Originally Posted by
Syscrush
My thinking is that if I can get to the right bodyweight, and use the right bike, the ride up Haleakala will be comparable to a difficult century ride, so it makes sense to do that regularly as part of my training.
Haleakela is a long, relentless, uphill grind. Training with centuries is a great idea, but you should also train on some long climbs to get your legs, glutes, and lower back ready for the extended effort required. If you don't have long climbs in your area, then find a decent climb nearby and do some hill repeats, adding more repeats as you get more fit.