran from Jerusalem to Jericho in about 40km of effort and loosely followed the Kidron Valley toward the Dead Sea. These trails were built by camels, we were told, as the soft pads on camels' two-toed feet requires the buffest terrain possible and they tend to prefer traveling over grades in the 4-10% range. Ideal mountain bike conditions!
We had
Yoram Hen as our guide on this trip: to describe the man as a desert ninja would be an injustice to his skill set. Yoram knew every little contour of terrain on the Sugar Trail, and it seemed as though any time we were about to really have to dig and climb straight up a road, he would peel off to the right or left onto a trail with a reasonable (read: shredding) gradient. Don't be mistaken in thinking that the Sugar Route is a mellow downhill, however. We spent a solid 20km meandering through historical sites of a hugely important region of the world. At times, we were followed at full speed by angry, barking dogs from nearby properties and past nomadic peoples, and we found ourselves in a state of full-on culture shock all day long. The 30 degrees celsius heat from Israel's hottest November in years probably added to the intensity of the day too.
"
Biking is our religion." Our guide for the entire trip,
Nimi Cohen, coined the phrase so effortlessly at the end of our ride on the Sugar Trail that it could hardly be discounted. The sport of cycling really has a magnetic tendency to unite the people we meet just about everywhere we travel. Between the smiles of arabic-speaking camel herders we met that day, the Bedouin family we were about to meet in the days to come and countless Israeli nationals who helped us on our way (and laughed at our pasty white skin, constant grins and horrible, broken hebrew and arabic), we were constantly met with genuine friendliness, curiosity and excitement to share the story of biking in Israel. We discovered that the sport of cycling united us with people who knew nothing of our background and we of theirs. Our apprehension about this place was rooted completely in misconceptions and misunderstandings from years of being immersed in stories from western media. Israel, its terrain and its people are truly to be experienced firsthand. And it was only day one.
Stay tuned for part 2 of Desert Singletrack, as we explored further into Israel's southern deserts and uncovered more incredible riding...
vimeo.com/85765324
Everybody's welcomed, and PLEASE keep this thread on MTB and leave all the other things aside this time.
Looks like a great place to ride! The surface must be awesome for foot out flat out, looks like a flat pedal heaven
May the shred be with you, whatever your colour, belief or history; the past is done, but the future is ours to change
have you ever ventured through the checkpoints to ride in Palestine together?
If not, do you know anyone who has knowledge of Palestinian trails and riders?
You can't just cross a checkpoint as you wish.
If you are talking about the east side, where the Gaza strip is, there are no places to ride there because it's located along the sea.
About the west bank (all of the Shomron Mtns) there are some trails, and people ride there together as they wish, but it's still in Israel's Authority,
Let's be honest.
We can't go cross a checkpoint and enter the Palestinian Autonomi because it's not safe. You can never know where you'd find yourself or how this visit would end.
There are still differences, and I guess they will never disappear.
But, I can tell you that as Sarah said, when it gets to the real people, the real places, the real life, eventually we're living and getting along. and riding together. and going out, having fun, work together, etc.
I prefer not to open this subject too much, but to conclude I'll say that if you want to get a clue of how life here really is, come and see for yourself.
Not the perfect world, but sure as hell not how the media presents it. and I'm talking about both sides of the story.
Promise you you'll have fun.
Sorry to be a pest, but why isn't it safe to enter Palestinian areas... surely there are plenty of friendly Palestinians with enough money to buy quality bikes and enjoy the beautiful landscape?
More people riding = more trails being built and less barriers between people, surely?
and everybody fears of the unknown, especially where you know there are infact people who want to harm you.
As we all already said, it's very hard to try and explain this situation (and even harder to live with).
We can't be naive and ignore the conflicts, but we do want to solve it.
There are truly beautiful places I visited that are in the palestinian territory which I would surly hike and ride if I could. But I can't. and it's both side's fault, espscially the leaders, media and the world's opinion.
Cause we sure as hell tired of this.
I'm stopping this pleasant conversation here, because as I said I don't think it's the place to do it. It would also be impossible to truly explain it (better than me tried and failed). We can continue talking about it in PMs or Facebook.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Fox_journalists_kidnapping
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Centanni
If the blockade was lifted and the free transit of aid was allowed, do you think that would that go some way to easing tensions?
Am I right in thinking Israel has accepted liability for the illegal killing of 9 civilians by IDF commandos in international waters during the humanitarian aid flotilla to Gaza?
Whatsmore, is it true that after the raid, all passengers (including a number of prominent people from all over the world) on vessels within the flotilla were taken into Israeli custody, and had all their possessions confiscated, including the cameras and memory cards of the many journalists onboard?
www.timesofisrael.com/topic/mavi-marmara
Anyhow, this is straying a touch from the positive aspects of riding, so I'll leave this subject there for now
Shred hard and enjoy the sunshine... you wouldn't believe the size of raindrops here in Wales at the mo
Happy Trails, whatever your wheel size and preferred suspension manufacturer
Sure, there are some ugly truths, but that is no reason not to be polite: I have no idea what any of the riders I'm conversing with have done with their lives; they may be absolute hero's for all I know, and the path to peace is mutual respect.
