Good Wheel 2018 – Routes and Maps This year’s suggested routes are subject to minor changes depending on weather and police approval. The organizer maintains the right to make changes up until the last minute. Data has been downloaded from a computer program and therefore , may be slight deviations from the text.

This year we will return to ride in Northern .

We will begin the Good Wheel with the traditional ride around Kinneret on the first day,. We will be divided into two groups who will ride at different paces and we will circumnavigate the Kinneret in a clockwise direction.

We will continue the southern slopes of the and the sites of heritage and history scattered around it, and include a visit to the hot springs site.

The ride will also continue to the northern Golan Heights and the volcanic wall line and ride along the African rift line from the north of the to the Beit Shean area.

As every year, two separate routes will be available for our riders.

Long Route: suitable for experienced riders with good riding ability, able to face challenges of steep uphill and downhill rides, as well as varying types of roads, for a total of 100km riding a day and 1000m cumulative climb.

Short (Hand-Cycle) Route: suitable for all levels of riders. Disabled riders and biking novices, eager to try this new experience, will ride together, as well as those seeking a fun day of relief from the long route and a different kind of social experience. The riding distances in this route will be derived from the long route and will be adapted to the riders' abilities

The. total length of the routes is: Long route ...... 308 km. Cumulative climb ... 3943 m. Short route...... 213 km .. Cumulative climbing ...... 1191 m. Our accommodation this year will be at the hotel in Ramot for the entire three nights, , which will be the base from which we will go out to ride each day, both for the long and short routes – who will be driven to the start line from the hotel.

Lunch will be offered this year as close as possible to the end of the ride to shorten the day and give more time for entertainment and pampering at the hotel and the surrounding area. DAY ONE 19/3/2018 "Land of the Sea of Galilee" 19.3.18 Rotating the Kinneret in two group s according to different cycling rates.

The “Land of the Sea of Galilee” is part of the Jordan Valley, which includes the Sea of Galilee and the valleys surrounding it. Its borders are delineated in the south by the Yarmuk and Tabor Streams, in the north by Ramat Korazim (the basalt plateau south of the Hula Valley), in the east by the slopes of the Golan Heights and in the west by the eastern Galilee. The “Land of the Sea of Galilee”includes the Ginosar Valley, the Yavne'el Valley, Beit Zida Valley and the Kinneret Valley, south of the Sea of Galilee, and it reaches south of the Kokhav HaYarden junction. The Jordan Valley is part of the Syrian-African rift. These farming rims have been gathering communities around them since the dawn of history.

This day is open to one-day riders – many riders from various organizations throughout the country participate in this day.

Those Renting Bikes Cannot Participate in the long route

We will split into two tracks even though the tracks are the same in order to enable social and experiential riding for each rider and his riding pace. The day will begin at the Barko Park, located south of the city of Tiberias on the western shores of the Sea of Galilee, and we willset out after mingling, coffee and cake, and the opening ceremony in the park. We will rotate the Kinneret clockwise. We will ride through the Yehudiya Junction and turn south along the eastern shores of the lake and under the southern slopes of the Golan Heights, which bloom and are painted green in the springtime. In the area of the Kursi National Park we will stop for a short refreshment and continue riding towards the Ma'agan Junction, where we will turn west to Tzemach Junction and from there we will pass near Kibbutzim and Moshavim south of the Sea of Galilee, which were established before the establishment of the State of Israel and constitute a significant part of the history of the north and the state. We will have our lunch at Park Barco at the end of the ride. The Route Start: Barko Park, Tiberias Refreshment Station: Kursi National Park Finish: Barko Park, Tiberias Distance: 62 km Cummulative Climb: 377m Link: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/1696757609 For those riding for the whole four days, the possibility of riding to the Ramot Hotel will is being looked into and is subject to timetable availability and police approval Addition for 4-day Riders Start: Barko Park, Tiberias Finish: Ramot Distance: 32 km Cummulative Climb: 262m Link: : http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/1696778663 DAY 2 - 20.3.18 Southern Golan Heights, , and the Triangle of Borders

On the second day of riding, we will go straight from Ramot to the Sea of Galilee and immediately turn east to the first climb of the journey. "Ma'ale Gamla", which is named after the ancient city.

