Junction in the fog and drizzle

It had been drizzling all night and the roads were wet and the skies were still dark. This was a ride for... Eddy, the Belgian Beast. His SPD pedals required my Cannondale MTB shoes so there was extra room for another pair of socks over my toes; an advantage in conditions like these.

I knew Rick wasn't coming so when JB got to the Gate we started up. The drizzle was just enough to be a little annoying, there was nearly no wind, and the visibility was very low because of the fog. Surely we'd be the only riders on the Mountain this morning. Not really that cold though - I even took off my gloves.

In a couple places when I was out of the saddle I got some rear tire slippage so I made a note to remember that for the way down.

At the Bump, next to Burma it looked like a tree had newly fallen - weren't these both standing last week?

The fog broke about 1,500 feet and the sun was out but it wasn't any warmer, and it was still drizzling, and it got kind of windy too; so the only advantage was better visibility.

We got passed by a couple cars but didn't see any other riders this morning, but there was one jogger closer to the bottom. At the Junction we did see a guy on a Colnago come up from the Easy Side and continue on up Summit - hats off to him! We decided it was a good day for a short ride so we bundled up and turned down.

Diablo Juniper - 27 miles

Warmed up to about 40°F this morning by 8am. Rick, JB, and I rode like molasses in January going uphill. Didn't see any other riders until just before Chainbuster when a guy passed us up quickly. At the Junction he wasn't there so we figured he kept on going but later we saw him coming in behind us! He must have pulled off and hidden somewhere when we went by.

Then we went up Summit Road and it was a lot windier up there. The Mountain had a good dusting of snow last week and there were lots of places where they had spread salt on the road.

This is all the snow that's left.

Ooop, there's a little more.




JB and I turned around at Juniper but Rick went all the way up. Then he called to tell me the Upper Parking Lot was closed and the gates were shut at the Wall.

It was nice descending because it wasn't so cold. At the final curve I spun up my highest gear and got into a good tuck and was going fast when I noticed a shadow on my left and I figured it was JB, but it was some guy in a Galaxy Granola jersey. He was not tucked and still pedalling so I just pulled in behind him. I didn't want to make him nervous so I stayed back a couple bike lengths and still had plenty of draft back there. He kept on pedalling and I could tell he was wearing out so I knew I'd have no trouble coming around him at the dips. I've done this a hundred times with Rick but "this time, it's for real".

DIABLO SCOTT DUSTS GALAXY GRANOLA GUY

Junction plus Hole in the Fence

Coldest ride in several years - low 20's overnight. Uniform of the day: sock liners under socks, bibs under tights, jersey, jacket, neck gator, shoes and full booties, double gloves, headsweats and helmet. Had trouble keeping the tips of my fingers warm but the rest of me was fine.

JB had gotten to the Gate a little early and gone up a ways, he came back down to meet me after I'd been there a couple minutes. After a few more minutes we determined Rick wasn't coming.

On the way up, JB wondered out loud if we were the only riders crazy enough to do this, then two guys came down who had started when it was even earlier and colder. The he wondered out loud if anyone would be nuts enough to wear shorts and two more guys came down - one of them in shorts (more like basketball shorts than cycling shorts though). They were the last riders we saw until we got to Junction.




















File photo - can't work my camera with double gloved hands.

I suggested riding down to the tire poppers and back up but JB thought one descent was enough so we agreed on the Hole. After that it was just putting in winter miles all the way home - but they count for double since it was so cold.

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My new truck!

Junction and Blackhawk - 37 miles

Timing was good this morning - I saw Rick's car turning onto Walnut from my red light on Ygnacio. We waited at the Gate for a few minutes but no one else showed up so it was just two of us. One guy in a bright rain jacket left about a minute before us so we had a good rabbit to chase.

We're both in the last days of bad colds so there was a lot of hacking going on.

There's that guy - looks like we might catch him. I did a hard effort up the Bump and through the Upper Washout and then eased up until Rick regrouped. That guy is still the same distance away now.

At the switchbacks I started to chase and made up maybe a little time on rain jacket guy but not enough to matter. At the Junction we compared times and we both had the same. He went down, Rick came in, and then a little later JB did too. He announced he didn't bring his motivation and Rick announced we were doing Blackhawk.

I ate my PowerBar and Rick ate a Gu. He noted that the package was 8 months past its pull date and he read the ingredients that sounded like a page from an Organic Chemistry lab assignment - Vanihexane? I joked that it was banned by WADA.

I descended SGR a little early and snapped these shots.




On Blackhawk Road I let JB set the pace but I sprinted up the hills. Out on La Gonda Rick was giving me a good run though... maybe I should Google for some Vanihexane.

