Saturday Ride/Dinner Details

July 16, 2008

After the garage sale (8:30-10:30 AM)  this Saturday July 19, we'll ride up the mountain. It's a flattish 30 minutes at a casual pace (13 mph or so) to get to the park entrance, where two options await you: An 11-mile, 3,600-ft climb to the summit (count on 1.5 to 2 hours); or a 6.5-mile, 2,000-ft climb to "The Junction," a normal stopping /turnaround spot for many of the locals who've been to the top already, and are just out for a hilly workout without a summit involved.

At the Junction (Northgate Road and Southgate Road meet there), there's a ranger station, benches, shade, water. Start the ride with a belly of water and a full bottle, and you won't need to carry two full bottles, because you can refill there.

Once there at the Jct., you may descend Southgate Road and come back another way, but no space here to explain how. Some riders may opt for that and invite others along. If you're one of the inviters, keep the group together and guide them back to Rivendell, OK?

Better to descend Northgate, the same way you came. If you plan to do this and don't know the way, it's OK, because we'll have written instructions and maybe a hand-drawn map.

On the other hand, the climb to the summit is another 4.5 miles and about 1,640 feet. Shortly after the climb, there's a trail option with a horrible climb/push combo. There's nothing technical, it's all legs and gears, and will cut about 3 minutes off the road route, so long as you keep moving, don't stop.

The last 0.1 mile of the climb to the summit is a narrow, super steep "driveway" that will have you walking if you've already dug as deep as you can. No shame in that.
There is some water at the top, but you should have filled up at the Junction.

The descent is an 11 mile/3,600 foot drop. Few in the world are longer, and probably no more than half-a-handful in this country can equal it. I doubt any surpass it, turns, scenery, variety. Sierra passes are essentially long straight shots down the mountain, and are no match for Diablo's gentle beauty and variety. This is a local talking, of course. Main thing with the descent: Control your speed, don't try to keep up with anybody who's faster. Just make it down and you've won.

This is not a low-pressure, friendly ride. You are truly on your own, from a legal perspective, although we will ask you to sign a waiver. You will be in the company of the friendliest group of riders in the solar system, and as climbs to the top go, it should be easy in such fine company.

At 4pm we will eat at Tullio's, Rivendell's Favorite Restaurant, and though it lacks the white napkin/crystal goblet swankiness of some of Dowtown's eateries, the food is unmatched. Salads, sandwiches, pasta, pizza.

It's a No Host/Buy Your Own deal, but we're doing it this-a-way:

Give us $12 (for what will most likely be a $13 meal when you consider grog and tip ), and we'll cover any extras plus the tip.

That way, no weirdness, arithmetic, and no mental math geniuses figuring out that they're owed $1.75 and that the guy in the green hat should pay more because he had an extra beer.
So: That's how we're going to do it: Give us $12 and we'll cover the rest. The waiter will get a wonderful tip.

If you plan to be a meal-eater, please let John here know ahead of time. You can still eat if you don't notify, but notifying will help us and Tullio's plan better, so if you're kinda sure, then please kindly let John know.

He's john@rivbike.com.