The History of the Mt. Diablo Challenge

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The Mt. Diablo Challenge started as a fundraising ride dedicated to Joan Walt, who passed away at a young 26 years old of myocarditis. She had completed her annual physical just the week before with flying colors. Joan trained on Mt. Diablo two to three times a week. Her devastated mother asked if Valley Spokesmen could put on a ride up the mountain in Joan’s memory, and the Mount Diablo Challenge was born. At that time, any profit made was donated to the American Heart Association. A few years later, the Children’s Hospital Auxiliary (in Oakland) took it over, and the profit was contributed to the Heart Department and later other departments at the hospital. A few years later, the American Lung Association took on the job of organizing and sponsoring the event. From 2005 to 2016, the event was run by Save Mount Diablo, and proceeds were primarily used for land conservation benefiting Mount Diablo. Save Mount Diablo offered the event back to the Valley Spokesmen in 2017, and the Club has continued to host it since then. Meanwhile, in August 2020, a beloved cyclist named Joe Shami at age of 86 had just completed a streak of riding his Trek bicycle to the summit of Mount Diablo for 615 consecutive weeks. In addition to his amazing cycling achievement, Joe was also dedicated to improving bicycle safety on Mount Diablo and worked closely with many who have been focused on that goal. Those who knew Joe were inspired by his amazing accomplishments and referred to him as the “Legend of Mount Diablo.”  In April 2021, Joe was tragically hit by an SUV in a roundabout and passed away. Consequently, the 2021 Mount Diablo Challenge was held in Joe’s honor, and proceeds have focused on improving bike safety on Mount Diablo. To respect the complete history of the event, the 2022 Mount Diablo Challenge Memorial was held in memory of both Joan and Joe. This event continues to honor their legacies as well as provide a safe venue for all riders to share their love of climbing Mount Diablo.