Last Ride of 2006


Feakin' frigid this morning - good thing I dug out my toe booties earlier in the week. {sidebar: it really pisses me off that the traffic sensor on Bancroft to cross Ygnacio doesn't pick up bikes} The goats down by the kennel even looked frozen... frozen goats = FROATS ? This photo was taken after the ride when it had warmed up a little, glad to see the froat survived.




















Rick and I met at the Gate and waited a while for JB but he didn't show up. We saw Mark A coming down but other than him, no one else at all. Only one or two cars also... it was a quiet morning on the Mountain, and we enjoyed the ride. We also talked a bit about the Tour of California (Best Week of Racing award from VeloNews) which is only a couple months away now and how we would make it better and there was no question we'd be there again as rabid racing fans.

There were a few people at the Junction; interesting people on different kinds of bikes... cyclocross, loaded touring, road racing, MTBs; people who were there because they like riding and appreciate this gem of the State Park system. My water bottle was still 90% full because you just don't get thirsty on days like this. The flags were at half-mast in honor of President Ford; I remember laughing at his ineptitude in high school but think more highly of him now.

So Rick nursed a ClifShot and I gnawed on a chocopowerbar and then we decided to do the SGR kiosk. When we got there I took these photos:











On the way back up I flatted at a very convenient spot; there was a nice retaining wall to sit on while I changed my tube. Rear tire's getting pretty thin, I think it's time for my winter maintenance - Mom and Dad sent X-mas money so I got some good stuff to put on too (tires, chain, new handlebars and cables). Rick watched me use the CO2 inflator again and admitted that it was a pretty cool alternative to a mini pump... he's ready to convert.

We finished off the ride with a Starbucks at the Encina Safeway - the Peppermint Mocha is a treat but it can't compete with Peet's.

Save Mount Diablo

The Contra Costa Times did an article on the 35th Anniversary of Save Mount Diablo and the guy who started it... who was (is?) A CYCLIST! Click HERE and be sure to also click on the "Audio Soundslide" feature below Mr. Bonwell's photo.

Diablo Summit - Merry Xmas!

About a mile from home I was sorry I didn't don my toe booties. It was biting cold, but not too foggy and not windy so tights and a sleevless jersey under my Barrier Jacket made for perfect protection... only my toes were froze. JB caught up to me just before we got to the Gate where Rick was waiting. JB said to remember that the slower we ride up the warmer it'll be when we have to come down.

Wildlife Encounter: Three feral pigs near the loading dock - first time I've seen some. I later confirmed with the Junction ranger that none of the ranchers on the mountain are farming pigs so these were definitely feral. He also said that there was an eradication program and they "remove" 500 pigs a year or so because they do so much damage.

The rest of the ride to Junction was casual. At one point we noticed a fast guy catching up to us and when he caught us he rode behind us for a few minutes without saying anything, and then passed us up with just a nod.

At the Junction we quickly decided that we didn't want to hang around too long and we started up Summit Road. It also started to drizzle but it was very light and only lasted about 10 minutes - had to wipe the face off my Flight Deck a couple times, but that was the extent of it. We saw a woman changing a tire and she declined our assistance. I stopped at Juniper for a few minutes but JB and Rick kept going. I took a couple photos and then drank a pack of Enervitine.



Product Review: Enervitine I've seen this stuff in catalogues and figured I'd try some when I saw it at the California Pedaler last weekend. I was a little surprised that it was a liquid and not a gel. It had the sweet taste and consistency of concentrated Kool-Aid, or maybe a melted popsicle. Easy to drink today but I think it would be difficult to swallow on a really hot day. I can't report that it turned a mule into a thouroughbred today but I felt good the rest of the ride so I'll probably buy a couple for my next century just to have some variety from Hammer Gel. This product gets a provisional DS rating of 6 outta 10.


So I rode the rest of Summit Road solo and just enjoyed the scenery.


This pavement was so bad for so long; and now it's like glass!


Make sure you save a little for The Wall.


This is the view of North Peak from the Summit. The dark clouds mixed with blue sky for some interesting contrasts today.

Descending back down was an exersize in body heat maintenance, but it was a little warmer than earlier in the morning so I enjoyed it as always.

BRRRRR

Really frosty this morning but no wind so it wasn't hard to stay warm. It's been raining and there was even a chance of snow at 3,000 feet so the roads were sloppy and I took the Merckx.

Rick and I connected at the Gate and decided not to wait for JB. We saw him a little later from the Bump and figured he'd catch us soon but it wasn't until about Chainbuster.

We hung around Junction for a while and I munched a PowerBar and announced that the plan would be to ride to Juniper and everybody thought that was a good idea. Not too many riders up there today, but more than one might expect given the temperature - thermostat at the Shack said 38° but it really didn't seem that cold to me.



The lens on my camera got a little foggy today I think.


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That PowerBar gave me just enough boost to do a good effort up to Juniper..


JB's turn to get a flat today..
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RICK AND SCOTT ON YOUTUBE!

