Up NGR, Down SGR - 33 miles



Set off this morning after watching the Tour de France prologue stage. Met Rick and JB at the Gate and started up. Saw a solo woman riding up on a red Klein road bike but I didn’t recognize the model - it had very different graphics; kind of small letters with a circle around them. Someday I should compile a history of Klein road bikes for reference.

At the Bump things shook up a little bit and Rick dropped back. JB and I had some friendly challenges and I thought I was making him hurt a little bit but when we got about a half mile from the Junction (2,000 foot elevation sign) he sensed I was fading and finished me off. Still having some problems with my coughing fits. Junction time: 44m.

Word at the Ranger Station was that there would be no closures of Summit Road for at least another two weeks. Lots of people there talking about the time trial next week so I'm glad they're getting a good turnout for that. I'd like to do it but I'm just not putting in good times recently - probably next year.

Rick had to go back home so JB and I went down to the Hole and then back to Walnut Creek through the golf course. No squeaking yet on those new cleats.

Diablo Junction from Work - 33 miles

Warm and humid this afternoon. Not nearly as hot as last week but the weather definitely slowed us down. JB and I rode out together, met Jeff at the Church and were happy to find Mark P at the Gate. Mark says he's ready for the Death Ride and he does look fit. Just past the Gate, near the welcome sign was a snake in the gravel shoulder. Looked like it had been injured by a car and could only move the head-half of his body while the other half wouldn't cooperate. There was a ground squirrel there that looked like he wanted to eat the snake but not while we were watching.




I didn't think squirrels would eat snakes but Mark said they sure would. It was a nice little nature break.

Jeff used this opportunity to get a head start on all of us - I guess he doesn't like snakes. Mark talked to JB and me for quite a while about his preparation for the Death Ride (ride lots, go to the gym, don't worry about altitude). JB dropped us at the Bump where I started to have coughing problems - I haven't been able to shake this congested cough thing that's left over from a cold I got almost a month ago! So at the steep bits I had trouble keeping up but after we got past the Ranches I caught up with Mark and Jeff. I noticed that they took down the sign for Turtle Creek Ranch - the wooden structure is still there over the driveway but the sign is gone.

At Chainbuster I left Jeff and Mark behind so I must have been feeling better. Mark said his new Polar HRM/cyclocomputer was messed up and then we realized he had it set on kilometers instead of miles so Jeff fixed it since he has the same model.

Product Review: Look Compatible VP-ARC1 Cleats After Saturday's ride I put on some new cleats that I got at Encina. I hadn't heard of VP before but I figured I'd give them a try. They came with good hardware and seem to be well-made. They didn't have the bi-material type for reduced squeaking but I didn't get any noise on today's ride. I'd guess these guys make a lot of store branded stuff for relabeling; they have a lot of different pedals that all look like clones, and they have headsets and bottom brackets too. Their website doesn't really say where they're located but they have distributors all over the world.

Diablo Junction – 23 miles

Another Saturday morning. JB told me it would be a short one since he had a wedding to go to. I’d stopped looking for Rick’s car at the Church so it was a surprise to see him at the Gate. He just bought a new house and has been too busy to ride for quite a while.

So all three of us started up together and it started getting hot pretty early. I did some slow cadence big gear stuff as usual but kept it pretty conversational until the top of the Bump.

Wildlife Encounter: Small tarantula, small coyote, snake roadkill, mouse roadkill. Very early for tarantulas… could be global warming has them confused. The coyote looked like it was barely old enough to be on his own.

After Clavicle Cracker we kind of separated with JB in front and me in the middle. When I came past the Ranger House I saw a guy helping a woman rider with her flat tire and then I realized that it was my neighbor Jim again. He remembered me and said ‘hi’.

There was a little talk about doing the Napa Century – flyers arrived in the mail this week. And there was more talk about what we’ll do when NGR is shut down for repairs. There were no conclusions about anything and then we all went down.



Lots and lots of people coming up and we had to pass quite a few people going down also. I saw the same recumbent go down and come back up so he may have been training for the Death Ride. Rick followed me all the way down past the Bump but then said he wanted to give me a lead out for the Dips so I let him in front. There was a bit of a tailwind and I had to brake a little to keep my position behind him. I launched my sprint with a little bit of downhill before the first Dip so I could get some acceleration and really powered up the first one – then I shifted down a few for the second Dip and faded a little before the top. Then a guy in a Discovery jersey flew past me before the crest! I had no idea he was back there. Rick said Discovery guy missed my initial jump but got on my wheel on the first climb and had a huge smile when he went by. I might not have been able to beat Discovery guy up the second Dip but if I had known he was there I could have at least tried!

Road Closure Information.

The Mount Diablo Interpretive Association has a current story on road closures during the repaving. As of today, here’s what it says:

Mount Diablo State Park will begin major road repairs beginning June 19, 2006. Work is expected to take place over the next six months. This $2.4 million project will take place along the 4.5 mile-long Summit Road. Crews also will do some repairs on North Gate Road the park’s entrance from Walnut Creek.

Mt. Diablo State Park will stay open during the work. However, large sections of the park and its 3,849-foot summit will be inaccessible via car or bicycle on many weekdays during the repair and paving project. Work could spill over into weekends if the road beds need a lot of repairs resulting in selectively closing roads during some weekends as well.

