Oof that was tough and I nearly called it quits. Thankfully the ride was saved and I was able to finish it.
After my tour last year, I said 2024 would be “The Year of the Double” and I’m happy to say I’ve accomplished everything I set out to do this year.
California Triple Crown – ✅
California Triple Crown Gold Thousand Mile Club – ✅
California Triple Crown Stage Race Finisher – ✅
I’ll share more tomorrow when I’ve had some sleep.
The weekend started with an early morning pickup on Friday by Kant followed by a trip to breakfast. I’d offered up going to Scrambled early with the goal to hit the road early. Unfortunately, both of us ended up behind schedule and hit the road a little later than we had originally wanted.
The drive over to Castro Valley was tedious. It’s a long drive which is advertised as 8 hours on Google Maps, but I’m fairly certain it took us greater than 9. Thankfully the good company helped the miles and hours go by quickly.
We choose to go directly to check in and forgo stopping at the hotel first. After checking in and receiving our packets, I asked around for some dinner recommendations and we decided on a local Italian joint named Rigatoni’s. I went with the salmon fettuccine alfredo special which was amazing and finished it off with a piece of carrot cake. I think Kant also got a special of some kind, but I can’t remember the details.
While enjoying our meals we talked about the plan for the morning. I had originally planned on starting at 4:15 but, after chatting with Memo and Kant at check-in, we both signed up to leave at 5:00. Kant still had the option of leaving at 6:00 if he wanted to in order to maintain his podium eligibility in the Triple Crown Stage Race. The start debate came up during dinner and while we discussed it Kant received a message that he was in the top 5. It seems the results from the Carmel Valley DC had finally been posted and Kant was still in the running. He continued to mull it over the rest of dinner and on until the next day, literally waiting until he was at the start and making a decision.
Before we got to the start; however, we needed to pick up a few things from the grocery store after dinner. Instead of driving the car through a couple parking lots to get there we opted to walk instead. The evening temperature was perfect for a leisurely walk and it was less than a half mile. We picked up a few things for breakfast in the morning, walked back to the car, drove to the hotel, prepped the bikes, and then called it a night.
The next morning things started off without a hitch. We both got kitted up and hit the door at about a quarter to 5. We rode over to the start, opting to take a short stretch of sidewalk versus making two rapid left turns on the road. As we waited, Roehl rolled up and it was ultimately decided that Kant would roll out with us at 5. Kant figured that it would be nearly impossible to make up the 45-60 minutes required to make up a single place for the race, and to try to do so would certainly cause him to bonk. With his mind made up, and the organizers herding us towards the street, we lined up to get the ride underway.
My strategy for the ride was to keep my power between Z2 and Z3. Jump up to Z3 as needed for climbs and Z2 for everything else.
We left the start with a small group of less than 10 riders. Right out of the gate, less than 3 miles in, there is a short punchy climb along Fairmont Dr. As I followed these lightweights, I watched my power output slowly climb from 250 > 265 > 290 > 310 and at that point I pulled the plug at attempting to keep up. I watched the small gang roll off into the distance and was surprised when I got over the top to catch up to Kant who had slow-rolled some waiting for me.
The two of us then bumbled an intersection waiting for a light. The light had cycled a few times while we were waiting and just when we were about to roll through it, another direction turned green for an awaiting car. Eventually we got the deed done and rolled on. With that, I told Kant that he didn’t need to wait around for me and to feel free to ride his own ride. He then said, “Ok then at least let’s get caught back up with that group” and we did exactly that.
A short time later, one of the group lost a light and was forced to double back for it. While they were doing that Roehl and I soft pedaled to allow them to catch up. When they did, I took the lead to pull the three of us back up to our group. From that point onward I was committed to my power strategy.
Soon enough I began to fade back as we hit some small but punchy climbs. I would occasionally catch back up at a red light, stop sign, or after a descent, but for the most part I effectively got dropped which I’m perfectly fine with. I did end up playing tag with Greg as we would pass and repass each other throughout much of the ride. I would also occasionally run into Roehl as well. And I can’t forget cheering on the Thick Boi Maffia as they went by. Outside of those riders and groups I was kinda solo, which, again, I was okay with.
The first 55 miles were made up of what I would call the “Foothills” part of the ride, unfortunately I don’t know what the locals call the area. Despite starting in the dark, as the sun started to ride from our viewpoint we could look down and see the sun starting to kiss the entire bay area. It was really breathtaking, and my photos don’t do it justice.
