43rd ANNUAL MT. DIABLO CHALLENGE

Preserving the Spirit of Cinderella

While the name and format of our annual event are changing, the heart, the camaraderie, the beautiful routes through the Tri-valley area and the dedicated spirit of our Valley Spokesmen members will remain the backbone of this new venture. 

We aren't just ending a tradition - we are expanding its legacy to include everyone. 

Let's ride toward a more inclusive and hopeful future, together.

Cycle of Hope

The Valley Spokesmen Bicycle Club was founded in August 1971. Membership has grown from 81 active members in 1972 to ~500 card-carrying members presently. Most of the group are young to middle-aged adults, both married and single, but member ages range from infant family members to active riders in their 80's.

Please join us on one of our group rides. Here is a brief description of some of the rides we offer. Most of our rides are offered weekly with a few being hosted on a monthly basis. Ride details, like starting location, time, route, etc., can be found on our ride calendar. Class 1 and Class 3 ebikes are welcome on most rides. If you have any questions about a particular ride, please contact the ride host. 

Feather Pedals-Monthly ride through most of the year, usually on Saturday. No drop ride with frequent regroups with a sweep. Rating 2/3 L/M. Easy to moderate grades. Leisurely to moderate pace. Starting January 2027, Feather Pedals hosts a 12 week series of training rides.

Friendly Friday - (aka Frenzi Friday) Weekly ride usually starts at Sports Basement in San Ramon. Rated 2L/M. Mostly easy to moderate grades with a few rolling hills. Leisurely/Moderate (12 to 16mph) with occasional regroups.

Brisk Bunch-Weekly ride starts from various locations. Rated 4B, few regroups. Steep grades with some relief.  Brisk pace (19 mph).

Sightseeing Saturday - Moderate paced with few regroups usually a remote start out of town. Drops possible. No sweep! Ride is paced to finish in less than 8.5 hours.

Mellow Monday - (aka Manic Monday) Weekly ride with various starting locations. Rated 2/3 L/M. Easy to moderate grades. 12-16 mph pace. Occasional regroups.

Heather Farm, Monday-Weekly rides on Monday starting at Heather Farm. Rides are no-drop between 25 and 40 miles. Rated: 2 L/M.  Mostly easy to moderate grades. Leisurely/Moderate (13-15 mph)

Heather Farm, Wednesday-Weekly rides on Wednesday starting at Heather Farm. Rides are no-drop between 30 and 50 miles. Rated: 2 L/M.  Mostly easy to moderate grades. Leisurely/Moderate (13-15 mph)

Wandering Wednesday- Wandering Wednesday rides are drop rides and may separate into groups determined by rolling speed. You select where you want to ride based on your comfort zone. If you start out too fast simply wait for the slower group to pick you up. Your level of fitness should allow you to maintain the rolling speed for your group. There are frequent regroups on hilly routes to help everyone stay together.

Easy Riders - Weekly/Bi-weekly ride. This ride is perfect for new, returning, or casual riders who prefer a more relaxed 12mph pace and regular regroups. 

Therapeutic Thursday-Weekly ride with various starting locations. Rating 2M, drop ride. Moderate pace (15 to 16 mph), occasional regroups.

Mt Diablo-Weekly ride up Mt Diablo on Wednesday starting at St Timothy's Church. Rated 4-5M. Steep grades with some relief, strong riders. Moderate pace.

Martinez to Davis - return by train - 67 miles, moderate pace. Ride leaves from the Martinez AMTRAK station (by flag pole) at 8:30 a.m. The ride host plans to take 5-1/2 hours to reach Davis and then return to Martinez on Amtrak. The ride is restricted to 15 people due to limited bike rack space on AMTRAK

Mount Diablo Challenge- The Mount Diablo Challenge is a 11.2 mile timed cycling hill climb to the summit the first Sunday in October. Event and registration details can be found at www.MountDiabloChallenge.org

2026 Membership New/Renewal 

2026 Family and Individual Memberships for both renewals and new members is now available!

 Club Memberships are for a calendar year and run from January 1st to December 31st.  

Yearly membership dues are $30 for Individual and $45 for Family memberships. 

Discounted (50% savings) memberships from July 1st until November 1st. 

The Valley Spokesmen are a welcoming group of cyclists that encourage riders of all levels to join our group rides. There are a variety of rides for different levels of riding. Some of our rides are listed on the ride calendar as Beginner Friendly, while others are listed as Advanced; choose a ride at a level that you feel comfortable with.

Club members, subscribe to vslist so you're alerted to additional rides, ride changes, road issues, club socials, bikes/gear for sale, etc.