Today I road up Mount Diablo, to the ranger station junction, for the first time in 2-3 years and only the second time ever. The first and last time I did this ride it was just too much for me, and I kinda figured that I would never want to do it again. But I've been doing a lot more climbing this season, so I thought I should give it another try and see if it was as bad as I remembered.
Mount Diablo is one of the three major peaks in the bay area (along with Mt Tamalpais in marin and Mt Hamilton in the south bay) and a favorite ride for lots of cyclists. There are two approaches to the ranger station, Northgate and Southgate. From the junction of that two roads, at 2200 feet, it's another 4.5 miles to the summit, which is about 3800 feet. Both times I've done this ride I've followed the Yellowjackets routesheet, which leads you up the more gently graded Southgate to the junction and then down Northgate.
Anyway, from the base of Southgate to the junction is a steady 6 mile climb. The average grade on this road is apparently 4.5%, but there are sections in the first 2 miles that are steeper. To my surprise I really didn't find the ride that difficult this time around. In fact I actually enjoyed it quite a bit, so I guess that means that I've become much better at climbing over the past couple of years. Whee! It took me pretty much exactly 1 hour to reach the junction, which isn't gonna break any records but it's pretty good for me. Next time I'll either try to improve on that time or try for the summit.
Oh, and a shoutout to the guy who helped me with my flat tire at the entrance to Southgate. I went to fix my flat and realized that the guy at the shop who installed my new cassette put my quick release on so tightly that I couldn't open it. Jerk. So thanks to the guy to stopped to helped me open it and then proceeded to fix my flat for me.
Total miles: 34
Total time in the saddle: 3 hours
Elevation gain: 2300 feet
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1 comment:
Well said.
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