The next 20 miles were spent navigating over to the foot of the Mt. Diablo climb. When I’d dug into the route, seeing this huge spike in the middle of the ride made me nervous. I’m not the best climber and this one certainly looked like no joke. All the fretting beforehand was pointless as I just tackled it like I do any other climb, just put down sustainable consistent power until you’re at the top.
Along the way, I’d caught up with Greg again and he asked if I was going to the very top and I confirmed I was. When I’d transferred the map to Garmin Connect, I noticed the road continued up to a visitor center and I knew immediately I would go all the way to the end. Honestly, while certainly tough, the climb up Mt. Diablo wasn’t nearly as bad as I had made it out to be in my head beforehand. It did take me a long time to get it done, but watching cyclists go flying by on their descents I knew it would be worth it in the end.
About a mile from the top I spotted Kant coming down. Of course I gave a huge “Adobo” holler as he went by in a blur. I intentionally passed up the rest stop to continue up to the summit. As I approached I didn’t think anything of it because the final stretch isn’t visible until you’re right at the base starting up at it. Once the full length came into view I said to myself, “Mistakes have been made.” This last climb was maybe 800 feet long with 100 ft of elevation for an average 12.2% grade and max grade of 15.6%, give or take. Honestly, it felt like an extremely long stretch of the steepest part of Pukenburg. I got it done though and was rewarded with quite the view and a few pictures to prove it.
After a quick stop at the summit rest stop, the next 25 miles would take me to the lunch stop which was a little over the halfway mark. The Mt. Diablo descent was awesome. There were certainly a few pucker points on some corners with decreasing radii, but I kept my speed under control for the entire ride down and never experienced any issues with traffic from either direction.
About a mile out from the lunch stop I again spotted Kant heading the opposite direction. Again, enthusiastic hollers were shared as he flew by with three others. I pulled into the lunch stop and quickly topped up my hydropack and rolled right out.
The night before Kant and I had talked about the fact that if we aren’t going to get him on the podium we would try to minimize our stop times. Up to this point, I had only made very brief stops to check in with volunteers and ride on. At the summit, I had been forced to stop because my hydro and both bottles were empty. Hence the quick stop and go at the lunch stop.
The next 40 miles would take me to the southernmost point of the course. It starts with a nice steady descent. It isn’t terribly fast, but apply a marginal amount of power and you make some decent time. I kept with my program and simply enjoyed the faster section of the course. Hell even thought I might catch up to Kant since gravity likes me better.
Things were going great until 10 miles from rest stop 5. As I rode, my stomach started to act up like it has in the past. At first it was a very minor sour feeling. Minor nausea. As I continued and got to 5 miles out I was feeling even worse. I had a serious case of nausea, started burping, and started worrying I was going to be sick. There were a few times I considered stopping the bike and running off into the bushes to be sick. There were several times I considered stopping period, but I kept on counting down the miles with the goal to make it to rest stop 5. Once I was there I would take a break and after that break reevaluate the remainder of the ride.
Once more about a mile out, I again spotted Kant. I tried my best to give an enthusiastic “Adobo” but it wasn’t happening. He would tell me later that he didn’t even hear me say anything. As I rolled up to the rest stop, I couldn’t get off the bike fast enough. I had a volunteer rush up, take my bottles, and ask what I wanted/needed in them. At this point I was feeling very fried, and I simply couldn’t communicate to the person that I didn’t want them adding anything to my bottles because they were dedicated to electrolytes and carbs. In hindsight, I worry they may have thought I was being an ass, when in reality I just wanted to be left alone to get some recovery done.
I walked past everyone, found a nice spot for Shadow to lay down in, and then found another for myself. The minute my butt and back hit the ground my stomach felt instantly better. Nausea completely vanished. I did bend my legs at the knees to have my feet rest flat on the ground and it didn’t take long for some muscle cramps to kick in. They were weird and not the typical quad or hamstring cramps I’m used to. Instead, I was cramping in what I can best describe as my groin muscles with the left being significantly worse than the right. I did my best to keep massaging them and eventually they settled down allowing me to get comfortable.
While this was all going on, I asked if they had any ice socks and no one had any clue what I was talking about. I shared the details from the Davis DC and then asked simply for some ice in a bag or anything. Thank the heavens the volunteers had a single gallon Ziploc bag which they filled half full with ice and gave to me. I proceeded to put it anywhere I felt would help to reduce my core temp; under each armpit in turn, on my chest, on my stomach, when I eventually felt good enough to sit up it went on the back of my neck and the top of my head.
Now sitting up and feeling brave, I asked about a Coke and someone was kind enough to bring one over. I slowly nursed it down while enjoying my comfy spot of shady grass. Did you know if you blow into a Uswe hydropack via the hose it will make an amazing pillow?
