I ended 2013 with my first BikeForums group ride! This was also the first forum ride I've ever done. I've been doing local group rides for a while now with the three cycling clubs I'm a member of.
The Morgan Territory/Mt. Diablo loop is a popular route. It has two big climbs. Morgan Territory is the shorter, easier one. It is about 9 miles long, with only a few short steep sections. Mt. Diablo is tougher. It is 11 miles long with very few easier sections. The entire ride was 68.7 miles with 6,690' of climbing.
http://www.strava.com/activities/102740916 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/421671852
I got PRs on both big climbs, and I felt pretty good too. This was the first time I didn't stop at the ranger station at the junction of South Gate Road and Summit Road on Mt. Diablo. At the top of both climbs we regrouped, so while we were waiting for the rest of our group I took some pics.
Top of Morgan Territory Road. I think we were waiting for one more rider at this point. She ended up turning around somewhere on Morgan Territory Road due to vision problems. Not everyone is in this pic. > >NorCal BikeForums riders at top of Morgan Territory 12-29-13 by freighttraininguphill, on Flickr
The part of our group that arrived at the summit of Mt. Diablo before me. From left to right: BikeForums members lhbernhardt, JoelS, and UmneyDurak. My riding partner Matthew is on the right, and my blue Specialized Dolce Triple is next to his bike.
> >NorCal BikeForums riders at top of Mt. Diablo 12-29-13 by freighttraininguphill, on Flickr
JoelS (left) and gw_12 (right). You can see Matthew's sleeve on the far left. > >NorCal BikeForums riders at top of Mt. Diablo 12-29-13 by freighttraininguphill, on Flickr
Screenshot from Matthew's helmet-mounted GoPro of me climbing Mt. Diablo > >Climbing Mt. Diablo 12-29-13 by freighttraininguphill, on Flickr > >Mt. Diablo summit 12-29-13 by freighttraininguphill, on Flickr
I have many more photos posted on the BikeForums thread here. My pics are on pages 3 and 4.
Here's video of the steep Summit Wall climb on Mt. Diablo. This is the final kicker before the summit. I added DashWare data overlay that displays speed, heart rate, percent grade, cadence, distance, and altitude.