Circling Gilboa by the light on your handlebars - Travel Features - Israel travel and tourism

After the ultra-marathon (a 60-kilometer off-road race) and the upgraded Volvo Challenge (100 kilometers of off-road riding), both of them at Ramot Menashe in March, came another race to spur pulse rates - "24 hours of madness on Mt. Gilboa," the ultimate mountain bike race for local adrenalin addicts, took place on Friday.

"This is the first time I'm really anxious before a competition," Yoram Tivon, 46, of Tivon, admitted last week, after years of hoping for just such an event. "I have taken part in many mountain bike marathons but 24 hours is a challenge I have yet to experience."

Abroad, 24-hour races draw thousands of participants. The rules are simple: Choose a circular off-road route that is not particularly long - this time it was a 12-kilometer route starting and ending at Ein Harod National Park, at the foot of the Gilboa mountain range - and ride around it repeatedly for a day. The winner is the one who completes the most circuits.

It's not as terrible as it sounds, because it is usually done as a relay race. The participants ride in pairs or in groups of four. Only one person from each team is riding at any one time, while the remainder rest or argue about tires, suspension forks and other matters of import. But some riders took up the challenge and rode solo for the entire 24 hours. They were permitted to rest as much as they wanted between circuits, but they had to take into account the fact that other riders could be driving up the circuit counter at the same time.

On Friday a small tent village was set up at Ma'ayan Harod. At 4:30 P.M. about 60 riders, including some 16 solo riders, set off on the first circuit. The route was unlit at night, except for certain points defined as dangerous and marked with reflective poles or stick lights. The riders rode the narrow paths of the Gilboa in almost complete darkness that was punctured only by their handlebar lights. Some riders had the bad luck of having their batteries in their lights run out, but that night cycling solidarity prevailed as other riders helped guide them. On Saturday morning, the race continued for another eight consecutive hours and 110 more riders joined the race.

Prof. Yoram Rozen, who teaches physics at the Haifa Technion, chose to go it alone. In the past, he took part in the Transalp, eight days of riding in the Alps between Germany and Austria, and in recent years he has participated in six- and eight-hour races on the Gilboa, but he says: "It's not enough, we wanted and asked for a longer race." Why? "For the challenge."

"We're types for whom new challenges are part of our life," says Aviad Reifer, an attorney from Kiryat Motzkin, whose two children, aged 14 and 15, also took part in the four-person, six-hour race. "I always look for the edge of my limits, and '24 hours' takes me close to there," Reifer says.

"I'm a regular participant in triathlons, the 24-hour is a bonus," says Moti Keren, 50, a construction project manager. He rode in a quartet together with his son Yonatan, 16, and two friends. "I'm really waiting for the day when Yonatan passes me," says Keren, and notes that his 12-year-old daughter also does children's triathlons. "Being in shape enables you to do anything you want," he adds. Keren, who is about to take off for an extreme trip in Alaska, says that he does not focus on the question of why he responds to such challenges. "I simply love it. I complete one challenge and immediately move on to the next challenge," Keren says.

"The moment a few of our gung-ho friends decided to go for it, we realized we had no choice and we were also in," says Einav Lotem, a 41-year-old mother of three who rode as a pair with her husband, Guy. She says that the two of them began riding about two years ago, in order to have a joint activity. "It's important for the relationship," she stresses. They have since joined up with groups of friends who ride together.

There are not all that many women who ride with such intensity. Einav acknowledges that she feels quite a bit of pride in being part of the group and also enjoys the company of the men: "I feel like an equal," she says.

Einav and Guy split the circuits equally between them for most of the race. At night, each did two circuits at a time so the other could doze off but nevertheless neither one slept for more than half an hour all night: The adrenaline, bike maintenance and also their personal support team, including their three kids, aged 8, 11 and 13, who were them in the tent, did not leave much time for sleep. Einav says that she and Guy trained for the race in the early morning hours, while the children were still asleep, but the whole family came to the Gilboa for the race itself. "It was fun for them, they partied all night," Guy said.

Nimrod Cohen, of the Mountain Goat riding school and bicycling events company, which produced the race together with Tzimuk, another biking company feels that beyond the challenge the race is basically a social event: "People build a tent, bring the whole family or friends and it turns into a happening. Unlike the regular races, here people spend a night out in the field, they cook. There's a sense of being a tribe of riders."

"Abroad," adds Cohen, "24-hour events are huge festivals with performances. In Israel, we are just at the beginning; everything is a little pioneering. In a few years, there will be a real cycling festival here," he promises.

On Saturday morning, Rozen was resting next to his tent with an energy drink after completing 16 circuits. His goal was 20 circuits, and he was maintaining the pace. "I only look tired," he said with a smile, noting that he rode until 4:30 A.M. and then dozed in the tent for an hour. But then he found out that there was a solo rider his age who had done the same number of circuits. Rozen immediately jumped back on the saddle and did four more circuits almost without resting. At 3:45 P.M. he completed his 21st circuit with his rival far behind, and relaxed.

"If he was still leading I would go out for another circuit, no matter what," Rozen says. "That's what's nice about these races. You find out a lot about yourself and about human nature."

Einav Lotem was struggling toward the end. At 1 P.M. on Saturday she decided to stop after 11 circuits, or 132 kilometers. Her husband completed 14 circuits, giving them an impressive 25 circuits as a pair. "The last circuit was very hard, my body said 'enough,'" says Einav, "but it was a unique experience, especially the night riding. If there is another event like this next year it looks like I won't be able to miss it."