So ride on, think of me as a fake and a pussy if you must, but you don't know the 1st thing about me; if you did, you'll lick my balls
I am but one man, not an organization or nation, I'm not benefiting from this in a material sense and I may be doing myself more harm than good, but I'll do it anyway, because in my view, what's happening is wrong.
Of course, alone, I'll never match up to the might of the Israeli PR machine, with paid government propagandists influencing public opinion (yes, there are even people paid to post pro Israeli propaganda on internet forums) and groups such as JIDF, but at least I'll sleep sound, knowing I took a stand against a system of apartheid and persecution.
Israel is not all desert, sand and camels - that's just the southern side,
60% of Israel is lush and resembles landscapes more similar to Greece etc'.
Here is a nice video from Manara cliff - located in northern Israel. enjoy !
www.pinkbike.com/news/DH-Manara-Eldad-Paturi-video-2013.html
If you're looking for more information, you're welcome to join our facebook page for updates about rides and so on...
www.facebook.com/SababikeMTB
Regarding all things politics, while adopting prejudiced and judgmental positions on foreign situations is becoming ever more popular with the growth of social media – we believe the only way to know any place, is to experience it in person. We're very glad Sarah, Mike and some other good people decided to do so.
Keep Mountain biking above cheap politics!
Would crossing checkpoints add to the adventure?
Share the ride
Hope it will change soon and be open to all, but patience seems to be required...
They even link to other builders in the area. Those Segal bikes look interesting too, shop nearby used to sell them. Think there even produced here.
I promise you that you can contact any Israeli PB user and he/she will do their best to help you set a cool and unforgetable trip in Israel. You will be welcomed here in open arms.
There is so many good places to ride here and 320 days of riding 'couse the weather is awesom.
Leave the politics to the politicians - LET'S RIDE!!!
Stop the shit and talk about bikes. There are only two kinds of people, good ones and bad ones and they come in all colors, religions and nationalities.
Be one of the nice ones and tell us about your rides in the mud and rain, something not all of us enjoy.
Cheers
Sorry if I've upset you and I hope things improve for you and your family.
And keep shredding dude, seems you're a right speedy bugger
btw, there is an epic 3 day stage race in june orginized by one of the greatest people in MTB in Israel epicisrael.org.il/en
www.pinkbike.com/photo/10573449
www.pinkbike.com/photo/10573445
Great pictures.. I want all to know, Israel is not entirely desert, this is just one part of it. Israel is a mixed land with a cold north and very warm south, and quite metropolitan in between.
I'm just saying this to "break" a lot of people's misconception thinking Israel is just desert, like Dubai or something. It's definitely not. It's highly varied.
Been there twice in the past 3 years and if this is part 1 wow they got a lot done in a day. you could spend the whole day going through Jerusalem. Great place to visit and I did not ever feel not safe (as an African American that is saying a lot). You can feel the tension though and it is definitely different than all the western media hype. Great people all in all. Just make sure you educate yourself on the currency. Got ripped off by a cab driver because I was just looking at numbers :-0
Hope to get some riding in the next time I'm there given that I can find a decent rental. but looking at those pics I just may travel with my bike and dare to drive on those streets (had a cabbie that hit a person on a scooter and both just went about their business)
5:30 minutes of history.
Anyone who has a few minutes to spare, please watch this before you express an opinion.
This short film shows there is hope for the future
www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1wEszQYEzg
European leaders tried to warn Roosevelt of the mistake, but he listened to his wife instead. Again, dumb.
Now we have one of the most dangerous situations in the world just so the Jews can have a religious home in the desert. How about if we just move the entire Isreal population to New Mexico or something, to prevent WWIII? The mountainbiking is better there.
on another note, many very, I mean VERY, religious Jews (Haredim, admittedly its still a small percent) do not believe that Israel is a religious state because it "has not been returned by God" (not a quote, just an elaboration) and view Israel as a secular state that just happens to have been created and governed by Jews. (I am talking about the religious significance of it)
what this short clip shows is that israelies want peace and have an open mind about it. nothing else.
none of us are blind to see there are innocent people that suffer on the Palestinians side, but it is definitely not our fault.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoczZtOTn4g
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDK_smsYFMs
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlSiGO1Acr4
i.imgur.com/GMvAo.jpg
media2.policymic.com/35ce81f2145dec7b54defd851220598f.jpg
mideastposts.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Palestinian-woman-weeps-as-she-stands-in-front-of-her-house-that-was-demolished-by-Israeli-army-bulldozers-in-the-village-of-Hares-near-Nablus-AFP-photo-Jaafar-Ashtiyeh-e1301898355945.jpg
military service is compulsory in many other countries (though some have alternative civil service, including Israel) that have had longer periods of peace, these include Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, and South Korea. And Disregarding internal affairs the reasons for conscription for Israel and South Korea are very similar, they are bordered by hostile nations and need a military presence to protect itself. The point here is that just because a country has required conscription does not mean that they are not peace seeking.
