"They are amazing boys with inspiring determination" - Guy Niv admires the dedication of young cyclists caught in the Hamas ambush

It seemed like a routine play on the track of the Velodrome in Tel Aviv: young riders circling on their bikes along the inclined walls, lap after lap. But the tears of emotion mixed with a bit of fear in the eyes of the mothers and fathers watching hinted at the immense emotional burden behind this scene.

"I have a strong and optimistic child," said Erez Cohen, pointing to his 15-year-old son Itai, who pedaled with surprising confidence considering this was his first time back on a bike just over five weeks after being injured and losing his eye in the Hamas ambush. "It was great to get back to riding. I missed it," said Itai, whose face still bears the marks of the shrapnel.

"To see 'my kids' back on bikes here in the Velodrome alongside Israel’s national team riders gives me real hope that we have begun the journey back to life. A kind of 'restart'," said coach Judith Bdolach. "They’re not themselves yet. It will take a lot to overcome the traumas that haunt them and all of us, but getting back on the bikes and especially the embrace and understanding that someone finally 'sees' them, 'counts' them, and stands behind them – this will give them the desire and motivation to return to the sport they so loved."

"They are amazing boys with inspiring determination," said Guy Niv, the first Israeli rider to finish the Tour de France. Niv visited Itai and Zohar in the hospital and yesterday met them on their first ride.