The city of Gamla is mentioned in the Talmud as one of the walled cities from the time of the conquest of the land by Joshua Bin Nun. It seems that even earlier, in the Early Bronze Age there was a settlement that was destroyed. After the return to Zion, the descendants of the exiles settled. The Hasmonean king Alexander Jannaeus conquered the city from Hellenistic rulers or Hellenistic governors in the first century BCE and settled Jews there, with the intention of inhabiting the regions of the kingdom. .

At the end of the climb we will stop for a little refreshment in between a Hazel Grove. From there we will ride north on the "rapids" route through the settlements of the southern Golan Heights. These settlements were established after the Six-Day War when the Golan Heights were occupied by the IDF and still mainly make their living from agriculture and domestic tourism. At the waterfall junction we will turn east again and pass by the ruins of the village of Hoshenia and the bombarded mosque that has become part of the landscape. On Route 98 we turn south along the road. You can see the border with , as well as many heritage sites such as Tel Saki and the famous battle story, where we will stop for refreshment. From there we will begin our journey back to the valley through the winding path of Mevo Hama. This is a very steep slope (up to 18% slope) winding on the southern slope of the Golan Heights towards the triangle of borders (Israel, Jordan, Syria) and Hamat Gader. Hamat Gader in Arabic: Al-Hamma is a spa and recreation site located in the Yarmuk valley south of the Golan Heights, at a height of 150 m below sea level. Four mineral springs are rich in minerals. The hot water flows from an estimated depth of about 2 kilometers or more. The flow of one of the five springs of the site, such as the "perfume", is 700-500 cubic meters per hour. The Hamat Gader site includes spa baths, a spa and a sanctuary for crocodiles and birds. We will continue riding west along the border with Jordan, and on our left is the perimeter fence (you are asked to stay on the road and not go down towards the fence because it is an electronic fence). he Those with good vision will be able to see on the right the remains of the El Hama Bridge, which was blown up on the “night of the bridges” in 1948, as part of a comprehensive operation to cut off the supply of Arab women soldiers residing in the country.

When we arrive at Hamat ader, we will end the day’s riding with a light meal and free time in the spa.

Short Route:

We will start the day by being bussed to Tel Saki and from there, we will begin riding southward through the settlements of the southern Golan Heights to Bnei Yehuda junction where we will turn westward and go down to the Sea of Galilee in the lower slopes of Kursi. We will ride south along the Sea of Galilee to the Ma'agan junction where we will turn east along the border with Jordan until "Hamat Gader" to end the ride and join the long route at the spa. Long Route:

Start: Ramot Finish: Hamat Gader Distance: 90km Cummulative Climb: 1250m Link: : http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/1696760045 Short Route:

Start: Tel Saki Finish: Hamat Gader Distance: 52km Cummulative Climb: 3280m Link: : mapmyride.com/routes/view/1696763927 DAY 3 21.3.18 Northern Golan Heights

We will ride from the hotel (long route) and ride north along the Sea of Galilee to the Yehudiya junction, where we will turn east and get back to the Golan Heights via the South Junction and then again through Hosheniya to Highway 98, this time heading north to . "Hoshenia" The source of the name Hoshenia is unknown but it is estimated that it comes from the word Khashan, which means in Arabic - hard, after the hard and rocky soil on which the village is built. The village was inhabited mainly by the Circassian people who inhabited most of the region of Kuneitra and the center of the Golan. After around 1880 many Circassians were transferred by the Ottomans to the border areas to create a buffer and prevent the spread of the Bedouin. The village sits on an ancient road that led from Damascus to the sea. In the southern part of the village was a mound that contained the remains of a Khan from the 8th century CE.

We will continue riding while on our left along the entire route you can see the volcanic line that characterizes the Golan Heights, according to which the border was set in the 1967 ceasefire agreements that still hold today.

The Israeli line of trenches is a term used for a series of extinct volcanoes are located on the Golan Heights, from Mt. Ram in the north to Tel Saki in the south. The height of the volcanoes ranges from 594 m above sea level (Tel Saki) and 1,226 m above sea level (Mount Varda), and they protrude across the flat plateau. Across the border with Syria, along with the Israeli line of trenches, stretches a similar sequence of volcanoes, known as the Syrian line of trenches. The line of trenches has strategic significance, as it constitutes a natural barrier that makes it difficult to move large military forces along the northern and central Golan Heights, while simultaneously controlling the Syrian Golan Heights. The mounds were created as a result of lava that erupted from the secondary cracks that followed the Syrian-African rift.

