TE girls' hill training program - newest recruit

Hello gang -

Well, my new front chain rings have been installed and let me tell you, they are grand!

I made it up Old Tunnel Rd last night with just 1 (yes, one!) stop! On previous rides up that hill, I have to stop 5 or more times over 4 or so miles of climbing. So I am very pleased with the new gearing - I was able to spin instead of grind most of the way - what a difference. Got rid of the suspension seat post, and I think that's helping also.

I feel a little more confident about giving Mt. Diablo a try. :)

Would Saturday July 30 work for any of you guys? Sunday the 31st won't work for me, unfortunately. I am also free the weekend after (8/6-7) if that is better.

The other thing is - how early could we start? I know some of you have a long drive to Mt. Diablo, but I am a little worried about the heat - my body doesn't seem to regulate temperature very well when it's hot... So I don't think any start time would be too early for me...

So - any thoughts? I'm looking forward to giving this a shot!

Saturday's ok with me

Oh good - I thought you had to work that day!

don't scare me! :eek:

No, I have Friday the 22nd off and work Saturday the 23rd but Saturday the 30th I'm off.

Since I'm, unfortunately, not going anywhere, I'm free either weekend. Maybe the time can be determined closer to the ride date, based on how hot it will be.

I'm still on restriction by my PT! I wanna play too!

Good luck bikerz! You can do it!

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Maybe the time can be determined closer to the ride date, based on how hot it will be.

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Kim - sounds like a good plan. Should we tentatively say the 30th, and check the weather/temps as the day approaches?

Snap - why don't you come anyway, you can walk slowly up the hill, and talk to me - we'll probably be at the same speed! ;) It will be a one way conversation, 'cause I can't really talk and pedal uphill at the same time, but since friends tell me I never shut up, it will be a golden opportunity! (and thanks in any case for the vote of confidence!)

You guys all have such cool avatars - I gotta get me one of them...

I just saw this!!!! Must have still been addled from my return to reality from vacation.

I've got it pencilled in but slinke and I are still trying to arrange something. Maybe if we can get her to the clinic on this Saturday she'll want to try riding up to the junction.

Snap, come be our sag and then you can come drink, erm eat, with us after. :D

Time - if it's hot , waaaaayyyyy early. Kim and V have seen what the heat does to me and I reserve the right to whimper loudly and/or cancel if it is too obscenely hot. I cannot believe I'm even thinking about riding the Devil in July since it is supposed to hit the triple digits today. :eek:

I can't ride the 30th. Blaine's parents are coming out from Indiana for a visit so I'll be hanging with the in-laws for a week. :) (That is a happy face, not a sad face! I really do love my in-laws... I'm blessed with good ones!)

Blaine and I went on a challenging (for me) ride on Sunday afternoon and it made me realize that I need to work on my climbing A LOT! I rode hard for about 40 minutes in the trainer this morning whilst I watched the TdF boys "dance in the pedals" up those Cat. 1 climbs. Hopefully I'll soon be ready for the first half of Diablo!!

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Originally Posted by SadieKate

Snap, come be our sag and then you can come drink, erm eat, with us after. :D

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Hey, this is a good idea! Both driving SAG and the drin...er eating.


snap "super SAG" dragen

Which road are you thinking? Oh, Diablo Diva Kim, is one side shadier than the other in the morning?

Sadiekate - I was wondering why I hadn't heard from you about the Diablo thing - I have come to consider you my hill-climbing conscience! :D

And I am with you 100% on the heat thing - I am really no good with heat - I'd be happy to start at 6:00 am - early is not a problem - compared to high temps. It's probably an early start, or we wait until October!

And there'd be sag support too? Sounds great! Sounds like you guys know your beers (judging from the other posts I've seen!) - what's in the cooler?

The South Gate side is probably shadier in the am, and it's generally easier.

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Originally Posted by bikerz

Sounds like you guys know your beers (judging from the other posts I've seen!) - what's in the cooler?

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.... or in the trailer.

If we do 6:30 am I can come and bring the trailer with some goodies. I just need to be on site (usually berkeley) for the LUNA ride at 9:30am. We are talking Saturday the 30th right?

cindysue "If we do 6:30 am I can come and bring the trailer with some goodies."

coffeeeeeeeeeee :cool: :D

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Originally Posted by Trek420

cindysue "If we do 6:30 am I can come and bring the trailer with some goodies."

coffeeeeeeeeeee :cool: :D

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I believe Kim likes Frappucinos (did I get that spelled right?). If Snap, the Super SAG (that's an "S" NOT an "H" :eek: :D ), comes she can haul the goodies. She'll feel ever so deserving of the drink, err food, after. Maybe then she'll tell us why she wants to rent a camel.

