This is the third year of the Matish-Lachish, roughly translated: “Grueling Lachish”. Two years ago I heard about the event, last year I planned to go but chickened out at the last moment, and this year I decided to go. Granted, to the  'Short’ course (only 78 kilometers), but to be make things interesting I came on the Singlespeed - my Kona Unit.

This is how the bike looked at the starting point.

To my knowledge there were only two other “special people” like me who came on Singlespeeds, Meir who dropped me at the start of the race and I never saw him again and Oleg, who overtook me twice, without me ever over taking him … And I’m in awe. These guys are really strong.

On the first descents I was happy with my choice of a bike, the Canti breaks on the Cyclocross are no match for the disc brakes on the Unit

A great mud puddle at the crossing under Highway 6 near Kiryat Gat was the final proof that the choice was the right one. No deraileurs to break down, the Unit came out filthy from the puddle, filthy but perfectly rideable

Big thanks to Or Dayan for the picture below

On the uphill to Mizpe Masuaa, the power gear of the singlespeed came into play. i.e. I started to walk up the mountain. There Oleg overtook me for the second time, at first I did not understand how, but then it hit me, the guy rode a long route on his singlespeed, 105 km!

Another thing that happened on these uphills, was that every time I got off the bike to walk there were the photographers. To avoid the impression that I walked all the way, I had to ask them specifically to take pictures of me after a mounted the bike for a moment …

One of the great lessons learned was the one of nourishment, I made a point of eating, drinking and taking a salt pill on time. I ended up finishing in a reasonable time, not under five hours, as I was hoping for, but five hours and twenty two minutes is fine as well 

And this is what the bike looked like at the end of the ride:

A final note of appreciation to Recycles, Bikeway all the companies who supported the event, and specifically to Nimi, Limor and Ziv and all the people I do not know their names that helped make this event so great

Credit to the great pictures goes to Gilad Kavalerchik, the great photographer of the event