Mt. Diablo is now my Mountain!

I finally did it! I got up early this A.M. and took the wife to work, more importantly I got a fresh cup of coffee and got my morning off to a great start. For some reason, when I drink coffee in the morning, stuff gets done. Today was one of those days, I was hyped on caffeine and was in need of a challenge. I had planned originally to leave my first Mt. Diablo attempt till late July or early August.

I geared up, got the bike ready to go, and hydrated. During the drive to Mt. Diablo I was second guessing myself, I was worried that I would fail miserably and collapse under the heat.

I started in Blackhawk to get some mileage on my legs before the real work would begin. As soon as I turned onto Blackhawk Rd. off of Camino Tassajara I was met with a 1/2mi. ascent which made me even more doubtful. At mile 5, I reached Mt. Diablo Scenic Rd. which is the South Gate entrance. South Gate appears to be higher in gradient than the North Gate and shaded!!! What a relief.

The South side of Mt. Diablo is very green compared to the North side. Going up Mt. Diablo was a strenuous effort, the climbing was unrelenting and their were few areas where you could sit back and easy pedal. While I was struggling up the mountain @ 8mph I was being passed by cyclists descending in full aero tuck. There were many moments where I felt I was running out of energy and possibly headed toward crashing, I slowed the pace and sat in the saddle often instead of dancing on the pedals. I had become resolute to make it to the top regardless of speed and effort.

Reaching the junction point between N. Gate and S. Gate I had begun to worry about "the wall." After every bend I would ask myself, is this it? Is it around this hairpin? I had heard about the last 200 meters to the summit, they would involve an 14-16% which would challenge me to my limit. I was steadfast not to downshift into my triple, I was doing good the whole way up and it looked promising. I was climbing behind another cyclist on the 200 meter wall. I noticed that he was struggling up the wall and I did not want to pass him, was it being respectful? Or fear of passing him only to bonk ahead and look like a retard. I was trailing closer and I begun to move to the left to make the pass. Just then he unclipped and leaned to the left, doh! This forced me to do a power stand on my pedals on a 16% grade, not good!

I dropped into the triple in order to get around but I felt guilty. Like it was taint on a perfect climb, but nevertheless I made it to the summit without stopping. Mt. Diablo is now my mountain.

The ride was a very great experience and views were worth every gritty challenged mile. The descent down the mountain was scary-fun! That is the best way to describe it, I had got behind a vehicle traveling down from the summit and kept on its bumper the entire time until we exited the North Gate. On the way down I felt like I had been tested and my mettle proven by fire!

Wind be gone!

The winds seem to have finally left and with it my legs. June 9th was my last "real" ride consisting of 30miles @ 18.5mph avg. Why? I blame the wind! Since I live in a flat as florida landscape anything resembling a hill takes a bit of cycling, so I have picked up running again. 6mi. runs have replaced my 20mi. sprints, but it just doesn't feel the same, I get home and feel like a slouch. That said my running is pain-free and faster than before. I am concentrating on running on the balls of my feet and reducing the use of my heels. The result: 6.15mi. / 8:13pace MapMyRide.com - Quick Run: Quick Run on 06/11/2010

The worse part is the fact my diet has gotten a little off-track in the last few days; however in my defense, I went to the A's v. Giants (@ SF) in full A's attire to represent, therefore I am allowed to gorge on terrible ball park junk. I consider what I did at the game as work.

Another excuse... the World Cup 2010 has begun, nuff said.

I forced myself to get out and on the bike today, 95F weather did not feel the greatest. My legs are much weaker and the effort level was pathetic, I squeezed out 11.5 miles @ 18mph, I just have to get myself back into the rhythm of things.

I do not know what ride I will do tomorrow, but I do know it will include pain and suffering.

Patterson Pass to Altamont Pass... not easy

June 7th was a fun day. Short ride but a tough ride. I started in Tracy,Ca near the sports complex at Kathy and Chris' house, left westbound toward the altamont, the crossing point was Patterson Pass Rd. which is a short and difficult climb, the hardest part was the persistent headwinds. I have rode this route before without incidence, but today all the wind turbines were on, the whole wind farm was producing electricity due the heavy 25-30mph winds. This did not help any, considering I was climbing steadily at 8%-15%.

Thats an old picture I took in march, now the altamont is yellow and dry, too bad I forgot my camera at home. I suppose its a positive, considering how carrying an extra lb. up the altamont would have made it slightly more difficult, at one point near the last 1/2mi. to the summit of Patterson Pass Rd. I considered unclipping. Muscled through and made it up and over.

According to Livestrong.com it was 2600+ ft of vertical ascent over the course of 34.8miles. Average speed was 15mph. Not bad considering I had a severe headwind, on the way eastbound leaving Livermore I rode consistently 33-40mph with assistance from that tailwind. Very exciting.

Warp speed? All this preparation is in hopes of completing an ascent up Mt. Diablo. Wish me luck!

Well part of fitness is eating healthy right?

No cycling today... ran 6.15mi./54:11 . I felt very strong today, managed a 8:49min/mi.

If all goes well, Yosemite this weekend. Can't wait!

Boredom and Insomnia

Hello everyone and anyone who may accidentally stumble into this blog.

Here comes the mandatory introduction, my name is Diego Hernandez, I live in an unimportant township in the Central Valley in California, namely Riverbank. The town itself is small, quiet, and offers relatively little entertainment and leisure to its occupants. The one major annual event that this little town does offer is the annual Riverbank Wine and Cheese Festival. Sadly, my wife and I have yet to attend, however this year will be different and we will make the effort to attend and enjoy the festivities taking place.

One of the major reasons for starting a blog is to keep a journal of my cycling and fitness. My wife and I purchased Specialized Road bikes in April of 2009, since then it has become somewhat of a passion and hobby of mine, while it is challenging at times to get the motivation to get geared up and ride, the physical rewards have been worth the effort. February 10th was the date I decided that I would enact a lifestyle change, I would begin to eat healthier, live actively, and attempt to make every moment count. I never officially broke the 200lb mark, so I can shamefully say that I weighed in at 199lbs. now, I weigh 168lbs. Numerically it is a significant amount of weight, however I fail to see the big difference.

My older brother, a runner, finally broke down after my relentless tormenting and purchased an awesome BMC road bike. Finding time to ride together is difficult but the few rides we have done together have been fun and challenging. One of the goals for the year is to ascend Mt. Diablo with my bro, he doesn't know it yet.

Fun ride up Merced Falls rd. east of Snelling and just west of Lake Mclure. Weather was a balmy 84-88F but the effort was well worth it as this ride will be especially difficult in the summer heat.

1400ft. of elevation gain with a max grade of 8.8%, my brothers first climbing exercise and he managed quite well.