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The Bicycle City Project
I received my first bicycle at the age of 13, for my Bar Mitzvah. When I was 15, I saved up all the money I made working odd summer jobs and bought a more professional bicycle. I used to ride it to school, located in Be’er-Sheba, every Friday, a 15-mile ride from Ofaqim
In the course of my adult years, I rekindled my love for cycling and I established a local cycling group that continued growing over time. This group embodies the “Bicycle City” vision, as is presented to you right here.
In 2003 I returned to ride regularly. In 2006, the local cycling group in Ofaqim was created and has been working hard ever since at developing the sport of cycling and in parallel, at leveraging the city of Ofaqim, its local tourism and recreation for children, youth and women
The Ofaqim Cycling Group
The Ofaqim cycling group is voluntary and consists of ~24 members who meet during the week to go on joint bike rides, in and outside of Ofaqim. Members of the group participate in national and local competitions and bring much hometown pride in the area of road cycling. The group wears matching cycling apparel, has an on-road bicycle carrier and goes on numerous recreational bicycle rides throughout the country
The Municipal Bicycle Club
The Municipal Bicycle Club is located in a public shelter, at 40 Sharet Street in Ofaqim. The Club consists of 50 bicycles, also used for bike-touring the city by tour groups who are interested in learning about the city and its history, while leisurely riding through it. The club further provides bike-riding classes for children of Ofaqim; each year we conduct classes for about 4 groups of children for a symbolic fee
The Ofaqim Single Trail
The Ofaqim Single Trail is a bicycle route that starts out in Ofaqim and circles all the surrounding streams. The trail is about 14 miles long and was built over a period of two years by volunteers from our organization, in collaboration with the Southern district of Kakal Israel (the Jewish National Fund). The Single Trail serves as a tourist attraction for bicycle riders from all over the country. We recently produced a map of the Trail and distributed it free-of-charge on the Internet and to visiting tourists
The Annual Bicycle Festival
Every year we organize and produce a very large and festive annual bicycle event that sums up our cycling activity of the passing year and that hosts visitors from all over the country. The festival takes place during Hol Ha’moed Sukkoth (the intermediate days of the holiday) and it gives us a collective opportunity to commemorate the late Police Superintendent Patrick Perez, a Border Police officer who was killed during a military operation in Hebron. This year we are holding the event for the 9th time and cyclists from all over the country will participate. Moreover, this festival is community-oriented, inviting local families, children and individuals with disabilities to participate
Pump-Track Ofaqim
This year we presented the mayor with a plan to build a pump-track (a bicycle park for extreme riding and training). The proposal was approved and the park will be built with donations received by the City. The park will be used for training local children, parents and groups. The plan was executed by “Karen Klor” of JNF UK and will be implemented in 2015
The Bicycle City Vision
The Bicycle City vision, as is presented here, was established right from the start. The vision looks ahead, into the future, seeking additional functions and actvities that are bicycle-related, in order to formulate a true and powerful story that can lead Ofaqim onto a new path
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