Thursday, June 18, 2009

Devil Mountain Double 4/18/2009

Wow, what a ride! A little hot but glad the heatwave hadn't started two days earlier!

The Devil is 206 miles, so an hour longer riding time than previous double at Solvang (193). Started at 5am - took me 18:15 total with about 2 hours at the 9 stops on the way. At least I got in before midnight! Fastest time 12:12 - amazing!

Although its tough, it is a fantastic ride through some amazing scenery - definitely a classic. The highlights were riding up the east flank of Mt Diablo watching the sun come up and the wildflowers in the San Antonio valley before the climb up the east side of Mt Hamilton. The toughest part for me was not Sierra Rd (at 155 miles) but the climb up the east side of Mt Hamilton. It's hot, has a lot of 10% grade and seems
to go on for ever.

I can really recommend my AYUP lighting kit (http://www.ayup.com). Two guys elected to ride in front of me on Calaveras road because even from behind my light was stronger than theirs. The small and light battery, nominally 3 hours, lasted 4.5 with no sign of dimming.

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