2020 SMR 13

Boy I screwed up the clothing choice today - shorts and arm warmers were fine down low, but above Juniper it was cold with wet fog and dripping trees.  I also packed a little face mask - one of those free things they pass out at doctor offices... didn't need it.  I did see quite a few people with face coverings of one sort or another.

Both barriers closed at The Gate at 8 - no ranger on duty - by 10:30 the exit was open and one guy in the kiosk with nothing to do.

JB and I noted that since the lock-down, there were fewer riders in the early morning when we're going up, but more riders in the late morning when we're coming down - then we hypothesized a bunch of reasons why that would be.  We were kind of strained for conversation.

I built up a new front clincher wheel last night - the brake track was worn out on the old one.  Bought a wider rim and put on a 28mm tire thinking it would match my tubular wheels - but it's bigger; just barely fit under the brakes.  Worked fine and rode nice but a few times I ran over some wet sand that stuck to the tire and the brakes rubbed off the sand with a noisy scraping sound.  I have a 25mm tire I'll swap it out for; that'll be almost as nice.

In good news, there weren't all the bugs at Summit that there were last week. We didn't spend much time up there though.

2020 WNR 12

WARM!  Boy it felt good, but it was warm enough that I could feel a performance hit from hot blood or something.

Me, Charlie, JB and Justin. Gate was closed, had to go around the bypass. 

The rims on my clincher wheels are getting thin, braking performance is getting unacceptable - so I ordered some new ones this morning.  Should have a nice wheel-building project to keep me busy this weekend.

Hopefully when things get back to normal, the State finds some funds to re-pave the road in here... cracks and holes are getting to be serious.

High-end bike, rider with swim shorts and no helmet.  OK!

This guy had the same helmet as mine.

2020 SMR 12

I know a lot of you only check my blog to find the current status of the utilities in The Park - so I'll put this bit first.

1. Bathroom at Junction:  OPEN
2. Water fountain at Summit: OPERATIONAL
3. Bathroom at Summit Lower Lot: OPEN
4. Bathroom at Summit Upper Lot: CLOSED

The weather forecast for today was WARM!  It was not warm. It was a little chilly and a lot foggy and it was beautiful riding.  The fog started at about the Washout, then it got thicker and thicker and the visibility at Junction was almost zero. Then about Juniper it cleared up again and we were treated to the kind of vistas that most people can only see in my blog and Hollywood movies.

Only saw two motor vehicles - both official State Park trucks.  There were a lot of bike riders though and the sense of shared joie de vivre was imprinted on all of us.  At Junction there were about 20 bikes... I did an inventory and it seems like disk brake road bikes have over-taken rim brake bikes by quite a margin.  JB and I shook our heads in Luddite disbelief.

Also, the Summit Beacon will be lit every Sunday night for a while, because we're all in this pandemic thing together, and cyclists aren't the only folks who love this Mountain. LINK

WALNUT CREEK, CA—Mount Diablo State Park’s Beacon will be lit after sunset in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on Easter Sunday, April 12. Thereafter, until the pandemic crisis is over, the Beacon will be lit every Sunday after sunset and shine brightly until sunrise the next day.

Ted Clement, Executive Director of Save Mount Diablo, stated, “Lighting the Beacon every Sunday is a way to honor our heroes in this global pandemic struggle, to pay our respects to the dead and those suffering, to lift our eyes to higher ground and the light and be reminded of the healing power of nature and our Mount Diablo, and to bring our communities together during this difficult time.”

THICK! fog at Junction

Popping out of the fog at Juniper.

Beautiful blue sky with a carpet of clouds above 3000 ft.

"White leg-warmer lady" is a Saturday morning regular.

2020 WNR 11

Very nice weather, except too windy in parts.  I did wish I had arm warmers with me for the descent though... it's just BARELY spring.

Diablo Shoutout to PUNKIN' JAY.  Also local cycling celebrities Kevin Metcalfe and Clarisse Sayle.

Charlie was bragging about his beautiful newborn first grand-baby - he'll be happy to show you photos on his phone.

Justin left home with the wrong shoes on and couldn't figure out why his cleats weren't clicking in.

Some SouthGate guy parked his bike by leaning it on the Ranger's truck at Junction - he got a good talkin' to.

2010 WNR 10

Four of us tonight.  

Great weather.  This pandemic stuff is getting even scarier though, so we all kept a good distance from each other for safety.  Word is the worst of it won't be for another couple weeks... I can only imagine.  Anyway, I felt GREAT, except a little tired after yesterday's hard effort.

Our pack broke apart right at The Gate, with JB in the lead.  I stayed a constant 5-10 seconds behind Charlie -  he always goes faster when he's in front of me, and today he beat his own PB by over two minutes.