The South Gate Road entrance from Danville will stay open during construction. Dirt hiking trails in the park will not be affected by the work. This website will be updated on a regular basis as road conditions change. You may also call Mount Diablo State Park at (925) 837-2525 (recorded information).

Diablo Junction from Work – 33 miles.

Freakin’ hot… 104°F in Walnut Creek at 5 o’clock, a little less on the Mountain. I gave Amanda two extra water bottles and some advice about riding in the heat, and she left a little early for a head start.

JB and I rode out together. Didn’t see anyone at the Church – the DCers must have decided not to move their start time back the way they do most years. So we got to the Gate and I told JB I was planning on just twiddling up very easy. He said he was going to sweat a little so we split up early. One older really fit looking guy passed us up early on but about a mile later I saw him coming back down.

At a switchback above Moss Landing I saw Amanda’s bike on the shoulder, but no Amanda. I called out to see if she was OK and she was behind the bushes for a natural. Didn’t see her for the rest of the ride so she didn’t make it to the Junction.

Another disadvantage to riding slowly is that the bugs have an easier target; not that many of them but they were harder to get rid of. My heart rate was high even though I didn’t feel like I was working that hard so I took that to mean my “easy ride” strategy was a good one… my blood must have been like syrup even though I was drinking a lot. Also, I need some new cleats; my current ones squeak like heck and are hard to unclip so I found that very annoying.

Only one other guy passed me and he looked like a racer. JB was about three minutes ahead by the time I got to the Ranches. Almost caught one slower Diablo Cyclist before the Junction but not quite. Elapsed time: 52m45s and I still felt drained. Lots of bikie talk about the upcoming USCF time trial on the 8th, and also about road closures due to resurfacing... not really sure how all that's going to go.

Drank another bottle of water and went back down. I still feel a little queasy so I'm glad I took it easy. Cool shower felt great though.

Bump d’Bump - 34 miles

Looked to be the hottest Saturday morning of the year so far – sleeveless jersey and frozen bottle weather. I saw Mark A. getting his bike ready when I rode by his house, then he caught up with me at the light on Ygnacio; said he was beating the heat and wanted to do some trail riding before the USA v Italia World Cup game. I stopped at the Gate and he went on. I decided today I would not go for a sub 21 big gear ride but would only use lower gears when it would help me go faster and when I needed to to hold JB’s wheel.

JB showed up right on time and two guys who looked about our speed started up just in front of us. We let them go and stayed a ways behind them for a long time. We were pretty close behind them when two other guys (Pegasus team) passed all four of us fast and easy – not even breathing hard.

JB told me that he usually makes a smoothie for breakfast and puts some in his bike bottle. Today though, he was out of strawberries so he made a smoothie out of broccoli and walnuts (!) He admitted it didn’t have the restorative qualities of his usual concoction.

At the Bump, one of the first two guys attacked his buddy and got a big gap – JB and I stayed behind the slower guy. Now it was two Pegasus guys, single guy, another guy, and me and JB. Then we got to Son of Chainbuster and JB tried to launch one around the single guy and I accelerated around the outside and kept it up. So now I was in front of JB and stayed there the rest of the way to Junction (42m26s) with him finishing about a minute back.

Yes, nice and warm at the Junction. We decided to go down South Gate Road and back up. It really felt good and cool to descend through the shade of those big trees. We also saw Mark A on his way up the road so I don’t know what trails he rode to get way over there.

We turned around at the Tire Poppers but JB forgot to downshift beforehand so he struggled for a minute to get in a groove. I opined that most of the people who don’t ride Diablo regularly and the riders who come from farther away, prefer riding on the south side because it’s a little easier and has more varied scenery and for that reason the average speed of riders on this side is a little slower than on the north. There are certainly plenty of fast riders here, and there are usually more riders here, and there are more slow riders here than on the other side so you wind up passing more people than you do on NGR… and that’s always fun.

Then a really fast guy passed us, and then a triathlete guy passed us and I tried to stay with him. Suddenly JB appeared to bonk but I kept going with triathlete guy, passing him at the SGR ranger kiosk. I felt pretty good and kept on pounding but the triathlete guy passed me back. So my SGR time from the Tire Poppers was just under 37minutes and JB was way back. I think he’ll be buying some more strawberries this week.

Diablo Junction - 31 miles

JB and I rode from work and met Randall at the Gate. After a mile or so we left him behind and continued on our own. I was doing another Sub 21 and that was a good excuse to let JB get ahead of me.

It was supposed to be really hot so I had both my bottles frozen but it was cool and even drizzly so I hardly got to drink anything all the way up (still frozen). It's getting easier to do these big gear rides, but I'm not getting any faster!

There's going to be a USCF time trial up North Gate next month - check it out!
ClickHere

Diablo Junction - 23 miles

Today had to be a quick one because I had a family event in the early afternoon. As I went past the Church, I saw a couple guys nearly ready to get going but I didn't recognize them. JB wasn't at the Gate yet so I waited until 8:01 and put a rock on the post. Just then the two Church guys rode up and I contemplated starting behind them but figured it would be a good challenge to go first and not let them catch me. I also decided to do a "Sub 21" ride again today; meaning I wouldn't use any cassette cogs bigger than my 21 so it would be a big gear workout.

