2025 Diablo Day 43 - Saturday Morning Junction

Autumn fell hard this week - rain and wind and leaves and turkeys.

Wildlife Encounter: turkeys

I've got the route through the country club memorized now that I've moved to Danville. I used to have kind of a reluctance to ride through here because of all the resident vs bicyclist news - but I have never gotten any hint of unwelcomeness from anyone in here.

It was pretty calm until about 1500 feet when the wind started blowing and it didn't stop until Junction... where lots of us complained about it.

Earlier this week, JB and I were hoping to Summit on today's ride but we were both knackered after a plain old Junction.

2025 Diablo Day 42 - Saturday Morning Juniper

Yes, the winter bike is off the hooks. Looks like I'll need some new tubulars before the winter's over... getting harder and harder to find them and the choices are fewer and fewer.

JB's probably got one more ride before he's off for a month or so for some medical stuff. We decided to do Juniper and then evaluate whether we had a Summit in our legs - neither of us did. I felt pretty good aerobically but not strong enough for any more climbing.

On the way down I came across a guy who was off his bike and he said his chain came off and he didn't know how to fix it - so I stopped at a picnic area close by and he walked down to me and I put it all back together again. He said he was fumbling with getting his cleat in the pedal, fell over, and the chain came off. It was wedged in his front derailleur so kind of tricky... but a Diablo rider ought to know some basic roadside repair. It gave me a good feeling to be useful.

This grizzled old buzzard has reportedly been riding The Mountain for 34 years.

Chain guy.

2025 Diablo Day 41 - Saturday Morning Juniper

Day After Halloween ride.

Normal amount of riders. Warm sun with patches of crisp cool air in the wooded areas... I could've probably worn shorts.

JB has one more week before he's out of commission for a while, so we decided to extend our ride to Juniper. 

Nice of the POTUS to greet me as I left home.

2025 Diablo Day 40 - Saturday Morning Junction

No Kings Day marches in Walnut Creek and Pleasanton - I decided to ride Diablo instead.

It was warm in the sunshine and cold in the shadows... how perfect is that?

Wildlife Encounter: three deer where the Ghost Bike used to be. I didn't notice them until I was eye-to-eye with one of them.

JB gave me a bottle of home-made hot sauce from his home-grown peppers... had it on my chili when I got home; a fresh pepper kind of taste without too much heat.

2025 Diablo Day 39 - Saturday Morning Junction

 Very nice day, but boy summer is over and fall is in the air. I wore my arm warmers and that was about perfect. I couldn't find my Icy Hot though so the knee was complaining a little. It's about time to dust off the foul-weather bike.

People have been seeing tarantulas - not me... I mean I haven't seen any, I don't mean no one has seen me. Well there weren't many riders on The Mountain today so not that many people saw me today. Anyway - tarantulas.

Tomorrow I pick up my Burley Cargo Trailer - watch this blog for my pending Product Review. I'm going to be doing a lot of urban utility cycling starting soon.

Hey look - that piece of fence they cut out from the Easement is still there... probably waiting for another judge to overturn the order and be replaced.

Fall colors at Maple Rock!

2025 Diablo Day 38 - Saturday Morning Junction

Diablo Challenge is next week and The Mountain was teeming with riders rehearsing for the big race.

Last hot days of summer are about over, and we're looking at rain this week... I should probably give the foul weather bike a tune-up.

Cactus jersey and orange shoes - this guy knows cycling fashion.

Everybody and their brother passed me on the way up.

Search and Rescue practice

2025 Diablo Day 37 - Saturday Morning Junction

Today was the first time I've used the Hole in the Fence in probably 10 years... but it'll now be my standard entrance.  I met Colonel Al near there and he said we should refer to it as "The Easement"... OK.

Didn't charge my camera batteries and they ran out before I even got to Diablo.

I passed a big group of riders stopped just before the Tire Poppers and they asked a quick link - I stopped to look through my bag - nope.

Then I got passed by everybody and their uncle on the way to Junction. Nice weather though.

Tarantella Tally:  1 near Live Oak

Wildlife Encounter:  BIG pack of turkeys near the helicopter pad

Roadkill Report:  Little snake, big raccoon, regular-sized squirrel.

I always marvel at how beautiful The Mountain is while
I'm on the way to ride him.

Here's where you get off the street and on to the trail.

Here's where you enter the Sudetenland.

And here's a selfie because I didn't get any good riding photos. 

It's not easy looking like a tough old buzzard.

2025 Diablo Day 36 - Saturday Morning Junction

Got drizzled on a little bit on the way out, but it never got wet.

A little windy and cool for the first Saturday Morning Junction of September.

I expected to see more riders with the Diablo Challenge coming up.

Wildlife Encounter:  turkeys.

The tarantula signs are out - be on the lookout for the creepy crawlers!

I helped with this pace line for about half a Planck time before my legs went soft.

I sucked these wheels for a full 2 nanoseconds.