2026 Diablo Day 56 - Saturday Morning Junction

Best weather of the year!  Lots of people enjoying The Mountain today - Search and Rescue crew, some kind of trail run event, bike riders, picnickers and hikers.

During my pre-ride checkout, I noticed a bunch of boogers on my gravel tires - I thought it was sealant and started to re-evaluate my opinion on tubeless tires... but then I realized it wasn't sealant boogers, it was tar boogers from the Sycamore re-paving work.

I also took a look at my brake pads trying to figure out a way to tell how worn they are - I'm not sure what I'm looking at, but I can compare this shot with future shots and maybe that will be revealing.

My stock gravel wheels are about 5 minutes slower to Junction than the road wheels for about the same effort... not really too bad of a handicap, fun in a different way.

Trail Run

Still doing roadwork on Diablo Rd on a Saturday.

On the way back down, I stopped at Horseshoe for some gravelly vanity photos. Trek Travel sent me a jersey for my New Zealand adventure so I wore it today. Vote for your favorite in the comments!

Horseshoe Picnic Area

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2026 Diablo Day 55 - Wednesday Morning Junction

I took Roxanne to Alamo Trek after last week's ride for them to put on her gravel wheels and provide the free new-bike-first-year tune up. On the way home they called already and said my brakes were almost gone so I approved their putting in new ones but told them I wanted the old ones for show and tell.

Apparently this is as thin as you want the pads to get.
I don't know if I'll ever learn how to do these myself.

It was cold this morning so I went ahead and put on my cold weather pants and a long sleeved jersey with an undershirt.  I got a little sweaty mid-ride, but I was happy to not be frozen.

I figured my gravel wheels would add about five minutes to my Junction time for the same effort as with my road wheels, and that was just about right.

Wildlife Encounter:  lots of deers and turkeys.

Lots of riders on The Mountain today too - gave me some good photos to share.

This guy ran in front of me, but not too close.

DO NOT ENTER!  (does not apply to DiabloScott)

2026 Diablo Day 54 - Wednesday Morning Juniper

Still in the throes of an early autumn heat wave. We decided to start at 8:30 and barely beat the scorching.

Roxanne is in the shop for her free new bike tune-up. Alamo Trek called me and said I need new brake pads already... 1100 miles seems like a short life-span but I'm new to all this. They said I should just plan on a couple replacements per year.  Riding Eddy today and I think he has the same pads that I put on about 5 years ago... I was reminded about how much harder you have to squeeze cable-operated rim brakes for the same effect.  

 

Maayan Jones was the rider killed by a truck in the residential area up the hill from The Athenian.  They took the ghost bike down about a year ago, but they just moved his memorial sign to the hole in the fence.  I approve.

Today we had an Alpe d'Huez jersey, a Mount Ventoux jersey, and two Mount Diablo jerseys.  

Davis Vintage Bike Ride and Show

 

2026 Diablo Day 53 - Wednesday Morning Junction

Charlie and I decided just a Junction today. I decided I'd do an interval and try to get a PB on the 2nd Mile segment I made on Strava.

Success.  This is a fun way to introduce some higher-intensity efforts on an otherwise casual ride. Mile 2 has the most climbing of the segments I made, and it averages 6.8%.

Mile 2 starts here

Mile 2 ends here

That's about constant a grade as you're likely to find anywhere.

2026 Diablo Day 52 - Saturday Morning Junction

I have a Harvest Moon celebration this evening so didn't want to be too tired. My idea was to do a fast Mile 1 and then back down to endurance pace; worked good.

Lots of riders training for The Diablo Challenge  next weekend. Fast folks, big groups, and clubs.

Autumn is definitely here - I even bought a new pair of long cycling pants - looser than tights. So I have the relaxed tights for fun rides and the tight tights for events and PB attempts.

I didn't see this rider coming up from behind me, or I would've moved over.  But she called out that she was passing me on the right; unaware that in my photo it would look like I was passing her!