It was windy through the Dips and up past the Dumpster Gate - a headwind the whole way. I half expected JB to catch me and I kept looking back but I didn’t see him and I didn't see the Church guys. The wind got even stronger in the winding section below the Bump. Then I saw my first rabbit so I concentrated on chasing him while not forgetting about climbing the Bump in a 21. Caught the guy just below the Upper Washout and saw he had a white Klein so I said "hi" and he said "nice bike" and that was the whole convo.

Now up near the Ranches I look back and see three guys chasing me. Then I figured out it was a group of two and a solo rider who just happened to be together when I saw them. Then I started to wonder if the two were the Church guys. They came past me pretty quick and it looked like them but couldn't be sure - they were both tall guys with sinewy legs. Then the single guy passed me too and he had a triathlete kind of bike with a triple and he was twiddling about 110rpm in a really small gear - quite a contrast with my big gear mashing. Coming around one hairpin (into the wind) I looked up at the grass and saw that I was going to have a tailwind after the switchback - but as soon as I came around the corner the grass changed directions!

Up above Chainbuster was more headwind but no JB so at least I didn't let him catch me. Junction time 45m51s so that was a slow one. JB showed up after and then went up to the Summit in search of sun.

On the way back home the oddest thing happened. There was a garage sale on Walnut which is usually a pretty nice street to ride on but now there were a lot of parked cars. I was on guard for dumbass drivers and sure enough a minivan pulled out of its parallel parking spot right in front of me. It wasn't close enough to make me skid but they clearly weren't looking and didn't signal or anything. So I pulled up next to the passenger's window and pointed at my eye saying "Watch what you're doing". Inside was a very elderly couple (mid 80s at least) and a little rat-dog. The woman was driving and the man was in the passenger seat. They couldn't hear me but I made it clear that we had just had a close call due to her inattentiveness. Then they got ahead of me but we met up again at the stoplight on Walnut and Ygnacio - I was going straight and they were in the front of the left turn lane and there were now lots of cars waiting for the green. I looked over hoping to see some sign of remorse or contrition but instead I saw the old lady driver giving me the finger! I stared for a moment in disbelief, wondering if I was really seeing this and then the old guy flipped a crooked middle finger at me too! Now this was funny but maddening at the same time and all the other people in their cars were watching so I give the guy my Italian fist-in-the-elbow gesture a couple times and then the light changed and it was all over.

Diablo Juniper - 21 miles

Today was the first day I drove my car to work since before May. I had my bike on the roof and drove out to the Church right after work. I saw all the DCers leaving just as I got there. I rolled up to the Gate and waited until 5:30 before I started up. JB and Adam and Jeff would have to chase me.

Warm day but not too hot. I decided for fun I'd do the whole ride without shifting lower than my 21t. It was actually pretty easy after a while - I stood up more but kept my cadence in check. Didn't have any trouble going up the Bump, where I passed two DC stragglers. I was breathing hard but controlled.

Wildlife Encounter: A coyote on the shoulder right next to me. I talked to him and he trotted right past me in the other direction with lots of eye contact. They really are a lot smaller close up than they appear to be at a distance… or maybe this one was still a pup. Anyway it was a neat experience.

Up past the Upper Washout I passed a guy with a jersey that had the Spanish Flag on it, and I shouted out "¡Qué viva España! and he smiled at me and said "Viva España" but he didn't say it with as much enthusiasm.

Still in my 21 I plugged along but it was fun. Junction time was 43 minutes so it didn't slow me down too much.

Another big crowd up there. I talked to Jay K about the Sierra Century where a cyclist died from a stupid maneuver in front of a logging truck. Jay found some orange tires for his bike so that pretty much completes the package except maybe his spokes.

The rest of my little group showed up after a while. Jeff and JB went back down North, Adam went home via South, and I went up to Juniper - IN MY 21.

The Blue Oak stretch was quite a grunt in the big gear but the rest of it was fine. It was a little windier toward the top and there were a lot of riders descending from the Summit. The shadows up here get long and dark and can obscure the pot holes so you have to watch out for that. A guy on a touring motorcycle passed me at one point and I thought how nice it was that he had a Honda or something with a quiet engine and good mufflers and not one of those obnoxious Harley noisemakers.

Just a few minutes at the Diablo Valley Overlook (that's what the sign at the Juniper Parking Lot says) to enjoy the view and then it was back down. I'm not a screaming descender but I timed myself and it was about 21 minutes from Juniper back to the Gate.

Diablo Summit – 33 miles

I thought I was getting an early start this morning. Everything was all ready and I pumped up my front tire, then went to pump the rear – gave the valve a little burp before I put on the chuck and the tube ripped right at the valve. It was one of those things you just understand – no need to investigate what happened, the tube was ripped. So I pulled down one of the patched tubes that hangs from my ceiling in the garage and got to work. Got some tree poop in the chain, got chain grease on my hands, got a new tube in my tire and got it all back together again. No time to wash my hands – I can just make it to the Gate if I sprint the whole way.

8:02 and JB was already there. The sun was out and it was clear and warm. JB thought it might have been his first ride of the year with no tights. After about a mile we passed a guy and I said “hi” and then realized that I knew him from somewhere… not sure if I knew him well enough to stop until I figured out he was my neighbor Jim. So we slowed just a bit and Jim rode with us.