Research proves the economic feasibility of establishing large-scale wind turbines on various sites along the line of trenches, but opposition by the IDF who claim it will disrupt electromagnetic military systems., prevents the expansion of the two sites currently operating wind turbines.

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As soon as we pass the Ein Zivan Junction, we will continue north until we turn west between the Avital and Bental trenches and cross the volcano that lies between them. In accordance with the schedule we will climb to a beautiful and high view point on Mount Bental.

From we will start our long ride back to the Kinneret Valley and the hotel. At first we will ride south downhill to the base of the volume where we turn westward and go down a long and fun descent towards the “Bet Hameches”Junction and then heading south through Had Nes and the Jordan Park to the Bet Zidah junction, we will complete the detour of the Sea of Galilee through the Yehudiya junction and back to the hotel. Short route: We will start the day by being bussed to Ein Zivan and from there we will start riding on the long route without climbing to Mount Bental. At the end of the day there will be a possibility to be bussed back to the hotel along the climb up to Ramot. Long Route:

Start: Ramot Finish: Ramot Distance: 96km Cummulative Climb: 1526m Link: : http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/1696768469 Short Route:

Start: Ein Zivan Finish: Ramot Distance: 50km Cummulative Climb: 195m Link: : http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/1696772966 DAY 4 22.3.18 The Jordan Valley and the Jordan Star.

The two groups will ride together from the hotel to the Sea of Galilee and will turn for the last time of this year’s ride south along the shores of the lake to the Maagan junction, where we will turn east and then south on the winding roads between banana groves and local agriculture. At the Masada junction we will get on Route 90 and ride south along the "African-Syrian" rift east of the settlement of Menahemia. The Naharayim site will be visible from there.

Naharayim is a site in the Jordan Valley bordering Israel, and the Kingdom of Jordan near the settlement of Menahemia, where the electricity plant of the Israel Electric Company was located, on the banks of the two rivers (hence the name Naharayim), the Yarmuk River and the Jordan River. In the summer of 1927, the Naharayim hydroelectric power station, which was built east of the Jordan River, began to be built, soon to the Yarmouk River estuary to the Jordan River. The Naharayim Power Plant was inaugurated on 9 June, 1932 and became the first modern hydroelectric power station in the Middle East. The production capacity of the three water turbines at the station was 18 megawatts, about five times the total production capacity of the first power plants. This enabled the IEC to successfully respond to demand from its customers and for the needs of the developing country. The electricity produced by the station was channeled to Tel Aviv and Haifa, on power lines that served as the main electricity generator of the national electricity grid at the time. On the land of nearby “Naharayim” plots of wheat and fruit groves were planted on a commercial scale, and a residential neighborhood was built for the station's employees and their families. On March 13, 1997, a Jordanian soldier shot at a group of girls, seventh and eighth graders, who were on an annual field trip. The soldier killed seven students and wounded six others, two of them badly. Gilad was built in memory of the murdered girls, which is built of seven dirt mounds surrounded by grass, with each girl's name emblazoned with flowers.

Further southward, the long-route riders will be able to climb one of the most beautiful climbs in the country towards Kokhav Hayarden, to catch a beautiful view of the Jordan Valley and to challenge our feet for the last time this year ..... The Kokhav Hayarden - is also known as Yefe Nof and the Ghost Planet in Hebrew (Kaukab al-Hawa in Arabic and Chateau Belvoir or Coquet in French)- is a national park and archeological site located at the eastern end of the Yissachar level (Ramat Kochav) in the margins of the Lower Galilee, between the Sea of Galilee and Beit She'an.

The site contains archeological remains from various periods, including the ruins of an ancient Hebrew settlement, the remains of a magnificent Crusader fortress and remains of an Arab settlement. The site is located on a summit that is 312 meters above sea level, and its steep slopes rise 550 meters above the Jordan Valley,

Another small number of pedals along Route 90 which will take us to Hamadia for the closing ceremony and lunch.

Hugs, kisses and a cheer for everyone before the bus home….see you all next year!

Long Route: Start: Ramot Finish: Hamadia Distance: 60km Cummulative Climb: 790m Link: : http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/1696775096 Short Route:

Start: Ramot Finish: Hamadia Distance: 47km Cummulative Climb: 291m Link: : http://www. mapmyride.com/routes/view/1696776437