WARNING -
Very long ride report, and lacks photos. Continue at your own risk
I was with friends Chris and Gustovo. Chris rode 3 doubles last year, Gus has several doubles under his belt, including a few Terrible Two's. This was their first Devil Mountain attempt, and my first double. We started the ride at 5am exactly, with close to 200 other riders.
The first few miles were that of nervousness and awe. A long row of blinkies is all I saw ahead. The pace was very easy and everyone seemed cheerful, even though misery lied ahead. We reached the base of Diablo 30 minutes into the ride.
Diablo
This was the only portion of DMD that I was familiar with. It was still dark for the first few miles, and the rows of blinkies/headlights lined the canyon. It was a cool sight to see. The weather was awesome at this point, but winds were a bit gusty the further up we rose. We reached the summit by about 6:40, which turned out to be 1:14 from Athenian School (I always have this urge to time myself). We reloaded and opted to drop off lights/extra clothing at the Morgan Territory stop, which turned out to be a mistake.
The descent was fun but COLD. I appreciate how smooth this road is as opposed to Hamilton (more on that later). About a mile to the junction we saw the 6:00 am starters charging up the mountain. It was a group of 10 or so, and I knew the winner would be someone out of this group. I also wondered when they would be catching us (more on that later).
Morgan Territory
The spin through Concord/Clayton was all about getting warm after the chilly descent. The sun was already out so I ditched the windbreaker for good and continued on to Morgan Territory. The climb wasn’t bad. The roads weren’t great but it doesn’t really matter when you’re going 8mph. We passed a few folks along the way, and I continued to wonder when the FAST group would be catching us.
We stopped for about 15 minutes at the top to refuel and drop off lights and other gear. Turned out there was no bag drop here, but the email said there would be. We had to carry everything for the entire ride. Oh well, “Let’s GO!”
The descent down “the Plunge” was really fun. The sun was out, the road was clear, and apparently recently repaved. We got to the bottom, where the flat work begins, and wouldn’t you know… a fast-charging paceline of 4 were right on our tail. Perfect timing!
The Flats
The stretch from the base of Morgan Territory to Altamont is the only meaningful section of flat roads. I prepped Chris and Gus to be ready and latch on for as long as possible. The group passed and one said hi to Gus. Turns out they knew each other (Kevin eventually wins the race
). We jumped on the back of this train and flew! It was so much fun… not doing any work, avoiding headwinds, and watching these guys work together. We made it to the hills and backed off when the heart rate started to climb into the 170’s. Thanks guys! We picked up another dropped rider, Kathy. She was amazingly strong and knew what she was doing. Almost like a hitchhiker, she would just jump on the next available train. She stuck with us for about 10 miles until Chris dropped his chain. Off she went, never to be caught again.
Patterson Pass
This was a nice climb. The temps were still low and there was a cool breeze. I was still feeling fresh. We passed a few more riders up this one, and stopped very briefly to refill water before the final push to the summit.
The rest of the trip to the Mines road passed easily. There was another organized ride in the area and those riders were giving us encouragement, and calling us crazy.
At the Mines road stop, I was able to ditch a few things that I could do without for the rest of the ride. We filled up our bottles and grabbed some food, and began our next 25 mile push… most of it uphill.
Mines Rd
Knowing that you have 20 miles of climbing ahead (not counting Hamilton) can really break you down mentally. It was getting hot, and the jagged slopes of this canyon looked very unforgiving. It turned out to be a long, drawn out grind (duh). I pulled out my phone on this one, and blasted some Metallica to get my spirits up. We passed several riders here but I don’t think any of them enjoyed my music. We made it to lunch and enjoyed some cold beverages and a sandwich. I also doused myself with some sunscreen.
