Help me get over Diablo induced intimidation!
 

I've been riding road for about a year now...but, I have a mtn bike background. I want to tackle Diablo on the roady but for some reason I'm intimidated by her presence...I'm in great shape but I have a tough time spinning up hills on my double. I prefer to stand on climbs, but I'm not sure I can stand the entire way to the top.

I might try riding to the junction after work to get a good feel of the hill today...

I need some words of encouragement...:)

Encouragement: there are usually people older, fatter, and slower than you up there.

PS: South Gate Road is the easy way up.

PERFECT, Thanks!
Maybe I'll see you up there...

going up the South road Sat. morning, may do it twice. It is intimidating, but it is a great ride.

JB

Edit - what I fogot to mention is that I'm from a flat part of the e. coast originally, and 2 months ago I never would have even thought about going up once. Cycling with a group of people who really know how to climb has shown me that I can do rides like this - and I'm not even in great shape (yet). I'm sure you can climb it, although standing the entire way may not be the way to do it!

Ride on the peninsula, but have been thinking about Diablo also. What is the "typical", if there is one, grade? Harder, easier or the same as Old La Honda?

SGR averages about 5% for about 5-1/2 miles but there are some nice sections of flat stuff - it's also got more shade.
NGR averages about 6% for 6-1/2 miles and there are no flat bits once the climbing starts.
Summit Road averages about 7% for another 4-1/2 miles with a 17% wall for a finale.

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check out this description from chain reaction: http://www.chainreactionbicycles.com/diablo.htm

that's a 6% average grade over the entire 10.9 mile distance. except for the very last stretch to the summit, i'd say it's about the same or easier than old la honda.

It's not that bad. Just need to pace yourself. I did it as part of a century starting in Berkeley going up Mt. Diablo, going back to Berkeley, and finishing in San Leandro.

Say to add FWIW, my riding buddy has ridden Diablo a lot and last year he met up with a 73 y/o partway up. If senior folks can do it .... Just try not to redline and suffer and get demoralized. Keep yourself at a comforatable pace just so that you can be sure to save yourself for the whole climb. If you can keep this kind of pace almost any climb should be very doable.

Another question about Diablo
 

My goal is to ride to the top this year. I used to live near NGR when I was a kid and made it as far as the ranger station once (the junction where NGR and SGR meet). Never could have made it to the top (I was something like 12 the last time we rode up - jeez, can it have been over 30 years ago? I'M NOT THAT OLD!! :eek: ).

In any event, my question is this: when you ride it, do you stop for rest breaks or do you make a straight shot to the top? I do a 20 mile loop just about every saturday (through the hills of Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda), plus I try to hit the rollers a couple times during the week and am just wondering how to tackle the mountain.

Hmmm, maybe some of us first-timers should get together to try this?



Lance

PS My neighbor is in his early 60's and he rides up once or twice a year. One time he was riding up and he was catching up to this twenty-something stud and thought to himself, "Hey, I'm doing pretty good for an old fart!" He started chatting with the "kid" and it turned out it was his third time up that day! :roflmao:

The Junction is a pretty popular place to take a break - no shame in stopping for a stretch and to fill up your water bottle and socialize. I almost always stop there for a while - sometimes a long while.