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Originally Posted by bikerz

Sadiekate - I was wondering why I hadn't heard from you about the Diablo thing - I have come to consider you my hill-climbing conscience! :D

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Nooooo, don't put any pressure on me!!! I'm only doing it because Jo, Kim, Trek, V, et al, kept encouraging me to try and 'lo and behold, they was right! :D I could do it! But my first attempt was in the heavy winter fog . . .

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Originally Posted by bikerz

And there'd be sag support too? Sounds great! Sounds like you guys know your beers (judging from the other posts I've seen!) - what's in the cooler?

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If we ride the south side, we can try the New Mexican restaurant there in Danville or any one of the multitude of restaurants right there in walking distance. Then, we can drink in the comfort of A/C.

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Originally Posted by SadieKate

If Snap, the Super SAG (that's an "S" NOT an "H" :eek: :D ), comes she can haul the goodies. She'll feel ever so deserving of the drink, err food, after. Maybe then she'll tell us why she wants to rent a camel.

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Ah, Snap provides camel services. Do we rent you by the hour?

So, what day have we decided on for all these festivities?

I read through the emails and it looks like the general consensus is:

Day: Saturday, July 30th
Start: Time to be determined by weather but guessing between 6 and 6:30
Where: Train Museum in Danville
Camel Services: Still to be confirmed
After Ride Rehab Location: To be determined

Did I collect the right info?

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Originally Posted by SadieKate

I read through the emails and it looks like the general consensus is:

Day: Saturday, August 30th
Start: Time to be determined by weather but guessing between 6 and 6:30
Where: Train Museum in Danville
Camel Services: Still to be confirmed
After Ride Rehab Location: To be determined

Did I collect the right info?

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July 30th?

Oops, mo' better? Sorry! :o

Hey - July 30th, details as specified by SK, sounds great! - I'm in!

Is this the South Gate route? (Trek will admonish me, but if so, I'm going to take a look at those gradient sites you all posted earlier...) Kim's note that the South route is "a little easier" sounds just fine to me!

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Originally Posted by sadiekate

Nooooo, don't put any pressure on me!!! I'm only doing it because Jo, Kim, Trek, V, et al, kept encouraging me to try and 'lo and behold, they was right! I could do it! But my first attempt was in the heavy winter fog . . .

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No pressure! It's just that you have always been so quick to provide encouragement - not to mention your amazing vertical climbing goal! First attempt in winter sounds better than the heat, but I don't want to wait that long, now that I'm psyched up for it!

I'm neurotic about logistics - will it be abundantly clear exactly where we meet up at the Train Museum?

Looking forward to it!! Thanks!

I'm doing all the writing because you're asking all the questions that the TE gals so patiently answered for me as they got me "larned" on Diablo.

Yes, this is the South Gate route and it has a few flat spots and more shade. It climbs to the same elevation but takes longer to do it. From the junction up, it's all the same. FYI, there is potable water and restrooms at the junction. If the visitors' center at the top is open, I think they have bottled water for sale but I don't know if there are any spigots (but then you're going right back down to the junction).

There is a big parking lot at the train museum. We tend to park closer to the museum than to Andronico's (is that the right name for the market?). http://www.museumsrv.org/directions.html We can then walk to eats type places and bike shops as desired.

Ah, my climbing goal -- peanuts compared to others. There's folks on bikejournal going for the vertical century, 1,000,000 ft. Yellow has probably done double that already, but then she gets about 50 ft everytime she rides her driveway. :cool:

Does everybody like watermelon?

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Originally Posted by snapdragen

Does everybody like watermelon?

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Oui! You bet! Yum!

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Originally Posted by SadieKate

If the visitors' center at the top is open, I think they have bottled water for sale but I don't know if there are any spigots (but then you're going right back down to the junction).

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There's a fountain, and bathrooms, at the top. There might be water at the various picnic spots along the way, but I don't know for sure.

Watermelon from the camel sag sounds great!

OK, so i'm off the hook for the trailer, right? Good thing - cause after this ride, I'm off to Lafayette for another ride into Berkeley (through Moraga). Anyone want to double up rides with me?

Are you riding or driving to Moraga?

