2008 WNR 23

Last Wednesday Night Ride of the year. Rode up with Ed who needed to stop a couple times to rest.

No wildlife, hardly any other riders, and my camera batteries went dead.

So here's a photo of the Summit in 1939 as they were beginning construction on the building.

Ten days to Foxy's Fall Century!

Diablo Challenge Volunteer

Last night there was a portentous cumulonimbus lingering over the Mountain, but the rain was over and all signs were for great weather today.

Diablo Daughter sneaks in for a cameo at lower right.

Took my dog for a walk around the neighborhood at 5am and the sky was perfectly clear with no wind and great star gazing to be had.

This is the second year I've volunteered for this epic event. I showed up at the Athenian School at 6:45 and took a parking space ahead of the start line; there were only a few hard cores there warming up already. My job was to haul the riders' warm clothes and backpacks up to the Summit. Last year this was a bit of a fiasco but this year there were additonal volunteers and vehicles so it went pretty smoothly.

I talked to Jim of the Wheel Peddler while he did some (free) last minute bike maintenance for the riders. I would totally trust him to do a headset replacement or crank swap for me when that becomes necessary. He's also a good option if you buy something on-line but don't want to install it yourself. He said he doesn't carry much inventory beyond repair parts but he can get anybody up and running really quick. His dog is also very friendly but maybe not too smart (eats bark). Tell him DiabloScott sent you... maybe you'll get a discount; HA!

Dude, your FD is FUBAR.

So we warmie drivers started up about 8:20 and the riders were right behind us. With the sunlight came some heat and it looked like perfect PB conditions for everybody.

Last call for backpacks!

It was a nice drive up to the Summit but I had my windows closed and stereo up loud so I didn't notice the subtle changes in microclimate. When I de-trucked in the Lower Parking Lot I was blown away (almost literally). It was COLD and blustery and I think I saw Piglet clinging to a branch down near the radio towers. I thought the riders would not be ready for this and it would certainly not be a record-setting kind of day although there appeared to be a tailwind up the Summit Wall.

They probably laughed at him when he packed his goose-down sleeping bag.
I walked over to the bottom of the Summit Wall for some spectacular spectating. Pegasus sleeping bag guy and Ryan from Sports Basement joined me in the revelry.

Whoa, look at the guads on THAT guy!






This year's winner is Nathan English, a young phenom from Berkeley who's been destroying all the local hill climb races and smashed the course record with a time of 43m33s. Last year's winner (above) came in third today.

Rick came in at a couple minutes past his goal and vowed to earn the T-shirte Verde next year. Then I walked around and scored some schwagg and snapshots and entered some raffles. They (I) really could have used a Peet's booth up there though.

Klein Krown award for sweetest bike goes to this Q-Pro Carbon. But dat dork disk gotta kumoff.

The also rodes.

How'd I do? How'd I DO?

I'll stop riding this Mountain until they pry my bike from my cold dead butt.

Can we PLEEEEEEEEEASE go back down now?

Unfortunately there were a couple of serious accidents on the way down. I saw one ambulance putting a rider on a backboard and a little below that there was a larger pileup with paramedics involved. I heard broken hip, and maybe one medivac but I'm not sure. They escort the riders down in big groups and I think they'd be better off letting them go down individually. There's an even bigger disparity in descending skills than climbing skills and when you have huge packs of riders with mixed skills in tight formations you're just asking for trouble; but the staff is too stubborn to understand that (in this bloggers humble opinion).
Bravo SMD for another awesome event.

2008 WNR 22

The sun was getting low before we even started today.

Diablo Cyclist group and bunches of others were coming down even before we got to the Bump.

Wildlife Encounter: two tarantulas.

JB was on fire and dropped me hard before the Upper Washout.

I passed a couple guys and did some half-hearted interval kind of stuff. One guy was in a reddish orange jersey and then he started to catch back up to me so I increased my interval intensity but he caught me anyway... except it wasn't him it was some other guy with a similar jersey; egobruise avoided.

New cassette and chain worked flawlessly today; nice tuneup Scotty!




I have made the call: next Wednesday, October 8, will be the last WNR of 2008. Unless it's terrible weather or something in which case tonight's was the last. We'll probably do pizza and beer next week either way.

Gate - Junction - Juniper

Got to the Gate a few minutes early so I gave myself a head start. Rick waited for JB but wound up going solo anyway.

