Hi,
I’m in the midst of training for some longer distance tri’s (halfs and full in the next few months) and I will be in Tel Aviv for about 10 days. I was hoping someone had some advice on renting bikes and maybe some clubs to swim/cycle with.
Thanks!!
Hello! Here is all about swimming. http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=4400944;search_string=israel;#4400944
Biking is tough. You need to know the area well. So if yr a native you should be fine
And I could give you more info.
Running… Put yr shoes on and run up and down the
Beach line
Thank you!
re: biking… I’m not a native. I’ve been there a whole bunch of times and I can speak Hebrew decently. So, if there are any simple suggestions for cycling routes (or places I could rent a good road bike), I’d really appreciate it.
Thanks again!
I travel to TA quite a bit for work and also suggest swimming at TA university (although expensive for a one day pass) and running on the boardwalk. You can actually run all the way from Jaffa to Herzliya. Cycling is really difficult and honestly pretty dangerous. There are some pretty remote spots in the North and South to ride, but not around TA.
Hi,
I’m in the midst of training for some longer distance tri’s (halfs and full in the next few months) and I will be in Tel Aviv for about 10 days. I was hoping someone had some advice on renting bikes and maybe some clubs to swim/cycle with.
Thanks!!
Ben, if you email me your email address (mine is on my profile) I can sync you up with some Israeli triathletes who might be able to help. Running is no problem for sure, and there seem to be a lot of pools around to pick from (as well as the Sea). Biking I have not done while there.
Dev
Where are you staying? DCR has a decent write-up from a recent visit he made to TLV - including renting a CityBike and doing laps in the park: http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2013/11/swimming-running-sightseeing.html
When I lived there I was on a bit of a hiatus from triathlons, but spent a lot of time running along the beach. TLV is a wonderful city, and has a lot of really active people exercising at all hours.
A few thoughts:
Swimming: There are a lot of people in the early morning doing laps in the ocean between the beach and the breakers up and down the main beaches in TLV, from the Tel Aviv port down to Yaffo port. In addition, there is a very good outdoor pool on the beach between the Hilton and the Sheraton hotels. It is a salt water pool that is filled and drained pretty much nightly. I don’t recall the name, but some of my old team did get a membership here during long stays. (I think it is the Gordon pool)
Running. As a previous poster said, up and down the boardwalk is the best route: Between Yaffo and Hertzlyia there are some water fountains. No shade, and I’d recommend going out early this time of year. If you want hills, then you’d better head for Jerusalem.
Biking. Unless you have a suicide wish, don’t do it in TLV. Way outside of town it gets better, but when I lived in the city, it was safer to ride on the sidewalks than on the street. You can bike up and down the boardwalk, but not at speed. There are some bike shops on HaHeshmona’im street (near the Cinematheque), but I’m not sure they rent any. I’m struggling to recall the names here. One of them has a group of triathletes who work there/own it. I’ll ask my friends the name/contact info to pass on.
Be sure to enjoy the food and wine!
Hope this helps a little.
Iam in telaviv now (Iam from ny) and stared thinking about the same thing. As other said running is not an issue, I prefer evening as it gets a little cooler. Swimming can be in the ocean or pool. For biking I was thinking of joining in spinning classes. What do you guys think about that. This would only be for a period of 10 days just to sorta maintain biking fitness.
Thank you so much!
So, it seems the consensus is to not Bike in the city (which totally makes sense now that I think about it).
-I will be staying close to the beach near the Hilton.
-So for swimming, the ocean, the beach side pool, and Tel Aviv university seem to be the best options.
-Cycling, yikes… Going to read the DRC article, and will follow up with Paul to hopefully meet some Israeli Triathletes out there. Sam, I will keep an eye out for the bike shops. Hoping to rent one while I’m there.
Thanks everyone for the great advice. Much appreciated!
-Ben
Thank you so much!
So, it seems the consensus is to not Bike in the city (which totally makes sense now that I think about it).
-I will be staying close to the beach near the Hilton.
-So for swimming, the ocean, the beach side pool, and Tel Aviv university seem to be the best options.
-Cycling, yikes… Going to read the DRC article, and will follow up with Paul to hopefully meet some Israeli Triathletes out there. Sam, I will keep an eye out for the bike shops. Hoping to rent one while I’m there.
Thanks everyone for the great advice. Much appreciated!
-Ben
Ex-Telavivian (and current Jerusalemite) here.