I had spoken with Jim a few times in the neighborhood. One time a few years ago I saw him with a bike and he told me he was just getting back into riding after a long hiatus. I hadn’t seen him ride much after that though, so I figured he never got that serious. Jim had a different bike now – a Specialized Tarmac. He asked us if we ever rode with the Diablo Cyclists and we said not really but we see them all the time and know most of them. He knew Mark and Amy and Sarkis so that was a nice connection. Then Jim said he was just starting to ride after an injury. He was descending North Gate Road about a month ago when a car coming uphill passed some riders around a blind turn and Jim got hit hard – a shoulder separation and totaled his new $4000 Trek. He had an interesting story about how the other riders viewed the accident compared to what the automobile passengers said. There was a report but nobody got a ticket and Jim had hired a lawyer because he had medical bills, lost wages, and a ruined bike. As he was telling the story we knew pretty quickly that he was talking about Clavicle Cracker so then JB told his story about how he gave the corner its name. Anyone who doesn’t know where Clavicle Cracker is should figure it out and be careful there – it’s probably the most dangerous corner on the Mountain; about 2.5 miles below Junction on North Gate Road… as you’re coming down it’s a right hand sharp hairpin, there’s a 15MPH sign with a right turn arrow, and it’s REALLY easy to misjudge it. I always assume there’s a car passing riders coming at me in my lane when I approach it – that attitude has saved my skin a few times. Most of the Rangers now are bike friendly but I don’t think most of them understand how really stupid some of the drivers up there are.

So at the Upper Ranch, Jim excused himself and said he was just warming up for the Diablo Cyclists club ride that left from Countrywood at 9 so he turned around.

After that JB tried a couple accelerations to shake me and the 4th or 5th one worked and he beat me to the line by about 30 seconds.

At the Junction there was the usual camaraderie of people who don’t know each other but all love bike riding. JB asked around for an 8mm Allen because his cranks were creaking, but nobody had one. I also saw a guy with a Klein that had Rolf wheels. I like to write about the other people I see thinking maybe some day some of them will recognize themselves.

JB went down but I decided to summit. It was a little more breezy up there but still very very nice. Some friends of mine were camping on the Mountain somewhere so I took a cruise through Juniper campground looking for them, but they must have been somewhere else.

At the Summit I rode to the far end of the Lower Parking Lot and found some really great perspectives to take photos from – so I’ll have to bring the digicam next time.

Diablo Summit plus Hole in the Fence – 31 miles

Just me and JB again. There was a period of a couple years when he and I were the only ones who met at “Eight at the Gate”. The group got big, then small, then big again, and now it’s back to just us most of the time. Anyway it was great weather, a little cooler than it has been… tights and windbreaker cool. I felt pretty good again too. I sprayed some silicon lube on my cleats this morning (Look red and white ones that aren’t supposed to squeak but have been recently), and it worked for a while but then they started to squeak again even though they still felt slippery… they must be worn out. I have some new black ones that I could put on – used to use black ones all the time but got hooked on the red ones when some came with a new pair of pedals.

A little breezy as we started to climb – very clear though, like after a rain. I did some long stretches out of the saddle just to test the legs and it felt good. I got ahead of JB each time so I started to think about beating him to the line. Finally, after Son of Chainbuster I kept on going and I really pushed it the last mile. Junction time was 42m35s and I saw my HRM go to 182.

After I caught my breath, another rider there introduced himself as John, a blog reader who e-mailed me earlier in the week for some Diablo information. In the e-mail he said he was getting back into riding after a long hiatus and was hoping to break 45 minutes. I asked him how he did today and he said he did 45 minutes! He said he saw a rider coming behind him and figured it was me so he poured it on to stay ahead of me and got a great result. I expect you to be a regular from now on John, see you next week.

There was also a guy who came up South who had a Rivendell with a Speed Blend tire and he was happy to demonstrate it for me. I asked JB what was next and he said “anything but up” so we went down South.

The breeze was a lot stronger on this side of the Mountain and I wasn’t descending very well. Then this tall guy blew right past me and then he blew past JB also, and then he slowed down after he was in front of us… the quintessential dufus move. He wasn’t a bad rider, but he should have stayed in back of us.

Back home on Danville Blvd – JB didn’t want to do any of the sprinter hills.

Diablo Junction – 23 miles

A business trip saw me in Santa Cruz at 8 am this morning. I got back to the office in the early afternoon and then left early to ride the Mountain from home. Robin was supposed to be having her farewell ride today but she postponed it until next week (when I can’t go). Adam felt sick this morning so he didn’t ride in. That left me and JB again, although Randall said he would like to come too; he’s welcome of course, but he’s not a serious rider so I wasn’t sure what would happen with him.

So I approach the Gate and I see all the Diablo Cyclists about two minutes ahead of me. I put a rock on the post and didn’t wait for JB. Beautiful weather, warm and sunny and I felt good. Passed up the OTB pack of DCers after a couple miles but didn’t see anybody else catchable up the road.

Wildlife Encounter: A snake – about a foot long, in the middle of the lane … road kill waiting to happen. Couldn’t tell what kind, I’m sure it was deadly poisonous and mean though.