Overall, I would end up sitting at rest stop 5 for nearly an hour. When I finally felt up to leaving, I took my base layer and skull cap and stuffed them into my Ziploc bag of, now, ice water. This caught some volunteers’ attention and odd looks as well. I smiled and said, “This is a trick I picked up commuting home during the summers in Vegas.”
As I pulled the baselayer out I again looked over at the volunteer, smiled, and said, “Have you ever heard of a polar plunge?”. Slipping on that baselayer hurt at first, but eventually my body adjusted and enjoyed the cool reprieve. I put on the similarly cold skull cap and then continued getting myself put back together to head on out.
From that point onward things only continued to improve. As the sun continued to get lower and lower on the horizon, I felt better and better. Once the sun completely set I felt amazing, relatively speaking. When I’d first set off from rest stop 5 I was only able to put down maybe 150 watts tops, but by the time I was nearing the end I was able to spike closer to 250. All it took was the heat to die down and a can of Coke or Sprite at the next two stops. At the last stop I was even feeling good enough to snack on some Oreos.
I can’t recall which stop it was, but I did update Kant with a text message. I let him know that I was further back than he should expect because of the hour-long stop. I didn’t want him to get to the finish, thinking I was only a few minutes behind, and then start to grow concerned when I didn’t roll up when expected. He shared that he was also having issues with his computer and had to resort to routing using RideWithGPS from his phone and the cue sheet.
Leaving the final rest stop I was feeling good, but I knew there were a couple minor climbs between me and the finish. As luck would have it, a little over a mile outside of Dublin my front tire went flat halfway up the first of the two climbs. Pretty minor thing, only taking me 15 minutes to fix, but be damned if getting a tire reseated after a 195 mile ride isn’t a bear. Once that was fixed the rest of the ride to the finish went off without a hitch.
Oof, overall, this was a tough ride. Most of the elevation is on the front end. I have to agree with Kant that I went in expecting more iconic “Bay Area” scenery; however, we also agree that trying to deliver that type of ride to nearly 100 riders would be a logistical nightmare. Mt. Diablo is certainly a challenge and if you can do Mt. Charleston you can tackle it too. I’m certainly bummed that I nearly got sick again; however, I’m pretty confident that the issues I’ve been having are heat related versus a lapse in nutrition or hydration. I had timers and alerts configured for both and did my best to hit them on the mark. The heat was certainly no joke with the forecast for Castro Valley being 102 and I saw 106 on my computer around mile 130.
Sitting here today (10/9), it’s hard to say if I would do this one again. It was certainly fun and some of the views, especially in the morning, were pretty spectacular; however, some of the road surfaces were pretty gnarly even by northern California standards and there was plenty of suburban riding as well. I am toying around with the idea of doing a “4×4” next year which would be four double centuries in four weeks. The DCs involved would be Beach City, Knoxville Fall Classic, Best of the Bay, and Bass Lake so I’m fairly certain I’ll be back for at least that. Then again they may change up the route so who knows what the future holds for me and this DC.
Finally, as I mentioned at the start, I’m super stoked that with the completion of this DC I’ve accomplished all my DC goals for the year. I put off doing any doubles in 2023 to focus on my tour despite the immense pressure put on by Robert to get one done. Each time we’d talk about it I would joke, “2024 is the year of the double.” Thanks to him, and really everyone in Adobo Velo Las Vegas, it has become a reality. I’ll add that I’m not quite done for the year. As of today (10/9) the plan is for “three” more before the year is out: Bass Lake and the Dead of Winter Double Double. If I’m able to tackle both, it will put me at 10 DCs for the year, and quite the way to start my DC “career”.
New bike fund: $73.23 (+$0.32)
🎷🐛 154.15 new miles — From Wandrer.earth
879 vehicles @ 4.4 per mile, 1 per minute, Speeds: 32.8 mph (avg), 62.4 mph (max) — by MyBikeTraffic.com
Clear-Clear, 70°F-84°F, Feels like 69°F-82°F, Humidity 31%-21%, Wind ENE 2mph-ENE 3mph — by Klimat.app
— myWindsock.com Report —
Weather Impact™: -0.5%
Headwind: 53% @ 0.8 – 10 mph
Longest Headwind: 01h 9m 16s
Air Speed: 13.7 mph
Temp: 65.7-96.3 °F
Precip: 0% @ 0 Inch/hr
— END —
Max elevation: 3622 ft
Min elevation: 70 ft
Total climbing: 14285 ft
Total descent: -14287 ft
Total time: 17:48:15
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