Swimming - if you’re near the Hilton, nothing beats the beachside Gordon pool. The sea is currently pleasant, but already quite warm. Did some OW swimming in northern Tel Aviv last week at “Hof HaTzuk” (loosely translated to Cliff Beach) - an about 2.5km stretch where you can quite safely swim: No rocks, lots of other swimmers in the early morning, and a straight coast all the way to Herzelya.
Running - beachside boardwalk can get very humid and sticky this time of the year, and is often packed with tourists. Well, the whole of Tel Aviv is. The park is sometimes a bit cooler - run north until you reach the Yarkon river and follow it upstream if you want a bit more variety to the route.
Cycling, as others said, is not recommended in Tel Aviv. I learned to love the trainer there, but some locals do laps on a sort-of-crit-course in the park. I find it more mind-numbing than the trainer.
As for wine and food: Best recommendation is my former workplace, La Repubblica di Ronimotti - an amazing Italian place and quite affordable. The veggies come from their own garden and it’s Zucchini season right now.
There’s also “Thai House”, a rather self-descriptive name and again, one of the finest places to eat (near the Hilton, too). Lots of exotic raw materials and a very varied menu.
Looked into it a bit more, and went through old emails from when I moved there, and some other sources.
Here are few bike shops on Ha’Hashomanian (or Ha Hasomanian or one of the other 6 spellings you might encounter when trying to find it):
TREK Israel - Ha’Hashmonaim 121, Tel. 972-3-5611538, eMail: trekshop@ctc.co.ilDAA (Time Trial) - they deal with cannondale, Ha’Hashmonaim 107, Tel. 972-3-5629004. eMail: danny.shahor@daa.co.il - Web: www.daa.co.il (The owners are Tzach Goren and Danny Sachor. I had them do some work on a mountain bike in the past, and I’ve purchased a few items there over the years)SCOTT Israel - Ha’Hashmonaim 100, Tel. 972-3-5614035, 972-3-5614185
Regarding biking, most of what I’ve see in IL has been mountain biking, in particular around Modi’in. Road cycling is not as common, although if you can get to the Golan or around the Galil/lake Galilee, I could see either area as a great place to go for long tour. I’ve seen groups heading up from the Dead Sea, but that would be brutal this time of year. Bottom line: rent a car and get out of town on the weekend (Friday/Saturday). I love TLV on a Friday morning/afternoon, and Jerusalem on a Friday afternoon/evening, so save that day for tourism things. Saturday is a bit dead everywhere, and may be a good day to go for a long ride outside of town. (Assuming you got the car and bike before the world shuts on Friday afternoon)
If you are at the Dan TLV, the pool on the roof is very short, and the gym has lousy hours (7 AM opening is useless during the week).
Enjoy Israel. I’ve been to Jerusalem a few times this year, but have not been to TLV for almost a year. It feels like forever…
Sorry just woke up , But you got all your info you needed from everyone else haha.
I will be there january time to visit family.
Thanks again!
–Baldwin, the bike shops are killer helpful. I really appreciate that.
I signed up but has to drop out bc of asthma problems. So I have to wait till I get it all taking care of!
SCOTT Israel - Ha’Hashmonaim 100, Tel. 972-3-5614035, 972-3-5614185
Closed as of two years ago.
Jerusalem mountains are quite the busy road-cycling territory. On any given weekend you’ll meet 4-5 teams on a ride there…
Man, it has been a few years, I guess.
I lived and worked in Tlv. My Jerusalem time has been limited to 443 and Route 1 and the Old City, so I have not seen the bikes on the hills. They seem smart enough to stay off of those roads!
In all seriousness, renting a car and getting out to the west in the north I would highly recommend. TLV is a wonderful city, but you get a real sense for more the country then you will sitting on the beach (not that I did not spend a lot of time doing exactly that!).
Thanks. I’ll try to get up North for a day or two if my schedule permits it. I hope I don’t resort to going on a spin bike for 2-3 hours indoors. Seems incredibly boring and also a waste if missing some new scenery to ride in.
Thanks again for the tips!!
For swimming you cant beat the gordon pool. Check out the Asos store in TLV and they’ll help you out with places. There was one guy in particular, his name is slipping my mind but into Tris and had tons of info.
For wine i recommend going to par derriere. Awesome little wine bar with food. It’s of a main rd in an alley, a little tough to find. if you’re into steak try Meatos or for rodizio, Papagayo.
Enjoy