Up closer to the Bump I saw another rider that I was slowly catching up to. As I got a better view I realized it was my neighbor Amy A and I said “hi” as I passed. Looking up the road though I didn’t see anyone else at all so it was solo the rest of the way up.

Got to the Junction in 42m30s – one of my better times this year, I’m starting to think sub 40 again finally. There was a huge crowd at the Ranger Shack including lots of people that I can sometimes keep up with; I should have started earlier today. Then JB got there (just after the DC crowd went down South) and said he’d waited for Randall but didn’t find him.

We went back down and at the Gate I stopped to talk with a guy I recognized from a ride a long time ago – the guy who needed a tube with a long stem at the Junction. I told him my story – that after I’d given him my tube (which worked in his wheel) I almost didn’t accept his offer to take his tube (short stem) with me for the short ride home but he insisted and then I got a flat on the way back down so I needed it. He shook my hand and introduced himself as Chris. He had called a buddy to come pick him up that day and I saved him a lot of trouble. I always wanted to tell him that story, now he knows.

Then JB and I rode down the rest of the way toward the church and found Randall – he’d gotten his instructions mixed up and had been waiting for JB at the church while JB was waiting for him at the Gate. Randall had ridden part way up by himself after a late start but turned around after a mile and a half. We apologized for the confusion and neither one of us had the heart to tell him his helmet was on backwards.

Diablo Junction plus Hole in the Wall – 33 Miles

Rained overnight but things were pretty much dried up this morning. JB and I met up at the Gate and set off for a leisurely one. Last week Adam said he thought he could do a faster time on a morning ride; this morning JB said he’s never as good in the morning as in the afternoon.

So we discussed financial planning and the weather and just about everything except riding and it was a nice mind clearing ride and we finished in the high 40’s. We hadn’t seen more than three or four riders on the way up and there still weren’t many riders at the Junction. We didn’t know if the overnight rains kept people away or maybe last Saturday’s weather was so good that everyone came out on the same day. JB also asked the ranger about repaving and he said that the bid went out and they did get some bids and he thought the schedule said to start in June. Summit Road is getting pretty cracked up so if that’s all they do I’ll be pretty satisfied. The lower part of South Gate Road – down below the tire poppers, is really bad but that’s a political issue since it’s privately owned… not sure what the deal is there.

I told JB that Rivendell was having a garage sale today and they advertised all kinds of bike parts new and used, so we decided that would be a good thing to do but they didn’t open until 10 o’clock so we went down South Gate and through the Hole in the Fence. There were many more riders coming up now, and this side of the Mountain was a lot more foggy. I never know quite where I am in those Alamo neighborhoods so I always let JB lead the way.

We got to Rivendell’s shop about 5 minutes before the official opening and they had a boss guy there who wouldn’t even let people look at the merchandise until ten so we checked out their show room which is actually pretty cool – way better than they’ve had before. At ten o’clock they let people start rummaging through the boxes and it was really a bit of a hectic scene with all the Rivendell groupies there. They had dozens of tires for $5 each so I picked up one Speedblend Pasela and JB bought two regular Paselas (but he had to borrow the money from me). They had boxes of derailleurs, handlebars, shifters, brakes, and all the assorted bits you might find in somebody’s garage except a lot more of them. Wheels were $20 each and they were a popular item. Neat idea on Grant’s part.

Diablo Junction plus SGR

Lots of us from work today. Since tomorrow is bike to work day, a few people planned on riding home tonight and back in tomorrow, leaving their cars at the office. So Amanda, Robin, Jeff, JB, Adam, and I all rode the Mountain today. There were lots of other riders there too - dotted all along North Gate Road. Jeff said that Mark P was coming but we didn't see him at the Gate.

Just as we crossed the start line, Adam started sprinting and said "I'm going for 30 minutes!" and then he disappeared (he was sub 31). JB was feeling strong so he pulled as the rest of us sat on for the flat bits. He was strong though and pretty soon it was just me on his wheel. Robin was also strong because she did the 100 mile option on the Tour de Cure with some fast friends. By the time I got to the bottom of the Bump, JB was past the top of the Bump, and I hardly caught a glimpse of him after that.

It was pretty hot and my jersey was all the way unzipped and my frozen Cytomax was melted. I was pushing pretty hard but didn't seem to be going very fast… probably my tire pressure wasn't at absolute perfection - HA! Actually I was afraid Robin might pass me up - but then I realized the person that was catching me was someone else.

Then I caught up to Mark P riding with his friend Todd who appeared rider but not a strong climber (he later turned around and didn't make it to the Junction). Mark's going to Mexico with his family at the end of the month for a vacation.

So just under 45 minutes to the Junction where there was the biggest crowd I've seen in a long time. A lot of Diablo Cyclists and a lot of people I've never seen before. Probably 30 cyclists just out for a nice afternoon ride.

Robin asked me if I was going to go up any higher and I said I was thinking about going down South Gate and she asked to come along. Descending felt weird - maybe it was a funky wind or something but I wasn't cornering very well and didn't feel very fast on the straight bits either. Then after we went through the HOLE IN THE FENCE, I followed a pickup down the wrong road and we wound up on the busy section of Diablo Road that I was trying to avoid.

On the trip back up Danville Blvd Robin told me about riding here with the members of her triathlete team who sometimes train in this area. Then we were back at the office and the ride was over.