Rick found this clip of us on Sierra Grade during the 2006 Tour of California. I'm the guy waving the California flag and Rick's next to me in a red jacket.


LINK It's only a 12 second video, worth a look.

Pinhurst in the Mist - 42 Miles

Rick and I have been wanting to do a Pinhurst ride for quite a while. Couldn't do a Diablo ride Saturday so today was our opportunity. He drove to my house and we left after the rain subsided but there was still some dark clouds and drizzle.


It was about 15 miles to the end of Canyon Road where we made a right onto Pinehurst. Canyon Road looks like it's been repaved recently and was quite nice. Rick thought this abandoned bike miles from nowhere would make for a good photo.


This is the corner where I start the stopwatch if I'm timing myself - the climb begins here. This is looking down hill, on your way up you'll see the gate and sign in the photo below. There were several mudslides in here and it won't be long before some trees fall down on the road too.



(off the right of the road)




Steep switchbacks like these, and the dense foliage are what make riding Pinehurst fun.



Wow, that's some good pavement.

At the top we turned right on to Skyline and rode as far as Grizzly Peak before we turned around.

Rick did a couple extra trips around this corner to make sure he'd get his photo blogged. This is a pretty good shot though.

I saw that the VeloNews site had a photo of Mt. Diablo in the photo of the month contest. This was submitted by Keith Thibault and shows a rider going up NGR approaching the Bump. Whoever took the photo must have climbed up some rock formation or something to get this angle.

Edit: Keith e-mailed me and had this to say about the photo:
"Regarding the photo, I was hiking around taking pics on the north gate road when I paused to shoot a couple of a cyclist climbing the road. I like the winter light, and the late afternoon mood. I was on the hillside above the road, as you implied." Keith - thanks for a great shot - any Diablo photo you take is welcome here.

Damn it was windy this morning.

The wind was practically blowing the flags off the mast. Not as cold as I was prepared for, but this promised to be an epic ride. I got to the Gate a little early and rode up to snap a few photos. Then went back down to meet Rick.























We started up and it wasn't too bad at first. We were joking about other windy rides we've done like the Death Valley Century and Foxy's Fall Century.



























Up a little higher the gusts of wind started to get harder to manage. You'd go into one bend compensating for the wind, not knowing if you'd be shot out the other side like a rocket or dumped in the ditch like a plastic bag in a hurricane. It was for sure one of the top 10 windy days for me on the Mountain. Several times I let out a primal scream and thought about the sub sailors in Das Boot who cursed the waves as they blasted through them.

Hardly saw anyone else on the way up and there were a few places where we nearly got flicked by the wind but it was a fun ride. We contemplated going up or around at the Junction but decided to return down NGR. It was a tricky descent - you'd go into a corner barely able to keep it vertical and come around the other side having to completely change your weight balance. There were a lot of people coming up as we got down lower - almost looked like some kind of organized group ride.

OH NO!!! They closed Mia Cafe! There's a sign in the window that says a sushi restaurant is coming soon. We went to the Bagel Street Cafe which has OK coffee but an assembly line kind of atmosphere.

Clear skies and very cold

this morning. I was concerned I would over-dress again, but it was REALLY cold so I risked it and wore my full winter gear other than booties.

Came across BlogReader Chris at the Gate and we talked for a while about recent events until JB showed up, then we all started together.

I felt pretty good, but not fast so it was a gamble to stay with Chris when JB started to drop back but I figgered "what the hell".


















By the Bump Chris was ready to ride away but strung me along anyway. By Chainbuster we couldn't see JB anywhere so I assumed he was having a really bad day but then suddenly he was right behind us. So my Junction time was a little over 45m and that was better than JB's by half a minute or so. We noticed they've finally patched the little driveway up to the Junction Picnic Area.

Chris went up Summit Road. I called Part 2 last week so it was JB's turn and he called the Hole. It was a cold descent and then a fun little romp back to Walnut Creek for a yummy Peppermint Mocha coffee at Peet's.

JB and I

had a plan to sneak out of work a little early on this long Thanksgiving weekend and get in a ride up the Mountain. I wasn't sure our plan would materialize so I had Jed, the uber urban commuter with lights and fenders and tennis shoe pedals just in case.

The deal was to meet at the Gate at 2:30. He went home first to doff his gear but with about 50 pounds of bike and backpack it took me a little longer than I thought to get there so he got to the Post long before I did at 2:45 so I removed the rock he left there and started the slog up thinking it was good weight training.
























When I say "slow slog" I'm talking just barely above hiking pace. In my backpack I had my work clothes, a bunch of old CDs (don't ask), my jacket, and all the junk I normally commute with. It was pretty warm but due to turn frio by dusk.

















Never did catch up to JB but had a nice ride anyway and I enjoyed the different perspective that riding so slowly offers. I also developed a new respect for riders who do this on MTBs frequently; this was HARD work.


