# Mt. Diablo questions?



## Rondo (Apr 27, 2006)

I live in the Concord area and finally started climbing Diablo, better late than never, right. I hear people say that the 1 hour mark (or as close as you can get) is the goal that many aspire to achieve. Although I will never make that time (at 50 my best days are behind me can anyone tell me where this time is measured from, start and finish? Also do people keep track of times to the ranger station and what would a good time to there be? 
Note: I climb from the Danville side.


----------



## b987654 (Aug 18, 2005)

the guy who won the diablo challenge this year is 51......48 min or so.


----------



## Rondo (Apr 27, 2006)

*Aww Man*



b987654 said:


> the guy who won the diablo challenge this year is 51......48 min or so.


Your Killin me!:cryin:


----------



## wheel_suker (Feb 3, 2005)

The Diablo Challenge time is taken from the Athenian school to the top. In summer there is a regular "race" on Thursday evenings from the gate (Danville side where the red tire shredders are) to the Junction. This is the distance most racers judge their form on. A good time there would be in the low twenties.


----------



## DasMud (Jun 8, 2003)

I'm pretty sure the time starts from the last driveway for the Athena school at the bottom. An hour is not out of the question, but takes more than the average amount of training. Hell, if someone can race up on unicycles, you can hit an hour


----------



## Guest (Feb 18, 2007)

Here is a link to the results for last year's Challenge. http://www.mtdiablochallenge.com/ Click on results, then scroll down to "10-1-06-Mt. Diablo Challenge" It's broken down into types of bikes. I was just telling a buddy that we need to do the race this year. He hasn't climbed the mountain yet. The weather has been fantastic, it's time to go.....


----------



## Hillen (May 13, 2005)

*Having trouble picturing this ...*



wheel_suker said:


> In summer there is a regular "race" on Thursday evenings from the gate (Danville side where the red tire shredders are) to the Junction. This is the distance most racers judge their form on. A good time there would be in the low twenties.


I'm having trouble picturing where this is -- by "the gate ... where the red tire shredders are" do you mean down near the Athenian School just inside the park after the residential section? Or do you mean the main park entrance gate just down the hill from Rock City where there is usually a ranger in the booth collecting car fees?

If you're talking about the start of the park road down by the end of the residential secion, then a time to the junction in the low 20s seems unrealistic. My time up the hill is 54', and it takes me right around 40 (if memory serves) from Athenian to the Junction.


----------



## wheel_suker (Feb 3, 2005)

Hillen said:


> I'm having trouble picturing where this is -- by "the gate ... where the red tire shredders are" do you mean down near the Athenian School just inside the park after the residential section? Or do you mean the main park entrance gate just down the hill from Rock City where there is usually a ranger in the booth collecting car fees?
> 
> If you're talking about the start of the park road down by the end of the residential secion, then a time to the junction in the low 20s seems unrealistic. My time up the hill is 54', and it takes me right around 40 (if memory serves) from Athenian to the Junction.


Except for the Diablo Challenge all times are usually taken from the red tire shredders. If your time up the hill is 54 and it takes you 40 to the junction that would mean 14 minutes for the summit road section. In that case you had better call Discovery fast. You may be our next Tour de Fance winner! 

One of my buddies is a ranger on Diablo. A week ago he timed some pro's doing a quick training ride up there.

Noteworthy was the appearance of Devon Vigus [California Giant/Specialized; 2005 Mountain Challenge winner at 47:55] and three riders from Kodak Gallery. One of these guys was Dominique Rollin. Check out his splits:

South Gate Road [boundary gate to Junction]: 21 flat.
Break at Junction
Summit Road [Junction to the Summit]: 20:30.


----------



## Rondo (Apr 27, 2006)

*Timed the climb today..*

this was the first time I used a clock, until now I just rode up for the exersize Anyway there was snow all over the top so the road was closed past the ranger station BUT I did time myself from the tire shredders as the previous poster mentioned. MAN DO I SUCK! 
I felt flat today but still, 35 min from the tire shredders to the ranger station and 
*FIT RIDERS *do it in the low 20's. :blush2: Guess I better keep workin


----------



## Otago (Aug 6, 2006)

*More questions about that Diablo starting point....*

Went to the top of Diablo for the first time on Saturday...............
But I didn't read this thread beforehand...
So I timed myself from the first, on the right, (main?) Athenian driveway... Only later when coming down did I see a second Athenian driveway further up the road on the right. ( anyway I think I did)...
So anyway, I'm trying to establish the "official" starting point for the following

1) The yearly Diablo Challenge mass race up
2) The other starting point

After turning off Diablo Blvd.... onto Mt. Diablo Scenic Blvd I first hit the "first" Athenian School Drive on my right...
Later also on the right is another drive that also seems to go to the Athenian School...

Now, how much further up the road (if any) is the "red tire shredder"
Is that way further up? I remember crossing something but I can't remember where.
Seems about 5 minutes or so up the road, I seem to remember entering something official and seeing several cars parked on the right shoulder. Perhaps the official park land entrance border?

Or, better yet, to put it in another perspective, if one was going up from the first Athenian School drive way on the right, to the summit at about a 70 minute pace (non-race), then how long would it take to ride from the first Athenian School Driveway (going up) to the "red tire shredder"?

I"m gonna pay much closer attention next time I go up. I tried looking at the Microsoft TerraServer Imagery for the "red tire shredder" but resolution wasn't that great.
Would this photo show the approximate location of the "red tire shredder", and if so, about how long would it take to ride there from the first Athneian School driveway...

http://terraserver-usa.com/image.as...+94506-2002&ALon=-121.9501940&ALat=37.8362910
I know there are probably better images on Google Earth, but I can use that service.

Here is another view of that same location. Looks like there might be something on the road, but only on one side....the side you are on as you exit the park..... I didn't look, but if they closed the gate to half the road and had tire shredders on the exit side, then no one else could come in , but people could exit.... Looks like a light colored white-ish rectangle with a slight darker area in the center.... just looks darker, but can't see "red" shredders....nor can I make out the gates that the park could close on half the road.
Perhaps this is nowhere near the location of the tire shredders, but its fun to search from 200 miles up....
BTW when you click on this site and view......You have to select the *NORTH* view for the best angle....AND then nudge (hold down left click) the picture to more clearly see what looks like the tire shredder to see what I'm talking about.
http://www.zillow.com/HomeDetails.htm?zprop=18434149

1.13 15%	800	right turn, sign: fire danger today: XXX
1.14 8%	805	
1.16 6%	810	sign: speed checked by radar
1.17 3%	820	sign: no alcoholic beverages permitted in park
1.20 7%	825	sign: (curvy) next 6 miles

http://graphics.stanford.edu/~lucasp/grade/mountdiablo.html

Looks like that may be the spot.....approx 1.16 miles from the Athenian School.........
I'll just have to estimate my average speed and time to that spot IF....If that is indeed the park entrance and the other place at which people measure their time to the summit...
Got to be official you know....


----------



## DasMud (Jun 8, 2003)

If I recall correctly, the start point for the Mt. Diablo Challenge is at the second driveway for the Athenian School, just past where the road first bends to the right past the school parking lot and the field. The photos you posted look correct for the red tire shredder, but to be honest I don't know of too many people that keep time from that spot. Most people compare from the Challenge start point so they can compare to previous years records etc.


----------