Lots of riders on the Mountain today. Most of them were less serious than the ones training for the Death Ride. I suspect a lot of them are Challenge riders who just wanted to know what they were in for rather than trying to beat their PB by 10 seconds.

So Rick caught and passed me near Chainbuster and then we regrouped at Junction and then JB showed up too, but turned back down. Rick and I decided to do Juniper.

If the weather is this nice next week the Challenge riders will have a great experience.

Looks like SGR is open for good. I'm not sure if they're completely done but the road closure signs have been taken away.

Left my water bottle at the Junction and didn't notice until I got to Juniper - I have never done that before. Still there when I got back.

Peet's iced latte FTW!

2008 WNR 21

Me, Jeff, and JB.

Nice and warm tonight. Forgot my Cytomax... made due with plain old water.

Low sun makes for some nice colors and long shadows.

Went kinda fast at the start and lost Jeff. Then JB challenged on the Bump but I kept him within 30 seconds or so the rest of the way up.

Wildlife Encounter: THREE! Tarantulas.

Finally got my new cassette and chain on - man it was nice to not be skipping gears the whole way up.

SHINEY!

Come on you guys - volunteer for the Diablo Challenge!

Diablo Challenge Volunteer Shout Out

OK you locals, the Diablo Challenge NEEDS YOU.

I'd really like to get two more vehicle drivers for the backpacks and jackets, it's a fun time and a good experience and the riders really appreciate it. If you have a truck or other vehicle that can hold a decent amount of cargo, SIGN UP! You'll be among the first to get there and the last to leave - it's awesome. See my post from last year's event HERE

If you can help in some other way like check in or clean up - please do so. It's for a good cause and they're all a nice bunch of folks over at Save Mount Diablo. Also, volunteers get to help themselves to all the same schwagg as the Challenge riders.

Please e-mail Kim Bratton the associate kbratton@savemountdiablo.org
or call her at (925) 947-3535 she'll give you an assignment and all the information you need.

She'll want your contact info and an offer of what you can do to help. Tell her Diablo Scott sent you!

Thank you in advance and see you there!

Video Post

Quickie JuncRun

Me and Rick. He took off on a PB attempt as a fitness test for the Challenge.

I got a bit of a head start to take a video clip.

Cool and foggy today, like cold humidity. No wildlife, no Dudley, no sunshine.

Rick did a 36 something. I went home for a family function and Rick continued up.

Watch for the video... I'm playing with some special effects.

Riding With Scott

For those of you who've always wondered what it might be like to go for a ride with Diablo Scott, Rick provides this video. Try to stay with me up the sprinter hill near the end.

2008 WNR 20

Me and Jeff. Started late, rode slow.


I think we've seen the last heat wave of the year.


Wildlife Encounter: Black tail buck

Pinehurst - Bears - Pig Farm

Rick decided we needed some extra-Diablo miles before Foxy's. I agreed. Wound up with 55 on the day and agreeing we could do another 50 no prob.

Met at my office parking lot. Trail to Moraga. Foggy and 55°F.

One hour to the bottom of Pinehurst. We saw a lot of riders headed toward Diablo. Still foggy and 55°F.

Pinehurst of course is a great climb but it's always shorter than I remember... also, you never know where exactly you're at because you can't see past the next hairpin. At one point there was a "COUGAR CROSSING" warning painted on the road, and another section was one-lane due to mud slide. We passed four small groups on the way up but one TT guy on a Cervelo outclassed us. Still foggy and 55°F. Took photos of us in front of the "CONTRA COSTA COUNTY LINE" sign at the top but somehow managed to lose them. Photos here are courtesy of Rick's mobile phone. He also got some cell phone video on Skyline and Grizzly Peak... I'll try to get those uploaded this week too.

One of the great things about this ride is the incredible view from the ridge. I always remember taking my parents and grandpa up here to show off my newly adopted home after they helped move me to Berkeley. This morning though it was hard to see squat through the fog. Don't regret losing my photos of the fog too much but one of these days I'm gonna have to repeat this ride with clear skies.

Coming down Wildcat, a car was behind us but we smoked him. Still foggy and 55°F. At this point I asked Rick, "Are we doing all the Bears and Pig Farm, or half the Bears and Happy Valley?" his answer, the former... his voice communicated that there would be no further discussion on the matter.

