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Cycling the state parks: Mount Diablo summit
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Steve Graves and North Peak from the summit of Diablo
Of all the ways to get to the top of a mountain, using two wheels certainly can't be the easiest.
And the challenge of cycling up a mountain must be compounded by having to share the winding, cliff-top asphalt with a slew of cars and their comfortable drivers who may or may not have the etiquette and safety of road sharing in the forefront of their minds.
Such is the scene regularly with the road to the top of Contra Costa County’s Mount Diablo State Park. And such is the challenge undertaken by Lafayette’s Steve Graves as I caught up with him after his third time reaching the summit of this, the East Bay’s highest peak and one of the most historic vistas in the state of California.
“It’s just about my favorite thing to do,” he said, sweaty but surprisingly un-winded Graves while emptying a bottle of water atop the Diablo summit this past Thursday afternoon.
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The 1941 Summit Building
“I originally started biking as a means for speed. I loved going downhill as fast as could. And as I kept biking more and more, I started to love climbing. I loved trying as hard as I could to get the top as fast as I could. It really gets my endorphins going. I’ll feel amazing for hours and hours afterward,” he said of the 3,000 ft climb.
“And then I get to go fast going down. It’s like a double whammy.”
Graves shared the road with cars, but also about 20-30 other scattered cyclists on Mount Diablo’s roads this particular day. The state park indicates that this number is significantly higher in the summer and on weekends. Cycling to the top of Mount Diablo, or at least attempting to, clearly remains an extremely popular East Bay activity.
As a result of the popularity of this grueling feat, each October the park responds by hosting the Mount Diablo Challenge. Auto traffic is prohibited for one early fall day as 1,000 cyclists compete up the 10.8 mile grade to the summit. Those uphill enthusiasts who can make it to the top in under an hour receive a coveted commemorative T-shirt. But undoubtedly making it to the top at all is considered a victory for most.
The joys of downhill
Mount Diablo State Park complements the road biking experience with miles of mountain biking, hiking, and equestrian trails, and locations for camping and picnicking as well. And despite budget shortage-caused service reductions along with the rest of the state parks, Mount Diablo is coming away relatively unscathed this year. The park’s Live Oak campground will be closed until March, but the higher elevation Junction and Juniper campgrounds will remain open. Bathroom and trash services will be curtailed on Wednesdays.
And beyond the park’s physical boundaries, the mountain itself serves as a landmark visible across almost the entirety of the Bay Area, and much of Northern California.
“It has always loomed over my house,” Graves said of his interest in riding this particular peak. “For me it’s just always been there. And it has views you just can’t get anywhere else.”
“I guess this is just kind of the ride for me.”
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