One Devil of a Climb in the East Bay
April 21, 2000

Distance: 45 miles/72 kilometers
Elevation: 5,500 feet/1,675 meters
Difficulty: 7/10
Scenery: 9/10;
Route: Walnut Creek BART Station-Ygnacio Valley Road-
North Gate Road-Summit Road-South Gate Road-North Gate Road-
Ygnacio Valley Road-Walnut Creek BART Station

(Above: Along North Gate Road)

"Cancelled," in cold, unfeeling white letters, blinked next to the Chicago-San Francisco flight on the Departure screen at O’Hare. A bad, late-season storm was rampaging through the Midwest and I was staring at the prospects of spending another night in rain-drenched, cheerless Chicago. I spotted an Oakland flight scheduled to depart two hours later and managed to snare the last seat (so they said, there were quite a few empty seats on the plane—airlines, sigh, a ripe subject for vitriolic vituperations…). After another hour of delay, the plane took off, renewing my hopes of finally escaping the wet weather that had been dogging me from London to Chicago.

My plan was to spend the Easter weekend with my family; and since no one can spend continuous time with one’s relatives without going cuckoo, I thought I could fit in a couple of rides in the four days that I was home.

Being the only living boy in California without a car, I had to concoct a way to get to the foothills of Mount Diablo. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that BART, the Bay Area’s primary commuter public transit system, had changed its neanderthal rule of requiring cyclists to carry a bike permit to board the trains. Though the new bike policy still has too many restrictions having to do with rush-hour congestion (http://www.bart.org), those restrictions did not apply to me as I was heading in a direction opposite from the morning commute.

So I boarded a train for Walnut Creek and settled in for the short trip. I must admit it was a very strange sensation to be taking public transport going on a bike ride in the Bay Area. And I suppose my recent experiences in Europe allowed me to make a somewhat objective comparison as to how bike friendly BART is relative to its European counterparts. I would say that BART compares favorably—the trains are relatively clean and fast, and there’s adequate room in each carriage for a bike.

(Below: The north entrance to the Mount Diablo State Park)

My ride started from Ygnacio Valley Road, the busy thoroughfare that runs from Walnut Creek to Concord. This stretch was easily the worst of the entire ride, for it went on for several busy, characterless miles. A modicum of redemption was brought about by an uphill just before the road crossed over into Concord. It had been at least three years since I last visited Mt. Diablo and I was a bit apprehensive lest its once-familiar bends, the expected rise and fall of its roads, and its famous views had become strangers to me now. Could one still come home after thousands of European cycling kilometers?

Ah, but I remembered enough that the I should turn right on Walnut Avenue and not Walnut Road, the former being a couple of miles farther out. These two Walnuts had always confused me. Coming from Walnut Creek, it’s the second Walnut that one should take. Ever so gradually, the familiarity came back. There’s the old Safeway supermarket where Barry and I used to go for watermelons after a Sunday afternoon of tennis. And that shop over these used to be a Sizzler’s, an all-you-can-eat restaurant whose feeding-trough atmosphere I didn’t used to mind after spending a day out riding.

(Above and Below: The flattish first couple of miles of North Gate Road)

My intent was to climb all the way to the summit of Mt. Diablo via North Gate Road, a climb of approximately 11 miles from the entrance gate to the summit. Then, should I have any leftover in my tank, I would go down the south side and climb the 6 miles of South Gate Road to the junction, before going back down North Gate Road and back to Walnut Creek.

But what are all these new houses doing along North Gate Road? You know Chrissie Hynde’s lament about the disappearance of her Ohio ("my city was gone")? Well, that’s how I felt. You, the developer, and you, the noveau riche who took out a mortgage to fatten the developer’s wallet, I hope both of you are happy now that you’ve permanently scarred my mountain.

Alright GS, let’s not get all worked up over this. Take a deep breath. Exhale. Now go back to the account of the ride.

After a couple of hundred feet of moderate climbing, I reached the familiar North Gate Entrance and the State Park Rangers in their brown uniforms (Mt. Diablo is the centerpiece to Mt. Diablo State Park). I’ve always wanted to be a park ranger. Yeah, that would be nice. Taking care of the parks and the mountains. I would feed all the boisterous and inconsiderate park users to the grizzly bears and the mountain lions. Uh, on second thought, maybe I should stick to what I currently do.

It felt glorious to be back. What was I worried about? Miles could not separate me from these roads. It was a reunion with an old friend. Time was when I did the bulk of my training for the Death Ride doing multiple Diablos (Tom and I rode up this mountain so much that we developed a unit of measuring climbs—a "Diablo," approximately 3,500 feet of climbing in 10 miles).

(Above: North Gate Road just before it starts climbing)

Tom and I always pondered which was the harder approach, the southern or the northern. In the end, it was moot because the two are roughly comparable, and the second side would always be the harder if one were to tackle them back to back.

Once past the north entrance to the park, one rides a series of mild rollers until about mile 3. From this point, the grade averages approximately 6% to the junction. It is 7 miles from the park entrance to the junction. Summit Road takes over from this point, carrying the cyclist, albeit more steeply, a further 4.5 miles to the summit parking lot.

(Below: The Mt. Diablo northern hillside in its April lushness)

The San Francisco Bay Area had just come out from a spell of wet weather when I was there. This fact was quite evident from the lushness of the area and the profusion of wildflowers dotting the hillsides. But as sure as Abraham Olano and Laurent Jalabert would get dropped on a serious climb of a grand tour, these hills would turn a parched brown come June.

(Above: Mt. Diablo is a prime destination for wildflower lovers in the Bay Area)

But the hills were um, alive with the sound of runoff. I know it would sound corny, but I got goosebumps from the thrill of riding these roads—my roads—once more. England, Italy and France were exceptionally fine and friendly, but I am, and perhaps always will be, a mere visitor to these places.

(Above: Lupines and California Poppies in complementary juxtaposition, Summit Road)

Anyway, to continue with the ride. Approximately 3 miles from the junction, the road turned noticeably steeper. This was introduced by a 10% bottom-to-top "S" shaped stretch, followed by a succession of switchbacks of varying degrees of intensity. I reached the old familiar ranch a couple of miles from the junction. Though my legs felt the strain (this being only my second ride of the season after all), the rush and the excitement of being home gave me extra motivation and strength. I also enjoyed looking at the lupines and the California poppies out in full force.

(Above: The 10% stretch mid-way through the North Gate Road)

As I’m sure is true with all of us and with our favorite local rides, a few segments of Mt. Diablo hold certain associations in my memory. The ranch always triggered reminiscences of when I bonked here and Tom had to wait for me. Later, on the way to our traditional post-ride repast, Tom got pissed at me as I ruined my appetite stuffing down a 7-Eleven chocolate doughnut while at a pit stop to get gas.

The last 2 miles before the junction are quite twisty and strenuous. The ranger residence 500 meters before heralded the arrival of the junction and Summit Road, elevation approximately 2,000 feet.

(Below: The steep, twisty section of North Gate Road approaching the junction with South Gate Road)

(Below: The Ranger station at the junction; 4.5 miles remain to the summit)

Last Updated: July 13, 2000