Friday, November 23, 2012

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I’ve been leading a post-Thanksgiving ride up Mt Diablo for the past few years. It’s one of my favorite climbs in the Bay Area-this year we’re heading up South Gate Rd via the “hole in the  fence” through the Diablo Country Club. This is one of my favorite climbs in the Bay Area. Weekday traffic & cyclists is minimal to none although the weekend does get busier depending upon the weather.

The climb up from the “hole in the fence” on South Gate Rd to the Junction Ranger Station is 6 miles with an average grade of 4.5%. The steepest section begins about .40 mile from the junction with gradient ranges of 7-10%.

As you climb, take the time to enjoy the majestic mountain views of the surrounding grasslands and chaparral covered slopes. The cities below fade away as you make the ascent to the summit.

The climb up Summit Rd to the top is 4.6 miles with an average grade of 7%. It does ease up as you pass the Devil’s Elbow and kicks right back up again as you approach “the wall”; the last 200 yards to the upper parking lot is steep with grades of 13-18%! At the top, take the time to enjoy the awesome views-it’s worth it! This is from the CA State Park site:

From the Golden Gate to the Farallon Islands, from the High Sierra to the Central Valley—this is the sweeping panorama you can savor from atop Mt. Diablo. Geographers claim that hikers can see more of the earth’s surface from the top of Mt. Diablo than from any other peak in the world with only one exception: Africa’s legendary 19,340-foot Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Today was one of the best days to go up Diablo and also one of the busiest I’ve seen in years! The summit was packed with cars, people and cyclists; everyone was up there to take in the spectacular views and to enjoy the sunny warm weather-it was in the low 70’s!

BLANK

Thanks to everyone for joining me on this post-Thanksgiving turkey run up Diablo!

28 people in attendance with 2 tandems

VDO Stats:
Original route: 38.6 miles with 3824′ elevation gain
Extended route from Martinez: 56.32 miles with 4741′ elevation gain
Avg grade: 4%
Max grade: 18%

Weather: FANTASTIC for November! Sunny with clear blue skies. Temps ranged from the low 60’s to the low 70’s

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How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains!   ~John Muir
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Follow this route for today’s ride: