2014 SMR 25

Flat Damn It:  on Walnut Avenue, rear tire, I rode out to the traffic circle so JB would see me if he hadn't gotten that far yet.  Fixed it and then cracked the threads on my CO2 inflator... not the ones that thread into the cart, just the ones that thread into the holder so it still works fine.

Roadkill Report:  skunk on the approach to the Gate.

So I get to the Gate at 8:10 and no rock and no JB so I figured today would be a solo ride and I put myself in endurance mode.

Didn't stop at Junction cuz I needed the outhouse at Sunset so I took a little break there and rearranged my flat tire fixing stuff.  Determined that the punctured tube was repairable so I rolled it up better in my pocket.

Then at Muir I hear a pop and feel a little burst of air and I figure my repair failed for some reason, but it wasn't really that loud, and my tire wasn't going flat, so it must've been something else... like I ran over a balloon or something - yeah, I'm pretty sure I would've seen that.  So I pull over and inspect the tire and everything's fine and I conclude maybe the used CO2 cart in my seatbag vented off some pressure somehow.

edit:  yup, sort of.  I guess those plastic threads were more important than I thought.

At the Summit Lower Lot I always stop and make sure I'm ready for the Wall... I have a drink from my bottle and usually some HammerGel and take some deep breaths and get my heart rate down into Zone 1 before I start up.  It's probably overkill but it's routine and I like it.  It also gives me a chance to listen for any cars that are coming up so I don't get in front of one because they can't pass once you get past the split to single lane width road.  But today a big black SUV zoomed in right behind me right at the no passing point and the driver had to watch me plod up the whole way... he didn't seem to mind and I gave him a thank you wave at the top.

These guys had a bunch of microwave antennas; I think they
were trying to communicate with their home planet.

My Contour camera worked much better today - it's been getting kind of quirky the last few rides but did everything right today... even the GPS recording... I should do a video... except I didn't catch anything too interesting.  Did have a close call with a loose dog near the goat yard.

Rawhide from Diablo Scott on Vimeo.

2014 WNR 13

Tarantula Tally:  One crawler near the 2,000 ft rocks.

Kevin wanted to do a PB so I made him suffer and he did... and he enjoyed it.

Seppi's first time up all year... he was dragging a bit.

Tarantula Tally:  one crawler near the 2,000 ft rocks.

Weather Words:  very nice!  Warm with a bit of a breeze.

2014 SMR 24

Weather words:  cool and windy at the bottom, hot and calm at the top.

Smelled like smoke near Blue Oak which is scary - Ranger Carl said there's nothing going on in the Park but smoke from fires farther north is drifting in.

Brown fog over the east bay hills as well.

This guy pulled out in front of me on Walnut Avenue and we rode about the same speed all the way up.  He had a jersey that was the dark green of the official State Park jersey, but it was for something else.

Wildlife Encounter:  nothing special but big swarms of dragonflies and a huge flock of turkey vultures.

2014 WNR 12

Me, Kevin, Charlie, JB, and Zack.  A few other guys from work did an MTB ride up Little Pine Creek

I locked my keys in my truck on Doncaster but I figured I might as well ride since I had all the important stuff.  Decided to ride home afterwards and get a second set of keys.

Wildlife Encounter:  flock of turkeys at the ZigZag

Zack turned the first pedal in anger and I went after him.  Then he faded out and I finished strong... that felt good.

Tarantula Tally:  one crawler at the bottom of The Bump

Kevin bought a heart rate monitor because I told him it would make him faster... we'll see.

Wildlife Encounter: one deer at the old nursery

2014 SMR 22

Wildlife Encounter:  two jackrabbits

Seemed to be a lot of people riding their MTBs up the road today.  Maybe the roadies are all at the Marin Century.

Roadkill Report:  ground squirrel... he looked so peaceful.

JB just returned from Iowa complaining that all he did was drink beer and not exersize.

Weather Words:  hot and windy

Tarantula Tally:  one crawler at the Bump

First tarantula of the season.

I told JB these guys would flare out and a few
minutes later they turned around and went down.

Accidental selfie

New bathroom at Muir -
old  one burned down in the Great Fire of 2013

2014 WNR 11

I was expecting a bit group from work tonight, but everybody had an excuse except me and Kevin.

Punkin Jay suggested I do a flat ride in Sacramento.

It was hot, but not quite DAMN hot.  Still, Kevin was suffering and I stayed with him to offer encouragement.

Passed 'em-Passed me ratio:  0.5 to 5.  Joggers count as one-half.