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Originally Posted by cindysue

OK, so i'm off the hook for the trailer, right? Good thing - cause after this ride, I'm off to Lafayette for another ride into Berkeley (through Moraga). Anyone want to double up rides with me?

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Oh, could it be possible that one day, riding up Mt Diablo will just be a warm-up ride???

Snap - Watermelon sounds great! Thanks! And SK, thanks for the detailed directions and info.

Sounds like we have a nice big group - is this everybody?
Bikerz, SadieKate, Trek420, CindySue, Snapdragon, and aka_kim?
AdventureGirl - are you coming also? (or just providing valuable QA on the posts :D ?)

Oh boy - I guess it's really happening! I only have 2 weeks to get ready! I'm doing a pretty flat ride tomorrow, but then I'm riding in Marin on Sunday - going to head up that big hill that drops into Olema :eek: , then around the Nicasio resevoir and I guess there's another hill :eek: :eek: before completing the loop...

Have a great weekend everyone!

mark me down as a possible - we might be going away that weekend but that's iffy.

Your ride this weekend looks like fun, bz

On Saturday, Lee and I are going to ride from home (Union City) across the Dumbarton up to Woodside - what is it with me and Woodside these days, nearly all of my rides the last few weeks have been up there - and we're going to stop off at Filoli (sp?) to wander around the gardens there and have a picnic lunch, then I'll see if I can talk him into going up King's Mtn. Road before we head back for home. Maybe with a side trip to Lappert's Ice Cream off Foothill Drive in Los Altos... :)

Hi jobob - I hope you can make it! BTW, your posts (especially on the TDF thread) have really been cracking me up!

Yeah - this Marin ride should be fun - but probably on the hot side - oh well - not much to do about that these days but start early and drink lots. According to my little TOPO program, there'll be 4550 feet of elevation gain...

Your Saturday ride sounds very pleasant also - especially the picnic and ice cream parts! Enjoy!

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Originally Posted by jobob

Maybe with a side trip to Lappert's Ice Cream off Foothill Drive in Los Altos... :)

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Oh, jobob, you are so predictable. Glad you know how to focus on the priorities in life. :D Hope to see you (and Lee?) then.

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Originally Posted by aka_kim

Are you riding or driving to Moraga?

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riding all the way from diablo to berkeley, baby!

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Originally Posted by jobob

On Saturday, Lee and I are going to ride and have a picnic lunch, then I'll see if I can talk him into going up King's Mtn. Road before we head back for home. Maybe with a side trip to Lappert's Ice Cream off Foothill Drive in Los Altos... :)

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awhhhh - a picnic is so romantic - have fun jobob!

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Originally Posted by cindysue

riding all the way from diablo to berkeley, baby!

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But then you'll miss the post-ride libations!

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Originally Posted by aka_kim

But then you'll miss the post-ride libations!

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hmmmm, how 'bout libations at the junction?

Yikes - it was pretty darn hot on Old Tunnel Road this morning at 7:00 am! (Even here on the "cool" side of the bay.) Kind of tolerable before the sun hit, but when it did, it was toasty! I mean, I could actually feel the sun's heat on my arms, and it had barely risen...

Has anyone heard if this heat will break before our Mt Diablo ride?

It would be really embarrasing to collapse of heat exhaustion, having just met most of you... And someone would have to make a sled out of my bike, bungee me on, and drag me down the hill on it... I think this would be even more embarrasing than when I tipped over with Kim and Trek... My face would actually be this color --> :o

from the gradient of Diablo - it sounds like they could just make your bike into a sled, bungee you on it and Push you down the Mt! Who knows, it could be your highest descent speed to date!!!


Corsair "ain't I Little Ms Helpful today??" Mac

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Originally Posted by CorsairMac

from the gradient of Diablo - it sounds like they could just make your bike into a sled, bungee you on it and Push you down the Mt! Who knows, it could be your highest descent speed to date!!!

Corsair "ain't I Little Ms Helpful today??" Mac

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Yep, if you start getting too hot, just start descending and you will cool off real fast...................

I sure will miss you all - but no road bike = no Mt. Diablo :(

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Originally Posted by CorsairMac

from the gradient of Diablo - it sounds like they could just make your bike into a sled, bungee you on it and Push you down the Mt! Who knows, it could be your highest descent speed to date!!!

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Ha! I'm sure it would be my highest descent speed to date, but it's the "cornering-while-unconscious" part that I think will be the real challenge!