Hamilton
This is where my ride turned from fun and games, to serious suffering. 130 miles already in the legs and we’re about to face the hottest and most exposed section of the course. I knew nothing about this climb other than the elevation at the summit. I could see the summit off in the distance and there were plenty of intermediate climbs before reaching Isabel Creek (the base of Hamilton). I recall climbing 200-300 feet, then descending the same amount. Almost like starting over. Chris really threw it down big here. He slowly pulled away and passed quite a few riders on the way up. I was not too far behind, and Gus was a couple minutes behind me.
This climb truly was torture, and I was very happy to see the water stop (hosted by princesszippy!). I filled up and drank about 20 oz of cold water. Saw a guy throw up on the other side of the road, and witnessed a not-so-happy camper act like a fool at the rest stop. I took my first dose of Motrin and we headed for the summit... in serious pain.
The descent from Hamilton was the most painful I’ve experienced. My hands, wrists, and back were hurting so bad. I should have taken the Motrin sooner. I welcomed the climbs along the way just to rest my hands. It was so painful! We finally reached smooth pavement (and Motrin started kicking in) and I was all smiles again. The rest stop at Crothers was awesome. It’s actually a house and they had a hose where I rinsed my face arms, and legs…. almost a full shower. I felt fresh again.
Sierra Road
Ah yes, the climb everyone talked about was finally here.... Sierra Road. Immediately we stared at 15% grades. It was very tough, but nowhere near as bad as Hamilton (for me). There was a nice breeze and the temps were lower. We slowly grinded our way up, often cracking jokes about how easy this climb was
. We passed a few more riders up this one, and finally reached the "Pet the Goat" rest stop.
Calaveras to Sunol
After petting the goat and getting some caffeine and electrolytes in the system, we started our 48 mile charge to the finish. I was up in spirits again, and feeling strong. Calaveras was a lot of fun. It was a slight downhill most of the way, with lots of twisty turns. We had a paceline of 5 going, but Chris and I were doing most of the work. We gobbled up a few more riders here charged to the Sunol rest stop.
Palomares
We stopped for only 5 minutes at the Sunol stop. I refilled my water and gel flask and took some more vitamin I and we were on our way. I could smell the finish. Only 22 miles to go! We pedaled into a headwind down 84 (which was the most dangerous section in terms of traffic). We made the turn onto Palamares and began our second to last ascent. Yes, there is more climbing...
Palomares was a beautiful climb. The canyon is so steep and jagged. I was long past suffer mode. Maybe it was the excitement of being close to the finish… or maybe it was the drugs. Chris and I talked and joked the whole way up. Gus was a little more hurt, and kept to himself. I could tell he was on the verge of cracking (he already did crack on Hamilton). We kept the pace reasonable, even though I wanted to go all out. We reached the top in darkness, and began our descent.
The descent was a blast! I really appreciate having a good light for things like this. We had the road lit up very well and we bombed down in a V formation. What fun! We made it to Castro Valley and made our turn onto Crow Canyon. A couple more miles and we’ll be climbing again…
The Finish
We passed a few more lone riders on our way up Norris Canyon. I was ready to hammer the rest of the way, but Gus was falling behind so we waited. I gave him one of my gels but I think it was too late. He bonked! We slowly pedaled to the top, looking back frequently to see how far back Gus was. We began our final descent into San Ramon, but Gus was still far behind. It was too late to go back, so Chris and I decided to end this thing already. We made it back to the Start/Finish to the sound of cowbells and cheers. It was finally over!
We went to check in for the last time, and waited for Gus outside. He made it back about 10 minutes after our arrival. We went inside to eat some lasagna and saw Kathy. She made it about 20 minutes before us, awesome job!
I'm really pleased with how we stuck together throughout this ride. It's really hard to keep the group together on something this long. I think we finished pretty well too, maybe the top third of all riders.
Thanks to all the volonteers for making this happen. This is a long day for them too, and the ride would not be possible without them.
Wow that was long
. An epic ride deserves and epic report I guess. It's really hard to compress this ride into just a few sentences. Thanks for reading, if you're still with me.
A few stats (climbing numbers are a bit high, and I forgot to stop recording after the ride)
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/8031260
And the ride profile...
Next stop - Central Coast Double