Mount Diablo is an isolated peak that dominates the skyline San Francisco Bay Area.
Once a year, nearly 1,000 cyclists test themselves at the Mount Diablo Challenge to see who is the Bay Area's dominant hill climber.
This past Sunday, that honor fell to Jonathan Moskowitz, 23, who powered up the mountain in 46:40. That's an average speed of 13.9 mph on the 10.8-mile long climb that rises 3,249 feet.
The fastest woman was Susannah Breen, 29, who finished in 54:16 at a pace of 11.9 mph.
Not just for the young
You might think that the race — next year it celebrates its 30th anniversary — is suited for the young, but that's not always the case.
Last year's winner was Michael Vetterli, a 51-year-old who shot up the course in 41:25, or 15.6 mph. Moskowitz finished in 4th place, in 47:22, last year. This year, Vetterli finished in 20th place, in 50:41.
The race is a fund-raiser for the Save Mount Diablo land conservation efforts. Cyclists leave Athenian School to ride up Southgate Road to the summit. All ages and all types of self-propelled bicycles, handcycles, tandems, recumbents, etc. are allowed.
Amazing efforts
Of the 773 finishers, 157 men and 6 women received a free T-shirt for finishing in less than an hour.
All the cyclists demonstrate superlative efforts on the climb, but some are just plain amazing.
Shirley Osmer, 74, was the oldest woman in the ride, completing the ascent in 1:50. Charles Tyler, 84, was the oldest male cyclist, finishing the climb in 2:14.
Neither was the last cyclist to finish the ride.
See the Mount Diablo Challenge results supplied by Buzzworld Productions.
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