Admittedly in Switzerland's case, conscription and geography make it so that only an idiot would try to invade.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K-mGWy9iUg
and let me know your thoughts
'nuff said =]
I don't know you or your reasons for Hating on us but I assure you that if you/people like you(Jivehoneyjive and others) look/read/search for info as for the history of any country in the world you will find out it is ruled by a few influential people/families with more money then all pink bike users combined X 100000000000. Religions,Wars,conflicts, capitalism &the financial system are all designed to turn us all into modern slaves which serve the only purpose of feeding their hunger of evil power.
The only way to beet them is if the majority of people around the world will understand that's they way things are and unite/ have the time to unite against them.
Lets be honest, chances that that day will come are soooooooooooooooooo slim that my advice to you and people like you is constant work of getting rid of any negativity in your life.
you like riding and traveling and so do I.
You are presented in this article with one of the most interesting, beautiful, compact and diversed pieces of land on this earth we Homo sapiens share life on by a cosmic chance,
Enjoy it, enjoy the ride, enjoy life- that's all we have my friend.
Of course, by far the best way to live life is having fun, and spreading joy and love where ever you go, but unfortunately, the world doesn't always work on that basis; after all, all it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing.
So happy trails, I hope life treats you kindly and you live it to the fullest, but always remember, there are many people who are not as lucky as you
Personally I am well aware to life, some sad truths & what makes people tick and think that in general people should focus their energy where they can serve good to others and make a real change.I get what you try to achieve but think that you are wasting energy/time where you can do very little. It's better to make small changes where you have more control on your environment.
For me its the love of mtb biking, I build pump tracks,single tracks, produce the Israeli all mountain league etc.
When ever I interact with people who have different perspective, " enemies" or such I approach with openness,kindness and care for the other, that's in my world the real change we all can make in order to change the world to be a better place.
So, not exactly doing nothing,thanks, I am a good man, fully aware and choose to do what I do every day I wake up hopefully for many years to come in good health.
I wish you all the best, and seriously if you don't come ride this piece of land in the middle east you are missing out :-)
I
Blue-bike thank you for an honest answer though.
Best wishes my friend.
from it's name - this was the western part of the wall.
it is commonly reffered to in english as - the "wailing wall" , due to the tradition to direct a prayer to the wall and stuff paper notes between the rocks and in the wall cracks
english.al-akhbar.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/5cols/leading_images/child_0.jpg
Please read boiancristoph's eloquent comment above and consider whether you might have made a mistake to run this piece.
Yes, it's only a feature about MTBing, but it also helps just a little tiny bit to legitimise a murderous regime (albeit one that has your country's government in its pocket).
You can be forgiven for falling for the Israeli spin once, but if you run the second part of this feature it will reflect very poorly on your credibility IMO.
Peace out
I'm not writing this as a holier-than-thou criticism. I'm writing to encourage you to take specific measure to mitigate the harm you may have caused. First and foremost, it would be disrespectful of you to publish the second installment of this piece unless it substantially addresses the Palestine issue (beyond mere calls for coexistence). Secondly, if you did not pay for the trip, it would be wise to acknowledge this and apologize to Palestinians for your gaffe. Finally, it would be helpful to publish a retraction of this article. Please contact me if you have any further questions. I'd be happy to talk in more detail about all of this.
And finally, stay happy and ride. But make sure you don't ride over other peoples' futures. Thanks for the awesome website.
Right, that's it. No more politics. Shred on, have a great ride, blah, blah, blah
Now if you may, I'd like to correct the wrong you created here. I'm sad to say that you too, have fallen victim to the lies of "PALLYWOOD" (the "Palestinian Hollywood") which day by day, spreads fake videos and fake pictures that makes you sympathize with them and say the things you just said. I can tell you that just 2 days ago, with the Soda Stream ad, and later the calls to boycott Israel, received a direct reply to NOT boycott Israel, from the many Palestinians who work in the Soda Stream factory and are very happy with their jobs, meaning they definitely don't want to lose it because of some false boycotting. In fact, many of them realize the lies spread in the media is not only damaging to Israel, but also to them. Truth be told, most of these lies come from the Gaza strip which is controlled by a terrorist organization "Hamas", which is an opposing party to the party of Palestinians in the west bank. You sound very uneducated in this subject and this is why I'm sorry to see your post while knowing the real truth.
I suggest avoiding consuming the lies spread in some anti-Israel news channels in the USA. Be smarter than that.
Could it be that you have been fed lies and half truths, to give a distorted world view, right from when you were in school, to the present day?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1wEszQYEzg
www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1wEszQYEzg
better still that will mean more sweet riding for us all
All the area of Jerusalem is filled with epic trails in all types and sizes - from XC to DH tracks.
It's just sad to see those teasing comments "palestine looks nice" - this is not palestine, it is ISRAEL.
The situation in Israel is quite complex. It's just hard to believe how easily people take an opinion, without having any real knowledge about the history of the conflict.
5 Broken Cameras:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K-mGWy9iUg
you should really check it out
Great article guys... it's very true that biking can unite people and despite the wall + illegal settlements and the tensions they inevitably raise, hopefully through the simple pleasures of riding, some degree of peace can be found between the peoples of Palestine and their neighbours in Israel.
Looking forward to part 2.