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.

2008 WNR 17

JB, Jeff, and I started up just after the Diablo Cyclists. It was hot but cooling off quickly.

Got to the bottom of Chainbuster and noticed my cleats were loose... very loose. Pulled over and discovered I didn't have a screwdriver. We had just passed Craig and another guy from DC and Craig lent me his multitool which was good enough to hold me the rest of the way up. I've gotta get those allen head screws I bought in there instead of those crappy pan head screws that come with the cleats.

Jeff didn't stop so we had to catch him and then he faded a bit while JB and I sparred - then I faded too.



Still managed to pass another half dozen riders or so before I got to Junction.





A great ride tonight, but the end is nigh. Probably only 5 or 6 WNRs left this year.


Rick and I signed up for Foxy's Fall Century - drop me an e-mail if you're going to be there too.

Got an honorable mention on PunkinJay's Blog for a couple of my photos. Whenever he goes to the Summit, he climbs the Wall TWICE - just because!

Gate - Junction - Tire Poppers - Gate

Beautiful, beautiful weather today.

Nobody at the Gate so I put up a big rock.

My cheering section.

Sunrises are getting later

Started off kind of slow figuring JB would catch up to me but I was solo to the Junction.

There was a huge crowd of riders from Chevron at the Junction... I don't know if they were training for something or if they were just a club that decided to ride My Mountain today. They had a support vehicle and everything.

So I went down the South Side to check out the road work.


There's equipment and materials all over but the surface is pretty nice.



Still a lot of grit on the road though... don't expect full traction around the corners.

The three sisters from above... and some mad photo editing skilz!

The repaired sections are pretty long and they did a pretty good job I think.

Most places they repaved the whole road width, but some places just one lane.

I'm faster than this guy.

Lots of dragon flies at one corner of SGR - those boogers are hard to photograph!

Saw JB coming up NGR while I was going down so I turned around and rode with him for a while near Clavicle Cracker... said he overslept.

Then I finished up with some wind sprints in the Shadelands before going home.

2008 WNR 16

HOT HOT HOT and no wind.
Rode the whole side with Jeff - he must have dripped 3 liters of sweat from his head.


Jeff just got a new bike too - warranty replacement for a crack in the bottom tube.

When the sweat dried off my arms there was a crusty layer of salt scum left over and I could feel it cracking like an egg shell when I moved... neat feeling.

Gate - Junction - Juniper - Summit

A beautiful day it was today. Started cold it did, with wind even. Warmer it got as higher we went.





Rick had family obs so it was just me and JB; he outsmarted me in the finale to Junction but I almost had him.

How about those opening ceremonies?

There were some interesting cloud formations to the south but my photos of them were less interesting.

Got quite warm on Summit Road.

Maybe people are riding later in the day because there weren't many cyclists.

Dudley Driveby: Near Blue Oak.

The coming down side of the Wall, as climbed by Challengers.

An anonymous rider begins the infamous Summit Wall

And they're all made out of ticky-tack and they all look just the same.

But they have a nice view of Diablo from down there.