The Bears of course are the same as they've always been, and the water fountain at Briones is always a good rest stop. Finally it started to warm up... about 80°F.

Pig Farm, sadly, is losing it's iconic status as... a Pig Farm; but never as a bikie landmark.

Then we hammered back to P-Hill for a Chipotle nutritional reward.

Ride data from Rick's computer... 50+ MPH coming down South Park... yeeeeeehaw!

Didn't lose this photo of moonrise over my Mountain on Friday night.

WNR 2008-19

Actually kind of cool weather tonight.

Met JB on Doncaster... didn't think anyone else was coming so we rolled.

Went hard until the bottom of the Bump, then faded.

I could have pushed it more in the midgame but didn't.

Hardly anyone at the Junction, we didn't stay long.

Found Jeff coming up at Upper Ranch so we both turned around and rode him back to Junction.


SGR is still closed on weekdays.

Wildlife Encounter: Two tarantulas. (photographed the same one twice though).

Got stuck behind some doofus in a Lexus on the way down who wouldn't pull over for bikes.

Gate - Junction - Tire Poppers - Junction - Gate

Dudley Driveby: At the Dips - never seen him this low before. Almost looked like he was having trouble with the climb...?

Wildlife Encounter: Two tarantulas and two snakes



My chain skips worse on every ride... I gotta get a new cassette; have you seen how pricey they've gotten?

We were all together near Chainbuster and I was happy to hang on until Junction and then I outsprinted JB but it about killed me.

Down to the Tire Poppers and back up. I was still tired and soon off the back. Getting really warm by now.

There was a helicopter flying over the Mountain like it was looking for something, and then an ambulance came up South Gate Road (while we were descending) with the sirens on so somebody must have gotten hurt. Didn't see anything though, maybe it was a hiker or MTBer off the road. Might have been up Summit Road I guess but we never saw the ambulance again.

New pavement on SGR is really nice. It's a little odd without striping though. Also, there were a couple places where it was damaged already. JB joked it was because of the earthquake Friday night (tiny).

Lots of hardcore riders today, the Challenge is nigh.

Rick wanted the sprint at the Dips so I took it a little bit easy after Moss Landing and then brought it up to just a little over 35 before I pulled over and he launched - good one.

ColdBuster Jamba, throat freeze, home to paint stuff, the end.

2008 WNR 18

HOT.

JB and I started off kind of fast. Didn't see any Diablo Cyclists there. We passed a couple guys and I was pushing it hard until the bottom of the Bump. Then he caught and passed me.

Started to get a stomach ache so turned down the volume a little after that and JB probably beat me by 6 or 7 minutes.

Cell Phone Photo, forgot the Olympus tonight.

Then at the Junction - there was Moss! He just bought a really nice new road bike and apparently is enthusiastic about riding again (it's been at least 10 years since he was a regular) ... we'll see if the commitment continues but it was good to see him again.

Bugs were bad at Junction so I turned around.

NOTICE: South Gate Road will continue to be closed on weekdays until Sept 19.

Gate - Junction - Juniper - Hole

Valve in my innertube failed on morning pump up so I called Rick to say I'd be late. He and JB did a couple miles warm up and then came back to the Gate to meet me.

Rick is training for the Challenge so JB and I were soon dumpage.

At Junction we all decided to go up but Rick was doing Summit and JB and I turned around at Juniper.

Team Chevron was there again. Lots of riders scattered all over the Mountain.


At the Gate, JB had gone through and then there was a near collision between riders on SGR right behind me.




Home early today and that's all.

Gate - Junction - Juniper - Muir - Gate

Not sure why Rick didn't show up today. JB and I both got to the Gate about the same time and launched a relaxed one.
He remarked that it was casual day on the Mountain... lots of riders on hybrids and MTBs with hardly any lycra.

At the Junction we saw a guy walking up from the Easy Side - turned out he had broken a spoke on his Race Lites and was afraid to ride on the wheel. I'm sure he was being overly cautious but some people get really finicky when their skull's on the line. He called his wife for a ride home.

So then we went up to Juniper and it was getting warmer. JB's tire was getting soft so he pumped it up some and went down. I went up to Muir to sit on my favorite picnic table for a while.

Dudley Driveby: at Toyon. Gym shorts, windbreaker, and jacket.