Mt. Diablo - Danville,CA
On the first Sunday in October, I had the opportunity to once again to race up Mt. Diablo. From the top of Mt. Diablo (3849 ft.) , one can see most of the San Francisco Bay Area. The bike race to the top is 10.8 miles with 3,300 feet of climbing. I have raced up Diablo for 22 years and it is my favorite mountain in the world. Since leaving California in 1994, I have flown back to the Bay Area on 7 occasions to better my best time.
My training this summer had me ready for another fast climb. Over 22 years, my average time for the climb is 53:28. On a cool windy day, my time this year was 53:15. I was hoping for a time a minute and a half faster, but the weather was not ideal for a fast time. Once I finished, I was shivering for 20 minutes despite extra clothes. I still believe that I can still beat my best time on Mt. Diablo, but living a thousand miles away makes it difficult to get there.
This years race was a lot of fun. I was cautious for the first half mile because of the many pot holes in the road. I didn’t want to risk a crash from other riders or hitting a pot hole. When I hit good pavement, I was steadily passing other riders. On the less steep sections, I looked for group to draft with. When it got steeper, I used my triple chain ring to spin away and find more riders to catch. During the last 10 miles I was catching and passing other riders. The 53 minutes of racing went by very quickly. I was pleased with my heart rate management and race tactics. I was very sentimental about once again having to say goodbye to my favorite mountain.
