Velodiva

This Saturday, Oct. 20, was #4 in the Northern California Low Key Hill Climb Series and featured Mount Diablo in Danville, CA. I was looking forward to this challenge as I had never done this ride before – and only heard the stories. Driving up that morning, Hermes and I could see Mt. Diablo beckoning on the distance – the summit still shrouded in clouds. It was a beautiful morning and temperatures in the 60’s. The staging area was at the Athenian School and by 10 AM we had 75 cyclists ready to climb.



Athenian School Staging Area



Hermes at the staging area

There are two approaches up Mt. Diablo – the North Gate and the South Gate. This hill climb started from the South Gate. We started in small groups and I was in the fifth group – again adhering to my philosophy better to pass than to be passed. Besides, I had heard about the very rough uneven pavement, cracks and potholes near the beginning. A friend of mine got crowded out there a few weeks ago at the Mt. Diablo Challenge (the big difference was that that event had almost 1,000 participants) but I wanted to play it safe.



South Gate entrance

OK, before I get on with my story this is the low down on the climb: 11.7 miles, 3170 feet of climbing, average grade of 6.8%. To culminate the experience, the last 250 meters is a very steep section appropriately called “The Wall” at a grade of 20%.



The altimeter map of Mt. Diablo

As I snaked up the mountain, I was in awe of the views. It was pretty windy – we all paid the price in the headwinds, but there was one section in particular where the wind just blew us up this a steep section at 12 mph!



Velodiva climbing Mt. Diablo – bottom section



Fellow cyclists on the climb

The ride up was uneventful (i.e., no mishaps) but for a wrong turn into a campground – oh well, this was not a race! I held back and kept my heart rate at lactate threshold – this was my first climb that was this long, and I wanted to make sure that I had even left for “The Wall.”



Fellow cyclists – The Wall



Velodiva climbing The Wall



The Summit!



View from the Summit showing the road we climbed

I finished in 77:08 and placed 5th out of the 13 women (13 women and 62 men – again, a sea of testosterone). The “winning” (this was not a race) men’s time was 50:51 and the first place woman finished in 65:00. The event was really well organized and it was fun to see and chat with people I met on the King’s Mountain hill climb.

The ride down was SO chilly – almost hard to control the bike with all the wind and my shivering!

The next low key hill climb event that I plan to do is Mount Hamilton on Thanksgiving Day.

Today, Hermes and I rode the tandem on our own metric century down the peninsula from San Mateo to Los Altos Hills in Silicon Valley and back. A beautiful fall day!

BluesDawg

Terrific!

zymans

Congratulations!

Beverly

Outstanding climb! The view from the top is great.

What type of gearing do you have on your bike?

cccorlew

Wow. Thanks for the cool photos. I wish i'd have been more on the ball and done this with ya'all, even if if was cold and windy. I just forgot the date.

Artmo 

Well done and thanks for the great photos. Beautiful bike!!

stapfam

Looks a great ride, and up a good hill aswell. I am sorry but I have to say this. The age is beginning to show.







That front tyre definitely has a flat on the tread so time to get onto the mechanic and change it

Hermes

Congrats on your time and place.

SSP

Way to go Velodiva, and thanks for the photos. Mt. Diablo is a great training ride...a few years back while preparing for the Death Ride, I climbed it twice in one day (and met some riders who were doing it 3 or 4 times!!).

BTW - for the long downhills, bring some arm warmers and maybe a vest. Or, stop by the gift shop and get a newspaper - the old school trick of putting a newspaper down the front of your jersey works quite well, and it's kind of cool employing a 100 year old cycling tradition.

rm -rf

A 9.1 mph average for the climb. Wow! I have a similar grade here, for .9 miles, about 300 feet of climbing, and I can do it at 8-9 mph at maximum effort. Your climb is 13 times as long.

I haven't been to Mt Diablo in a long time. From it's summit, I remember seeing the Sierras on the horizon all the way across the Central Valley.

LynnH

That's inspiring! The pictures are great too!!

Sevenrider

Great ride! It makes Volterra seem like an easy climb.

It looks like there is a tandem in one of the pictures. Any idea how they did?

Velodiva

I have 52/39/30 chainrings and a 12/25, 10 speed cassette. I rode most of the ride in the 30/21 combination with an occassional shift to the 39 chainring. The only time I used the 30/25 was to climb the wall.

Dchiefransom

Nice ride. That's good climbing.
I'd be in my 28-32 wondering why I didn't get a 26-34. My other biggest problem would be I SUCK at descending.

Velodiva

Thanks, Sevenrider. Yes, there was one tandem team - they are both racers and belong to our Webcor Alto Velo racing club. They did it in 74:09. They ride a Santana scandium (to the best of my knowledge).

Velodiva

OMG, I had my dermatologist on the phone before Hermes told me you were talking about my front tire!

Red Rider

Well done! The pictures are as inspiring as your narrative. Congrats on a great ride!

Tricycle Blue

Inspiring ride for a just returned to cycling guy like me, Velodiva. I've walked (trudged) up the Wall; your facial expression after all that climbing looks so relaxed...like you're still having fun. Anyway-- great pics, great ride. Something I'd like to do someday-- with a lot more training behind me!

Beverly

Thanks for the info.

stapfam

If we brits look for humour in the Americans- We look at Irony. We brits are a little more subtle in our sarcasm. So don't waste money on those beauty treatments- they Won't do any good. ** You'd be better off getting new tyres.








**(In sarcasm it could be taken two ways but I mean it in the pleasant way of you do not need it)

Says me sucking up to one angry female that would probably come over here and let my tyres down to 25psi so I would have a hard time.

gcottay

Wow!

I could do that climb any day. Or two. Or three. With a strong tail wind.

Is the difference between a regular climb and a low key climb sort of like the difference between six and a half-dozen?

Thanks for the great pictures and inspiration.

Velodiva

That is a good question - I think they call it a low key hill climb to encourage all levels of cyclists to participate. Although it is a timed event, it is not a race. The philosophy of the Low-Key series is to allow each cyclist, no matter what his or her level, no matter what his or her speed, to establish goals, and meet them.

berts

Thanks for the great report and photos. Touring N. CA is on my dreamlist.

cgallagh

Congratulations. That is one ride RR and I have talked about but never done. I want to do it tandem. We should get together with Smoooth and Sassy and you and Hermes and make it a run some time. I know some great dining places nearby for after riding repasts.