LAST Saturday Ronnie Feinberg participated in his usual ride together with his inseparable cycling partners Norman Baron and Hilliard Hard. That evening, a few months short of his 53 birthday Ronnie died peacefully in his sleep.

            Ronnie was always into cycling, participating in many national road rides in South Africa. John Cohen established the Raanana based mountain bike club Cyclenix, but it was Ronnie who made membership grow as he brought their rides out of the immediate fields north of Raanana to once a month ‘away rides’ all over the country. I personally participated in rides from Nahal Katziv and Monfort in the north, to Zippori, Migdal Afek, Ben Shemen and Be’eri in the south.

            About ten years ago my cycling partner Stephen Schulman and I happened upon Ronnie early one Saturday morning and we became friends. Stephen and I told Ronnie that we two novices had decided to participate in the national trans-Israel ride from Kibbutz Dafna on the Lebanese border to Eilat, 550 kilometers in three days. He came to my home and with endless patience explained the demands of the rides, what food we should carry and what to expect of the organizers. We instantly knew the Israel cycling scene should have him as the co-coordinator and brains behind any event. He also knew about cycling techniques on or off the road. He understood the importance of correct cadence and bicycle maintenance.

            It was when I was involved with the London based charity One-to-One and organized the ride around the Kinneret for Victims of Terror that I approached Ronnie. His input and his work on the details were indispensable. These rides went without a hitch thanks to Ronnie, and this was not a one-time effort. Writes David Altschuler, co-chairman of One-to-One: “Ronnie was a great presence at the One to One Kinneret rides… He has inspired the setting up of eight One to One cycling clubs for disadvantaged kids in different parts of Israel… an enduring legacy.”

            Ronnie, you could not see the hundreds of people who attended your funeral, nor the 80 roadies and 32 Cyclenix off-roaders who participated in today’s memorial ride in the Sharon region. But without you, your gentleness and caring, none of this would happen.