In November, I had one amazing cycling journey in Israel from the Golan Heights to Eilat. Seven days of riding, 450 miles and 26,000 feet of climbing—benefiting two innovative organizations—The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies and Hazon.
The ride is transformative on many levels. I have been lucky enough to ride a bike in some of the coolest places on earth, but it is not just the scenery that makes this trip wonderful; it is the people, the cause and Israel itself.

Three years ago my friend Moe Blaustein called and asked if I would do the Israel Ride with him. I had the flu at the time and needed some hope, so I committed to the 2015 ride. This year, I convinced a whole bunch of friends, my wife Susan and her sister Laurie to ride with Moe and me.

There are three groups on the ride (about 180 people). Group 1 averages 35 miles a day, Group 2 averages 55 miles a day and Group 3 averages 70 miles a day.

It is a monumental task keeping all these people happy, safe and inspired and the great leaders, David Eisenberg and Howie Rodenstein, do it in style. They captain this ship with the help of about 60 staff who make sure our bikes work, feed us, cheer us up hills, answer one million questions and keep the party going.

I had many truly inspirational moments during the ride. The take away from this experience is that adventure, hard physical activity, spiritual connection, charity, new friendships and the Holy Land mixed together make for a magical week.