Saturday - Mt. Diablo Summit, 33 miles
JB, Rick, and me this morning. We all got to the gate right at 8, the way it’s supposed to be. I had passed a group of shavers with Sharp Bicycles jerseys on back on Bancroft and they caught us just a little ways up North Gate Road. They weren’t setting a super pace and it was a little irritating that they passed us and then didn’t go any faster down the double dips so I went first and did a couple of little intervals before I kicked it down to an aerobic pace.
It was nearly 80° already by this time in the morning and very humid. I felt like I was doing a hot weather ride even though it wasn’t really that bad. Rick took off and dropped everybody, JB and I stayed together until Big Shady Oak where he finally shed me.
At the Junction Peter and Will were there. Peter said it was even hotter on Summit Road so we decided to go up! I kind of figured we would right from the start since Rick had just gotten back from Seattle to Portland and Nicole wasn’t around. So Will went back down and the other four of us went to the Summit. Rick and Peter set the fastest pace and JB and I rode a bit slower. Around Muir Picnic area JB speeded up and dropped me again so I took it easy and prepared for the Wall. Just before I got to the lower parking lot about 20 cars passed me up – turns out there was some kind of Boy Scout event going on – so I circled around the lower lot until I was pretty sure I’d have the road to myself and it worked out just right.
We all discussed the Tour de France, Peter said he wasn’t planning on doing the Marin Century but was thinking about Napa in the end of August. Rick said he mailed in his registration for Marin and said Joe maybe wanted to do it also so that would be four of us (me, Rick, Joe, and Sarkis). Peter and JB left early and Rick and I hung around for a while before going down.
Wildlife Encounter: saw a coyote next to the side of the road just below Chainbuster.
Down on the switchbacks below the ranches I hit a rock and flatted – it turned out to be a snakebite type puncture but it left a scar in the sidewall of my Michelin Pro Race that I hope isn’t too serious. I plan on putting a boot on the inside to hopefully forestall any tearing. I fixed up the flat in no time and then we went to Jamba Juice for a cold one.
43m15s to the Junction
87 minutes to the Summit
