Meet at Arbolado Park - 9AM. Let me know if you need directions. :)
V.
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Meet at Arbolado Park - 9AM. Let me know if you need directions. :)
V.
Sign us up.
a big 'ol "more than likely" for us.
- Jo.
Oh goodie - haven't seen you guys for awhile. How was your trip?
V.
The trip went fine, but more work was awaitin' me on my return. Amazing how I'm remaining so calm. not. :eek: :eek: :eek:
Since I was out there for such a short amount of time, I never never really adjusted to the time change. Which is good right now, I feel like I'm back on West Coast time already, but all this past week I would wake up at about 2 am and not be able to get back to sleep. Mid-afternoons were deadly :p
Welcome back, pardner!
Doing it from the south side (does that sound slightly risque to anyone else?). We could always meet at Whole Foods in WC, or the train museum in Danville -- both spots maybe a little easier for most to get to than Arbolado Park... But then, both will also be crowded early Sunday afternoon when we finish.
Okay so it's official. We'll do this ride form the South side. Nice change of pace for us. :) Meet at the train station 9 AM in Danville. There should be lots of parking at that hour. (I hope) Any suggestions for lunch options thereabouts? There are also a couple of bicycle stores in downtown Danville.
V.
Bubba thinks the southern route sounds great as do I. "The Train Station" - is this Amtrak or BART or ??? How would we know we're at the right train station? The cookie crumbs? Sorry, we're out of our element when navigating much of the bay area.
Kim, "the south side" only sounds risque because of the nekkid bike ride thread you started.
It's actually the Train Museum - 205 Railroad Blvd. Danville.
V.
If you want to be really picky, it's the Museum of the San Ramon Valley
http://www.museumsrv.org/directions.html
Thanks Jo for finding the map. :) I had reading quizzes to grade.
V.
And Snap misses another chance to embarass herself on Diablo. :D I promised a non-biking friend we'd do the shopping thing that weekend..she and her daughter are feeling neglected. :p
V and Jo, us Foreigners out here in Tomatoland thank you for your map/address research.
Snap, I am sooooo disappointed. First, Kim puts baseball before bicycling and now you put shopping first. What is this world coming to? :D
SK
How things come back to haunt you. I posted that last year, and completely forgot about it until last week when the thread was resurrected. Yeah, I've got to get it out of my head!Quote:
Originally Posted by SadieKate
he obviously has never ridden the mountain or he'd understand the name ;-)
" The name Kawukum first surfaced in 1866, when a church group tried to change Mount Diablo's name for reasons nearly identical to Mijares', according to San Francisco Bay area researcher Bev Ortiz.
"We abhor the wicked creature to whom the name is appropriate, and spurn the use of the name for anything noble or good on earth," proclaimed the Congregational Church of San Francisco in its newsletter of the day.
The church proposed Kawukum, spelled then as Kahwookum, "a word learned from an unidentified Indian living at the base of the mountain,"
What the "unidentified Indian" didn't tell them is that Kahwookum means "stupid couch potato whiteguy, you'll never make it to the top"
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...s/mount_diablo
Here you go, Snap. Come join us! Maybe I'll be able to recognize my own teammate at the Top Hat then.
... and Top Hat has hills. Gotta get that last training ride in.
Kim, could you compare the Top Hat climbs to Party Pardee? Is there anything on the Top Hat worse than Pardee (as in I'd need lower gears)?
I didn't follow last year's route too closely, so I don't know what may be in store for us this year. But, in the past, Pig Farm and Reliez Valley Road have been the hardest climbs (the climbs harder than Pardee).
Since I don't have an altimeter I like to make up gradients (and miles), but Pig Farm is about as steep as the top of Diablo, except it stair steps so there is a little relief (and the fact you haven't been climbing continuously for the past hour+ helps too). It's maybe a half mile.
Reliez Valley is maybe 2 miles of 7% grade... I don't know. It's hard because it's pretty much the last of the climbs, so you've already got 5000 feet of climbing in your legs.
I don't know if extra gears are needed or not. I'll be using my 30x27 on the hard stuff, but if I had anything lower I might bring it.
