Originally Posted by
rydaddy
Diablo is a great training climb. Many will disagree, but I think Diablo (north or south) is a tougher climb than any of the 5 passes.
I don't know if it's tougher, but it's certainly in the same ballpark as either side of Monitor or the first side of Ebbets.
I think we're pretty lucky to have Mt. D, the Oakland hills, etc. in our backyard for training! Not to mention Mt. Tam, Mt. Hamilton, all the climbs on the peninsula (I've heard from more than a few folks that they found the Santa Cruz Mountain Challenge tougher than the Death Ride) all just a short drive away.
JB