Diablo Summit – 31 miles

Karl from Seattle e-mailed me last week saying he was coming to town and wanted to ride. I offered him my foul weather bike and he was very grateful. Karl also came down in August of 2003 and did an after work Junction ride with us on my Eddy Merckx – it’s blogged in the archive.

He pulled up to my house in his rental car and I knew I was in trouble – he looked lean and strong. I gave him a water bottle, we got the seat adjusted, and headed out.

At the Gate Karl did another little adjustment and then JB showed up. We all rode together for a while but Karl was feeling his oats and riding pretty fast. I stayed with him but JB dropped back. By the top of the Bump Karl had a big gap on me and I was losing time. I stayed within eyeshot of him the rest of the way up but he still beat me by almost a minute. I also knew he’d want to do the Summit since he obviously enjoyed making us hurt so much. JB said he wanted to do Southgate but consented to do Juniper at least.

There were a lot of riders on the Mountain today – not like in the Death Ride training period, but more than I would have expected for a mid May morning. It was already warm and the bugs were getting pretty bad – biting bugs that really pissed me off.

The ride to Juniper was a little slower but it was still the same order – Karl, me, then JB. Since I was saving something for the Summit I let JB pass me near the top of the Blue Oak Speedway. So we hung around the Juniper parking spot for a while and Karl talked about how nice it is to ride with hardly any traffic and I knew he was right. It’s nice to be reminded of how special this mountain is for me and the other people who ride it.

Then JB went down and Karl and I went up. I had entertained private thoughts about stopping at the lower parking lot (skipping the Summit Wall). Would I be cheating myself? Would I feel like a wuss? But as I went around Devil’s Elbow I felt fine and knew it wouldn’t be a problem. Karl waited for me at the bottom of the Wall and I told him to start first. I thought I left a big enough gap behind some other people who started just before us but I had to pass them near the top – not a problem, I just prefer to have the whole width of the lane available for weaving if I need it.

The bugs were bad at the Summit too so we didn’t stay long. I didn’t want to challenge Karl to any descending contests since he was riding MY BIKE, so we took it easy all the way down and then he bought me a Jamba Juice and we talked for a while.

Diablo Junction from Work

Brad told me he wanted to come today so I told him I’d meet him at the bike rack at 5:10 or so, but when I got there his bike was already gone so I assumed he left without me.

Adam said he was going to be late so JB and I left the parking lot just as Mark A was riding by on his way out, so we rode with him to the Gate. Interesting how people have slightly different ways of getting out there; Mark almost took a couple turns different from us but stayed on our route today. Adam caught up with us on Walnut and he and Mark did some verbal posturing about how they weren’t going for a fast time today… that was humorous.

It was a pretty hot day and I had ice in both bottles. JB packed his arm warmers just in case… he’s a lot more sensitive to cold than I am I guess.

Wildlife Encounter: Little brown lizards all over the road, all the way up; never seen so many of them.

JB and I were still together nearing Clavicle Cracker and then we came up to a small group riding together. He accelerated and passed them quickly: I accelerated and passed them not so quickly. I kept him in my sites all the way to Junction but he beat me there by almost a minute.

At the Junction Brad finally rode in and gave me hell for not waiting for him. Turns out he brought his bike into his office to change clothes and that’s why I didn’t see him or the bike.

We don’t get as much post ride socialization as we used to. Adam went down South, JB went home, Brad went for a High Tech Burrito, and I went back to the office to pick up my civvies.

2006 Tour de Cure – Napa Valley, 26 miles with CJ

Thanks to all of you for supporting CJ and me and the American Diabetes Association in this fundraiser.

Sunday morning I got the bikes loaded onto the old Infiniti by 6 o’clock. Claudia and I had some oatmeal, got dressed, and packed our stuff that we laid out the night before. We were on the road at 6:30 for an 8 o’clock check in. Traffic was lighter than expected and we arrived at the Yountville Veteran’s Home about 7:30 which gave us lots of time to eat the free bagels and drink the coffee and juice. We got checked in and received our event T-shirts and met up with some of the other people on Team Brown and Caldwell – most of whom I didn’t know. Some were from other offices and others were from companies that we partner with like Verizon Business Systems. Our ride was supposed to start at 8:30 but they delayed us until 9:30 because the rest stop wasn’t ready so we wound up spending a lot of time in the start area and enjoying the atmosphere and refreshments.



I really wanted Claudia to have a positive experience on her first organized ride so I had talked her through all the things that would happen ahead of time. I told her we could stop and rest if she got tired or sore, that this wasn’t a race (even though we were the fastest), I explained what charities do with the money we raise, and I also tried to explain how diabetes affects people, and that we’re helping them and having fun at the same time.

She really liked identifying herself as part of a team that all had the same jerseys. There was one couple on a regular tandem (Wendy from our Sacramento office and her husband Richard) and our team captain Jeff was on another tandem with his son Ian. Everyone else was on single bikes and there was quite a range of cycling skills and experience in the group. There were also some trailer cycle riders that weren’t on our team but they must have been doing the 10 mile ride because we didn’t see them again after the start. It was pretty chilly but Claudia said she wouldn’t need her jacket and it was supposed to warm up quickly so we left it in the car.








All of us assembled at the start line and got a little pep talk and safety lecture and then our journey was begun! Here's the route sheet.