JB will be back from his family reunion to ride on Saturday.

Funny story:  On Saturday's health club ride I was pulling into the parking lot at the end of 40 miles, and I did that totally pro move of stretching my quad by hooking my foot over the saddle and flexing... very impressive if done properly.  BUT, I swung my leg too far and hooked my foot between the nose of my saddle and the top tube - it was stuck in there and now I was looking at an ignominious slow-speed face plant.  Fortunately I had the wherewithal to keep rolling, swing the rest of the way over, and kind of do a goofy one-footed dismount without tasting pavement.

Sunol and Palomares with Team ClubSport

JB's on vacation so I met up with the health club team for a little variety.

Palomares from Diablo Scott on Vimeo.

2014 WNR 10

Me, Kevin, Charlie, and new guy Mike.

Wildlife Encounter:  turkeys

Absolutely perfect weather.

Kevin tried the Chris Horner Snickerbar nutrition - didn't work, he suffered.

Mike knows he needs a road bike, seemed to enjoy the ride anyway.

At Mile 2, Mike says "this is kind of a relentless climb."
Hasn't even started yet buddy.

Black Jersey Guy followed me for a while to make
sure I had some good photos to post.

2014 SMR 21

Warm today.  Went sleeveless.  Right knee was an issue again, just when standing and only for a few strokes if I kept going, but it would stop if I sat down.  Weird but painful.  Doesn't sound like any of the major knee problem symptoms I've heard people talk about though.

Wildlife Encounter:  dragonflies... not normally blog-worthy, but there were zillions of them.

Poor garbage truck driver had a heck of a time passing cyclists.
Garbage day on Saturday?  Not a good schedule.

Cervelo Guy speeds past at Muir.

This guy was cheer-leading at the top of The Wall.

Rivendell Mark at the ZigZag

2014 WNR 09

Big crowd from work tonight including new guy (and Diablo virgin) Zach, who has yet to establish a nickname but did a fine ride.  

Also along for the ride was Smooth Joey who by riding with us, bit off a lot less than he normally chews.

Really humid tonight... sweat wasn't evaporating.

Mileage marker muncher Nancy shouts out en passant.

Wildlife Encounter:  Turkeys at the Upper Ranch

Joey sets up the photo:

  

I  provide an action shot of my barely discernible sprint.

My knee was kind of complaining tonight... it better stop.  "shut up knee".

Punkin Jay and Jeanne offer some criticism 
on one of my previous blog posts.

2014 SMR 20

Today is the Death Ride... I figured there wouldn't be too many hard-core riders on the Mountain; I was wrong... hundreds of cyclists of all abilities were enjoying the roads and trails of the state park today.  Seemed to be a lot of cars also but there weren't any special activities going on.  One family at the Summit was even dressed up in their go-to-church clothes.

Tuck and Dudley were among the cast today as well.

Diablo Shoutout to blog reader Smooth Joey, 

who contracted a custom bike made to look and ride like a Klein

2014 WNR 08

Had a Cavendish moment on the trainer at the Club Sunday:



Replay
from Diablo Scott on Vimeo.
Me, Charlie, Kevin, and JB tonight.

It was Kevin's first day on clipless pedals... he worried and fussed but did fine.

Local pro Kirk Carlsen of the Jelly Belly team set a new Strava record for North Gate to Junction on Sunday:

 Д Mt. Diablo NGR: North Gate to Junction

Merits a kudo.

2014 SMR 19

JB ordered a new set of bottom bracket bearings for his Della Santa.  Typically for him, he waited until the existing set was completely unusable.  Today he rode his Trek 520 with rack and pannier.

Wildlife Encounter:  deer on the trail next to the road below the Gate.

Had my seatstay cam pointed a little too high today.

This guy was Diablo Serious.

Started up The Wall about   20 meters ahead of this rider.

Finished about 30 meters ahead.  BOO-YAH

Friend said he saw two bad crashes yesterday on SGR, ambulances and everything.  Makes me feel better about candy-assing all the turns going down.  I don't much notice any residual broken pelvis pain, but my descending confidence is still way down.

2014 WNR 07

Another Wednesday Night Ride... not too hot, not too windy, not too crowded.

Diablo Cyclists call an emergency mid-Mountain chat session.

Most folks do the right leg aft swing dismount like this rider.
The forward swing looks cooler, but if you bugger it up
you'll catch your foot on the bars and go down on your arse...
and I'll post a photo of it right here for the world to see.