Both climbs are on the 75 mile route, not the 50 mile.
28x34 or 30x26. Guess your response makes it an easy decision! Thanks.Quote:
Originally Posted by aka_kim
So, what can us wimps doing the 50 expect? :o
Quote:
Originally Posted by aka_kim
If I may be so bold?.....Anyone riding a bike for 50 miles isn't a wimp in this girls book!Quote:
Originally Posted by snapdragen
Yep, no wimps on either ride.
Let's see, Dublin Grade to start. It's just a slight grade for a few miles, and is only a problem if it's windy (like on Primavera). It's not usually windy in the morning, so shouldn't be a problem. Then out Redwood Rd into Chabot Regional Park. This is very pretty and passes San Leandro Reservoir, so it's some climbing and rollers for quite a few miles until Moraga. And that's basically it for climbing.
Here's the topo.
The 50 mile is challenging if you don't do a lot of climbing, but still very doable.:)
Where on Reliez Valley are you referring to? I ride that road a lot when I ride to Richmond from Walnut Creek.Quote:
Originally Posted by aka_kim
For those of you joining us on Sunday - Thom's b-day is Tuesday. I'm not planning anything special. And he 's already gotten his present for several years to come. But maybe at lunch we can sing him Happy Birthday.
V.
Since the starting place was changed mid-thread, I thought I'd re-post. We wouldn't want to lose anyone before the ride even starts.
9 am - Train Station in Danville (aka Musuem of San Ramon Valley)
205 Railroad Blvd. Danville
Links to the Museum location are provided up above.
We still need restaurant recommendations. V, what kind of food does the b-day boy like?
Coming off Alhambra Valley Rd down to Pleasant Hill Rd. Am I exaggerating? I always find it tough going, and it's through a residential neighborhood (so how "epic" can it be?).Quote:
Originally Posted by cindysue
Hey V- I'll send some flowers-i.e. Chico Wildflowers that is :p
Happy Happy Birthday to Thom!!! :D :D
Oh, he'll eat most anything and he HATES to be made much of. So of course I have to make a big deal. :p
V.
Sounds like you have an equal opportunity marriage like ours - equal opportunity to wash the dishes, iron your own shirt, harrass your sweetie, etc.
CindySue - are you joining us so we can sing you our very own unique and off-key version of the b-day song? Don't expect to fly under the radar any longer! Two opportunities to offend fellow restaurant go-ers would be sooooo much fun!
Just talked to the hubby and unfortunately, we won't be joining you all for the ride this weekend, but maybe next time. He's still making me be careful of the pulled groin muscled I got riding Primavera. :rolleyes:
Mel
ahhh thanks sadiekate. I will be celebrating my birthday with 100 lashes, erhhh miles that is, at the Chico Wildflower.Quote:
Originally Posted by SadieKate
I'm up for another restaurant offense, birthday or otherwise, if the chance presents itself. Hmmmm, Cinco De Mayo is coming up........ Margarita anyone?
anything seems easy compared to pigfarm hill on that route going towards Pleasant Hill. I'll be riding that route tomorrow on my way home from work in the late afternoon......Quote:
Originally Posted by aka_kim
A really fun place to go in Walnut Creek is Tiki TomsQuote:
Originally Posted by SadieKate
(925) 932-9204
1535 Olympic Blvd
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
Just thought I'd let everyone know that our group (5 total -- 3 who have voted) are willing to wait a bit later in the day just in case it gives us drier roads and warmer weather. Are there problems with South Gate drying?
Maybe you're already seeing better weather down there. Anyway, we're very flexible and can do whatever makes sense.
It's been drizzling/raining on and off all day, with dark clouds moving through at the moment. Tomorrow's forecast still says party cloudy.
I'm flexible on the time tomorrow too. Maybe 10 would be good? Or even later since it won't be hot.
Whatever you folks want - I wouldn't be adverse to leaving a bit later. 10 sounds good to me.
- Jo.
10 it is. We'd been thinking 9 to avoid heat. I don't think thayt will be a problem. :D
See ya then! I'll have a new chain, rear cassette and freshly taped handlebars.
V.