27 miles
4200 feet
'B+' rated ride
NOT SWEPT - we will regroup up at the top and the two "Y"s
10:00am meetup time in Walnut Creek at the Shopping Center

UPDATE II: There will be a vehicle waiting for us at the meetup shopping center (13 miles from train station). So, bring a backpack with all your street clothes, etc. and we can stash it in the vehicle before we go up the hill.

UPDATE: Myself and others will be taking the 7:40 train from Sac to Martinez. We will then ride approximately 13 miles (1/2 of it on bike trails!) to the meetup point. We hope there will be at least one vehicle there we can stash our non-essential riding gear before for the ride up the "hill" and back. We will then return to the Martinez train station and catch the 3:10 to Sac (OK, just kidding - the next train to Sac). Trains leave every 90 minutes so average wait will be 45 min). Please consider this option - it will be fun to have a group on the train. REMEMBER, it's Daylight Savings Time on Sunday so GET UP EARLY!.

Joel had to cancel his scheduled Diablo ride and I really wanted to go so here is my attempt to revive it (hence the Redux). I had to cancel my re-scheduled ride of Joel's because of weather, hence the Deux.

The route starts in Walnut Creek and is a simple out-back. The first few miles are relatively flat and light rollers. The rest is all up and then all down.

The route can be found here.

With credit to Joel's original meetup posting (meaning I plagiarized much of his text), here are the details.

The climb ranges from 4% to 12-13% for much of the way up. The last few hundred meters are HARD with the grade hitting 20%. Make sure to save some juice for the last stinger.

LUNCH follows the ride. There's a shopping center where we start/finish.

BRING SNACKS! 2 full water bottles, helmet, and some money required. There are no places to buy food along the way. Water is available at the 1/4 way, 1/2 way and 3/4 points.

Must be able to fix a flat and carry all the equipment with you.

If you want to go by yourself, that's fine, but please carpool if possible. There is a $4 toll on the ride back and I'd encourage the passenger to pay that, buy lunch, or something to help offset the cost of gas.

Another option that "Chuck" tossed up in the original Diablo ride that got cancelled is to take the train from Sac to Martinez and then do a 12 mile (flat) EASY ride to the meetup point. The train leaves Sac at 7:40 and arrives at 8:40, leaving an hour for the ride and train issues. There are many return train times leaving every few hours, so coming home should not be a problem. The fare is about $16 each way. See amtrak.com for details. I encourage riders to consider this - it should be a fun option. Yes, bikes are welcome on the train.

If you have room in your car, or prefer to get a ride, please post in the comments section.

One last thing. If your on the fence, you're welcome to come along and see how it goes. You can always stop when you've had it and wait for us to descend, or hang out at the ranger station a little past half way (on the map above, it's where the N Gate rd and S Gate roads converge).

Bad weather cancels.