Mt Diablo Challenge

Another week, another California hillclimb race.  The 27th Mt Diablo Challenge took place eight days after the 48th Annual Mt Tam Hillclimb, the latter of which was a painful experience for me.  I knew that, for a number of reasons, I would go better this week, and I actually did.

I had the misfortune of starting in the 4th and final wave, which meant that I would be fighting bike traffic the entire way up.  The road had recently been repaved (real pavement and not chip seal!) and felt smooth and fast.  Also, unlike Mt Tam, this climb is gentler and has some nearly flat, windy sections where I can usually gain a bit of time.  So, I think the odds of a better ride were in my favor.

My friend Jeff and I left his house in Moraga at 7am to ride to the start.  It was beautiful riding on virtually traffic-free roads as the sun came up on a lovely Sunday morning.  We rode a nice tempo and I felt ready when Jeff pinned my number on just before the start.

The race began with a bang as immediately about 10 guys broke into a full sprint.  This of course did not last and soon it was just myself and one other guy.  He looked back at me on his wheel and said “if you sit in, you have to take a pull.”  I am not sure what he meant as we were going about 15Kph and about 10 seconds later he dropped me for good!  I think it was just nervous wannabe-pro-bike-racer-talk.

I felt solid the rest of the way up and continued to pass people from the previous waves, while no one from my wave passed me.  The finish was brutal with about 150m of 16% grade.  I put a 12×29 cassette on for TransAlp and was happy that I left it on for this event, even though that was the only time I used it.  I ended up 17th in my age group, which in a hillclimb is a great result for me.

That about finishes my season, but I will do the coming Cross Crusade races just for fun and good company.  It’s interesting to note that roadside fans in California seem to be an enthusiastic and vocal bunch.  Most spectators in Oregon just stand and stare, with cyclocross spectators being the great and notable exception.

Here are some photos from the day:

The organization was kind enough to provide toilets in my team colors!

Rounding the Devil's Elbow - about 10 minutes from the finish

Grinding up to the finish line

 
Jeff and I after the finish - the view was spectacular