The first few miles were through residential areas and farm land. We saw some wild turkeys in a vineyard just outside of town including one big tom strutting around like he was really something special. We also saw some cows with the biggest horns I’ve seen outside of Texas. When we got to Highway 29 we stopped to regroup and Richard hopped off the back of his tandem, opened up his saddle bag, pulled out a glucose monitoring kit and tested his blood sugar right there! I didn’t know he had diabetes until just then and I explained to Claudia what he was doing. He was doing just fine and didn’t require any medications so we all turned north together.

Now we were on a wide shoulder with the wind at our backs but there was more traffic so we didn’t bother passing too many people. We just rode at a comfortable pace and enjoyed the company and the views of the beautiful Napa Valley.

At Rutherford we made a right turn to go east across the valley floor and here there was no traffic at all. CJ said she felt great so we decided to burn a few matches and we raced Jeff and Ian to the other side. Everyone we passed cheered us on and it was a lot of fun.

Next we turned south on the Silverado Trail but Jeff got a flat tire and didn’t have a pump so we stopped to help him. It was only another couple miles to the rest stop so he just got enough air in there to make it that far and we didn’t have to wait too long. It was a good chance for the rest of our team to catch up to us though. Both tandems, us with our Halfwheeler, and another half dozen BC members pulled into the rest stop at the same time.

The rest stop was staffed with great volunteers and they had lots of good drinks and snacks. It was definitely getting warm now so sitting in the shade really felt good. I realized here that a lot of these folks don’t really ride too much because after only 12 miles some of them were really in pain! People were groaning and asking for ibuprofen and complaining about how far they still had to go. It was sort of funny but it was also nice to see people who were challenging themselves physically for a cause they believed in.

One thing the organizers could have done better – more porta potties… the line was about 30 people long. Seems to be a common shortfall on events like this.

Jeff got his tires checked and topped up by the mechanic volunteers and then we all started off again. Claudia was still doing terrific but I kept the pace comfortable until I was sure she could handle some more speed. We had some rolling hills here going south until we got to Oak Knoll Avenue where we turned west and headed back to the other side of the valley. Now there was only about 8 miles to go and I knew she was having fun so I asked her if she was ready for some “megapower” and she responded in the affirmative so we poured on the velocity and passed riders by the dozens. There were a lot more riders on the 25 mile ride than on the longer rides so it was pretty much a steady stream of cyclists the entire route. We gave them all a friendly greeting with my bike bell and Claudia’s parrot horn – most of them didn’t seem to mind our passing them at all and most shouted out cheers for us. There was one group though that all had matching jerseys with no identifiable team affiliation that I called “Team Roadhog” – they were all over the road, not paying attention, and not getting out of our way! We got away from them as quickly as we could.

Then we saw the signs for the event photographer – I told CJ what was up ahead and we practiced our waves so we would have the perfect photo. We practiced three times and then she said “I got it Daddy”. When we got to the site though – there were FOUR cameras so we weren’t sure which one to look at. They wound up taking five photos of us and we’re not looking the same direction in any of them.





So now with about 4 miles to go we were back to our relaxed pace and were approaching Highway 29 where there was a stoplight. I noticed the group of cyclists accumulated at the intersection was pretty big so I figured the light was about to turn green and I skillfully maneuvered our long rig up to the front and timed it perfectly. We passed about 25 riders in one quick jump and were all alone out in front on the frontage road headed north back to Yountville. CJ said she had lots of energy left so we hammered all the way back to the Veteran’s Home and up the long hill to the finish line where we got a big hero’s welcome.


They had a bouncy house for kids set up there and Claudia played in that for about 20 minutes before we decided to go through the lunch line. The volunteers here were really well organized so even though the line was long it went very quickly. They had Portobello mushroom sandwiches for us and some noodles and cole slaw too so it was a very nice après ride meal. There were about ten Team BC people at the same picnic table so we swapped stories and congratulated each other while we ate.

I was so proud of how well Claudia did, and I was so happy that she really enjoyed it. Her arthritic knee didn’t give her any problems at all and she probably could have done another 15 miles… the best possible way to finish an epic ride.

Now when I say that I raised over a thousand dollars for the American Diabetes Association, what I really mean is that all of you donated your money on our behalf and I really can’t tell you how honored I am that you do this. We had a lot of fun on this ride but I never forget why we’re doing it or who makes it possible.

Warm regards,
Scott and Claudia.


OK, here’s the best part. On the way home it got kind of hot in the car and Claudia said she would like a Slurpee. So I suggested riding bikes to the Slurpee store after we got home and she said “YEAH!”

Diablo Junction from Work – 31 Miles

Amanda and Edgardo joined Adam, JB, and me today. Amanda (Blitz) got an early start and Adam got a late start but Ed, JB, and I left the Gate at 5:40. Ed didn’t keep up for long though so it was mostly me and JB. No sign of any of the Diablo Cyclists, they must be leaving pretty early still.

Wildlife Encounter: Between the top of the Bump and the Upper Washout there was a small rattlesnake coiled up in the uphill lane. He didn't move or anything and I joked that he would be waiting for JB on the way down.

This isn't him, I just decided to add more photos to my blog - that is until someone starts screaming copywrite infringement or fair use yada yada.

