Went home. I saw, I conquered, I ate a lot of pizza.
I arrived in SF on Tuesday night. I was sad to leave Heather. My dad picked me up and we immediately got burgers and hotdogs at Burgermeister. I tried a bite of his salad which was surprisingly un-surprising. My jaw popped really hard while eating and made my jaw sore well into the next day.
The next day I met up with my friend Kevin from PsPrint. He just started riding when I left that job a few years ago (has it been that long already?). Then we waited a few minutes for Jonathan to show up at his work with the bike I'd be using during my trip. A very nice vintage steel Cyclocross bike, frankensteined together with a 6 speed cogset (with only 5 useable gears) and one chain ring.
I changed into my racing kit and we took off. Getting lost in the hills of Walnut Creek, east of downtown. We eventually found a gate to Shell Ridge park and did some off road riding (perfect for the CX bike I was on). I was pleased by the weather and trail conditions, and Kevin's patience. Walnut Creek, and this park in particular is a nice place to get lost while on bike. Eventually we made our way to North Gate Road and up Mt. Diablo.
I was a little anxious about my fitness level and lack of climbing the last few years, but then I remembered RAGBRAI had quite a few hills, and I *am* from here after all. But I warned kevin to go as fast as he needs to, reminding him too that I only had 5 gears.
We chatted while riding for a while, which makes such a huge difference with passing the time on long ascents - it also distracts from the surroundings though. I wanted to take it all in. Everything was green and crisp. Its always nice to ride without a jacket.
One thing about the roads in Chicago is they're not very grippy. There is something about the pavement here that really makes the roads feel slick all the time. The road up Diablo is smooth and dark the whole way up.
I couldn't quite remember how long the ride was, except that its long and steep. I think the grade is about 4% half the way up, and then it gets steeper up to 6%. I don't know what that means, but its good for you. I didn't push myself to the point of exploding and eating my stem, but I pushed and pushed. My heart rate was high enough, and strong enough, but its been higher on flat group sprints. I just focused on the sights and sounds. The wind coming down the hill, pushing me back. The sounds of all the birds, and eventually - the view.
Even when surrounded by the trees, it was great to be surrounded by tranquility. I was completely relaxed once the climbing started and I settled in. I was looking forward to the pain and torture but I felt stronger than any other time I had ridden this route. The lack of nerves probably helped keep my muscles fresh.
Eventually we started gaining altitute, real altitude.
. I could still remember lots of things about the ride, so I mostly knew what to expect, which I think is 50% of the strategy. I knew where to push hard, and where to recover. Some parts are steeper than others. But I didn't have to play games with myself. Sometimes I imagine a bungee cord is pulling me up from a tree up the road, or I could my breathing and try to take deep full breaths as many times as I can - there was no need for that here. I just tickled the pedals and pushed when I really felt I wanted to dig a little deeper.
Kevin was quite a bit faster than me, and he attempted (successfully) to stay in what seemed like the same gear as me. Near the summit, maybe a mile or two (its hard to recall, and measure distances during a huge climb), he took off and went at his own pace. Leaving me alone with my thoughts and the mountain. It got a little cooler as we rolled to the top, and windy.
Nobody passed me. I passed everyone else I saw on bikes. Fuel for the fire.
3850 feet is the final elevation number. I think it took us about 3 hours from downtown walnut creek. The best 3 hours I had on a bike this year.
