Israelis place second in global cycling competition

Idit Shub and Gal Tsachor took home 2nd place for their second time as a team in the Absa Cape Epic mountain bike competition in South Africa

Israeli cyclists Idit Shub and Gal Tsachor on Sunday rode to an unprecedented achievement in Israeli sports, taking home second place for their second time as a team in the prestigious and grueling Absa Cape Epic mountain bike competition in South Africa.

Despite Shub suffering from severe dehydration on the second day of the competition, the duo managed to close the gap on the leaders, traversing 646 kilometres (402 miles) in just eight days.

Shub, 35, and Tsachor, 43, finished the seventh and final stage of the race in Cape Town after 36:41:09 hours of cycling, coming ahead of some 1,200 mountain bikers from across the globe. The two began the race with hopes of winning, but on the second day, some 19 kilometres (12 miles) from the second-stage finish line, Shub was severely dehydrated and the two were forced to stop and recuperate for 20 crucial minutes.

“At a certain point I lost my sense of direction and we had to stop,” Shub recounted. “I fell. Gal wanted to evacuate me [for medical treatment], I felt disoriented and there were concerns for my life, but in the end we insisted on finishing the stage. After I recuperated a bit, I looked over my blood tests and realized how precarious my situation was.”

Shub and Tsachor finished strong, however, taking second place in the fifth stage and winning the final two stages.


Photo: Sportzpics

 

Author

Support Our Mission: Make a Difference!

The Canadian Jewish News is now a Registered Journalism Organization (RJO) as defined by the Canada Revenue Agency. To help support the valuable work we’re doing, we’re asking for individual monthly donations of at least $10. In exchange, you’ll receive tax receipts, a thank-you gift of our quarterly magazine delivered to your door, and our gratitude for helping continue our mission. If you have any questions about the donating process, please write to [email protected].

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Support the Media that Speaks to You

Jewish Canadians deserve more than social media rumours, adversarial action alerts, and reporting with biases that are often undisclosed. The Canadian Jewish News proudly offers independent national coverage on issues that impact our audience each day, as a conduit for conversations that bridge generations. 

It’s an outlet you can count on—but we’re also counting on you.

Please support Jewish journalism that’s creative, innovative, and dedicated to breaking new ground to serve your community, while building on media traditions of the past 65 years. As a Registered Journalism Organization, contributions of any size are eligible for a charitable tax receipt.