Northern California - Anyone want to ride up Mt. Diablo today???

Good Morning.....Planning to head up from the North Gate at around 10-10:30. Looking for someone to ride with. I have never looped down to the South Gate, over to Danville Rd. and back to Walnut Creek and would love it if anyone was willing to teach me/show me that loop. Thanks for reading! - Pete

I was away, but I hope you had a good ride.

I've never climbed Diablo before, how is it going up the Northgate side? I don't live to far from there...

Here is the profile: http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5269/171/1600/Diablo%20Profile1.jpg

This comes from the grand master of Diablo, the famous Diablo Scott (also a regular here on BF). Lots of good reading on his blog here: http://diabloscott.blogspot.com/

I've never climbed Diablo before, how is it going up the Northgate side? I don't live to far from there...

It's a great climb. South Gate is a little more friendly, but the difference isn't huge. I'd say the most important thing is to just pace yourself. Last year, climbing Diablo was my main cycling goal, I probably held off making it longer than I needed to and climbed steeper hills before making Diablo, but chugging away for 11miles does take some forethought.

OP - sorry to have missed the opportunity. It's been my experience that you probably need to put word out at least 24h in advance of a ride to get some company.

Thanks for the friendly replies and good advice. I have been enjoying the climb up Mt. Diablo from the North Gate. I had the goal of making it to the summit before the end of last year. It had been many years since I had done any regular road riding. My only bike to ride was a 20 year old Nishiki mt. bike clunker. But, it was in better shape than I was and has a good granny gear. It took me 5 or 6 rides before I made it to the junction, 3 more rides up to Juniper. Then, I made the summit a couple of times during the last 2 weeks of December '08. My reward was a new road bike. Weather permitting, I ride to the junction or to the top, if I have it in me. :rolleyes: The ride from the No. Gate is really neat. I am still learning the ins & outs about the 'steeps', clothing strategies, downhill speeds, staying hydrated. Love my new bike. Decided to go with a compact drive train, but had some concerns I would miss the triple. No regrets though. I try to reach the junction in under an hour from the gate. I usually take 5 or ten minutes at the guard station to get psyched for the summit. Then, it's about 35-45 minutes more for me to make the top. I'm getting passed by more cyclists then I am passing - for sure. But, I am getting stronger. Might be interesting to see if I can ride straight up in under 90 minutes without stopping at the guard station. Good goal for this season. I also joined the Diablo Cyclists and I am curious and excited about riding with a club. Never done that before! Looks like a great chance to hook up with some friendly locals and learn a lot. If anyone wants to hook up at the North Gate for a friendly ride with a newbie, I would love the company! Thanks for reading! Be safe! :thumb:

Good Morning.....Planning to head up from the North Gate at around 10-10:30. Looking for someone to ride with. I have never looped down to the South Gate, over to Danville Rd. and back to Walnut Creek and would love it if anyone was willing to teach me/show me that loop. Thanks for reading! - Pete

Would love to go next time, too short notice today. Post the day before you will probably have a few people interested.

lol. If you're going for a ride in like 2 weeks, I'm a total noob, looking for someone to ride with. =P