There was a strong breeze pretty much the whole way up. JB and I passed a few other riders but stayed together until past Clavicle Cracker. That’s when he saw Adam coming up from behind and decided to have a go. I almost hung on to him but he was a little faster today and when Adam passed me JB was about 100m ahead. Then when Adam caught JB they rode together for a while pretty fast.

So 44 minutes to the Junction and Blitz was already there too – she said her head start was almost 30 minutes and she got there at the same time as Adam. There was a motorcycle guy there who paid his day use fee at the Junction station and told the ranger he wished he was fit enough to ride a bicycle up here… I don’t think I’ve ever heard a motorcyclist envy a bicyclist before (at least out loud).

Jay K was there also and we talked a little about his successful Devil Mountain Double ride. I just discovered that his profile (or rather his bike’s profile) is on the Litespeed website: He also has some good ride reviews and stories on his quirky website – and some of them include me! (No DMD review yet)

After the ride we regrouped at Ed’s car. Everyone but me was going out for carbos and suds but while we were talking I saw Jay and his riding buddy coming down and right in front of them a minivan pulled out of a driveway and cut them off. I gave the driver an Italian fist-in-the-elbow salutation and then went on my way.

Last chance to sponsor me in the Tour de Cure.

Diablo Juniper – 31 Miles

Today was the Devil Mountain Double so I saw many small groups of ultra marathon cyclists coming down as I heade up toward the Gate. This is one of the toughest double centuries around and those riders have my highest respect. Didn’t see anyone I knew though.

JB and I left the Gate and started up in the breezy cool air. He admitted to having too many beers last night at a farewell party so I accepted his silent offer to make him suffer. The groups of riders got fewer and farther between as we rode up and we didn’t see any DMDers above the Ranches so we figured we’d seen the last riders. The last riders left the San Ramon Marriot at 6am and it’s about half an hour’s ride to South Gate from there so figuring 60 – 90 minutes to the Summit and another half hour back down the last riders would be finishing before 8:30 and that was about right.

So between the Gate and the Bump it was cool with a strong breeze but clear. Then above the Bump it got really foggy and cold, but still – it became one of those rides where you didn’t really know where you were on the Mountain because the visibility was too low. There’s lots of running water and wild flowers up there though and JB also noticed a strong smell of some plant that has the odor of redwood trees (but I can’t remember the name of it).

We were going at a pretty relaxed pace; over 25 minutes at the Upper Washout, and my heartrate was generally way below 80% but JB was struggling and I think he wished I would just drop him but I kept slowing down when I found myself too far ahead. Finally after Chainbuster I did a little time trial to finish in 48 minutes.

It was cool and foggy at the Junction too but some guys coming down from Summit Road (including one guy who worked the Summit DMD rest stop) said that it was warm and beautiful up there another 600 feet higher so I told JB we had to at least go to Juniper and we went up. Sure enough, somewhere below the Blue Oak Speedway we popped out of the clouds and were suddenly warm and the road was dry.

At Juniper we stared out over the clouds for a while and then turned back around. It was a cold, damp descent and I stopped at Junction for a while to warm up my fingers and talked to a guy in a wool jersey with a Rivendell about what it was like at the higher elevations.

Nice ride – sure beats yard work.

Last chance to sponsor me in the Tour de Cure

Product Review: Expresso Fitness Spark

My health club just got a group of these new exersize bikes and usually they’re in use but I had a chance to ride one tonight. They have some very good features and some really bad flaws.

http://www.expressofitness.com

These machines have some really great video game type graphics that allow you to ride different courses while you exersize. The handlebars steer to keep you on the road, the hills make it more difficult to pedal, there are riding companions (or not) and a pacer with a constant power output, and displays for wattage, hill grade, elapsed time, heart rate, etc. Here’s a screen shot:



I can’t stress enough how cool the graphics are – several times during my workout I felt like I needed to shift my weight back so I wouldn’t go over the bars on a steep descent! There are 20 different course to ride with varying scenery and levels of intensity. They also have television if you’d rather watch that, and pre-programmed music channels so you can plug in your headphones and race your pacer at the same time. Really outstanding work on the audio visual side of things. Also, you can race against people on the machines next to you if you do the same course.

Other nice features are the two sided pedals so you can use your SPD shoes. and there is a shift lever that allows you to change through 30 sequential gears for more speed or torque.

The mechanical interface is not nearly so well designed though. The saddle adjusts up and down and front and rear but no tilt. The handlebars don’t adjust at all and they are a funky shape like you’d see on a garage sale exercycle from the 80’s. The saddle itself seemed OK but I couldn’t get it into a position that kept my butt from falling asleep. The result was a very upright riding position which puts too much weight on your ass, limits your pedaling speed, and keeps your arms tucked in too close to your body; really really awkward… almost like a dog paddle position... you can see in that top photo how high the bars are.

And one ridiculous error - the gradients on the hills are ... well, ridiculous; I rode up one that was listed as 41% !!! That probably means nothing to most people but I've never seen anything that's steeper than 32% and I'd have to walk up anything over about 20% so that just bugs me. A grade of 15% is really really steep, there's no need to exaggerate.

So the Spark gets a 7 on the Diablo Scott rating from 0 to 10. The audio video is just so cool that the time goes by a lot faster than on a spin bike, but the machinery portion needs a major redesign.