JB collected my ticket somewhere near Chainbuster and rode me back up to the Junction. We chatted for a while and then wished each other a happy T-day and then split up.



















Somewhere on the way home I picked up a piece of glass in my new Serfas MTB slick 1.5's but managed to make it on a soft tire and not stop for a tube change.

Man, that was a workout.

It was a really big rock

that I put on the post this morning at 7:58. The ranger was raising the flags and he probably removed it because JB didn't see it so he "waited" for me and my two minute head start wound up being about twelve.





















I rode the whole of NGR solo through a thick lens of fog that was at its most dense near the Bump. Only saw two riders descending the whole ride. Kept expecting to see JB chasing me but never did of course. Finally popped out over the top near the Lower Ranch and it was suddenly quite warm. Now my jacket started to get wet inside the sleeves and it was pretty uncomfortable. Usually I get my clothing selection right but today I should have gone with arm warmers and I probably could have even worn shorts.


At the Junction I munched on a Power Bar and talked to a guy who came up NGR behind me. He said he was 47 and had daughters aged 5 and 7; he was fit and trained and said he used to ride the Mountain every week years ago, but now it was rare to do so.






















Finally JB showed up and gave me a little raz about not putting a rock on the post - that's when I realized the Ranger must have removed it. We talked about going up but it was honestly too hot for me so he suggested the Hole and I talked him into Blackhawk. Within a minute we were already descending into the soup. It was even thicker on the Easy Side and my sweaty sleeves were now cold and soggy. In Danville though it was pretty much clear so we had good visibility and played our normal games of sprinting up the little rollers all the way home.

On Camino Tassajara we saw the House of Pain ride go by the opposite direction. A few minutes back was a smaller group that looked like they'd been dropped already - we called it the House of Minor Discomfort.

Bring on the Wet!

















JB and me today, we both got to the Gate at the same time. It rained last night so the streets were sloppy and the trees were still dripping but nothing was coming out of the sky during the ride.

A slow slog up in the damp fog. JB had his Trek 520 with fenders and one pannier holding his heavy jacket. Hardly saw anybody the whole morning. A few guys coming down on hybrids - I think they were dropped off. A few cars going up. Visibility was nearly zero so not much reason for the usual automobile day users to be up there.

Roadkill Sighting: A couple of big frogs.



































Not much to write about, so today's post is photo-heavy. This is not a lens problem, the fog was really that thick.

Took it really slow on the way down, looking for things to photograph.
















First wet ride of the year and of course I get a flat! Looked like a sharp piece of rock that splintered off some of the rip-rap. Maybe even a flint!

Up and Around This Morning

























Man I felt like a slug today, first ride of Daylight Wasting Time. Dressed for cold and it was foggy too. Peter, JB, and Rick were already at the Gate when I got there. I have my winter wheels on Eddy now so I guess that's my excuse. I need to move my brake levers up a little bit on this bike to match my now preferred "cobble position" - just like Tom, so I'll probably need some new
handlebar tape too... that'll add some speed.
















Rick got a new job and told us about how he turned in his resignation letter to the boss from hell. Peter's back still gives him trouble but he's an aerobic beast as always, even on his Cannondale comfort bike. As we climbed up through the fog I started to get too hot so I pulled down my arm warmers and took off my gloves. Also, I put on my OLD (1988) Look pedals because I broke the pedals on my fixie and swapped things around and don't have my new SPDs yet... anyway, I'm sure those old pedals were slowing me down too and that's why the fourth horseman fell off the back of the gruppetto somewhere near the Bump. Oh yeah, my chain was rubbing the front derailleur in my smallest gear, lots of extra drag that.

The fog layer topped out about Chainbuster and it was sunny and warm. At the Junction Rick and JB went up to the top of the Horseshoe while Peter and I talked. Then Rick and JB and I went down SGR and Peter went back down the North. It was so foggy that visibility and wet road surface were concerns so we took it pretty slowly. Rick thought that we were planning on going back up the easy way but we went through the Hole (muddy) and around through the golf course.

Got a late start this morning. So late that Rick had already left. It was cold too, I think it was the first time in tights this year, and it was still kind of dark since Daylight Wasting Time starts tomorrow. I had on some Halloween "arm warmers" that made it look like I had lots of tattoos - got a few weird looks from people.




Passed a few people on the way up, that's always a good thing. By the time I got to the Junction though Rick had already left there too so he must have thought I wasn't coming at all. Had to be home early for a kiddie party so I couldn’t go up any higher either.

Wildlife Encounter: A running flock of quail.



The LowKey Hillclimb series came to Diablo today - I checked out the parking lot but didn't see anyone I recognized. The results are posted HERE. Far as I'm concerned 51m37s is the official record from the Gate to the Summit.