2025 Diablo Day 02 - Saturday Morning Junction

Felt much better than on NYD. It was cold though.

Passed a woman with a reflective vest and a titanium Moots from the San Francisco Randonneurs. They have a pretty damn impressive ride list:    San Francisco Randonneurs 

Kind of quiet on The Mountain today, not a lot of riders. One guy at Junction joked that he was 72 years old and he still hasn't found his groove. I said "This is YOUR YEAR buddy.".

Going to see the new Bob Dylan movie tonight - I had an early Bob playlist going on the Diablo MP3 Player. I decided to leave the harmonica at home.

The Randonneur

2025 Diablo Day 01 - NY NGR

Happy New Year dear readers.

I decided to do North Gate Road with JB today. First time up since they finished the turnout lanes.

I was slow.

Lots of riders... but not like the old days.

Turns out freezing my water bottles was overkill.

I won the sprint for second place.

2024 Diablo Day 35 - Saturday Morning Junction

Haven't ridden for TWO WEEKS because of the weather, and today was a little bit better and the last Saturday of 2024, so it was a must do.  Pretty wet, thick fog, a little drizzle, not terribly cold.

Wildlife Encounter:  possibly the biggest flock of turkeys I've ever seen in the back yard of that last house on Diablo Scenic.

Just one guy passed me on the way up. Not a lot of riders on The Mountain today.

Met JB at Junction and we both concluded independently, that both of us would have a very hard time doing a Summit in the foreseeable future. I don't know if I'm over the hill, or just need more time on the bike.

2024 Diablo Day 34 - Saturday Morning Junction

Did not sleep well for some reason - did not ride well this morning. Felt OK, just no energy.

The air quality was supposed to be good, but it looked smoggy to me... and smelled a little like fireplace.

Not a lot of riders today - saw a few regulars and a few newbs.

Roadkill Report: an OWL! - that's a first for me.

Roadkill Report: plain old stupid squirrel.

Merry Christmas to all my loyal readers!

2024 Diablo Day 33 - Saturday Morning Junction

Last week it was raining, so I donated blood instead of riding. Whoever gets my blood - you're welcome.

I had almost forgotten though, until about 10 minutes into my ride and I did a little green light interval and I quickly got light-headed and out of breath (double reds take about two weeks to recover)... then I slowed down for the rest of the ride, happy to have an excuse.

JB beat me to Junction. We made idle chit chat. He said the north side was foggy, I said the south side was cold and windy. Then we disparaged plastic bikes and both descended our respective downhills.

2024 Diablo Day 32 - Saturday Morning Junction

Sunny and chilly this morning.

I felt a lot better than last week - got to Junction and didn't feel completely spent.

On the way to the park, I hit some rode debris pretty hard and my Diablo Bike Speaker fell off my handlebars. I went back to get it and it still worked, but the SD card was lost, so I played it on Bluetooth mode. I have more SD cards at home, no big whoop.

Right here is that thing I ran over - sounded metallic. No tire damage.

Check out my new-to-me Subaru Outback - I named her Suzie. Sold my old truck after 18 years of loyal service. Then I needed a new transport rack so thanks to the folks at Alamo Trek for expediting my order. I like both the car and the rack. I considered a hitch rack but the hitch itself would've cost about $500, and the bike rack would interfere with the hatchback, so I didn't think I wanted that option. The roof rack option means I have to bring my mini-step stool to get my bike up there - the Outback is not as tall as an SUV, but taller than a sedan. I'll do a product review on the Thule Up-Ride one of these days, but I like how it doesn't contact the frame and you don't have to take your front wheel off. Taking your front wheel off is a bigger deal if you have hydraulic brakes, which I might SOME day.