Bostic

My wife and I are on our honeymoon on Maui and I was allowed one day to bike so yesterday was it. I'll flesh out the ride more later. The original plan was to bring a camel bak and everything with me but she provided support instead from the rental car at 3000', 6500', summit

Rental bike, Trek 4.5 52/39/30 12-27. Brought my own Keo pedals, Volagi saddle, lights.

https://app.strava.com/rides/29925501

Bostic

Gluteus

Congrats on the ride and the wedding.
Cool pics.

RacerOne

Congrats! Heck of an experience eh? Riding up Haleakala is the bomb too!

Jobiensis

Cool, I'm going to be doing this in a little over a week. How hard was it? I've heard such varying reports its hard to figure out if I'm truly ready for it. Congrats on the ride and the marriage.

eduardo76

Congrats for the ride AND BONUS for having the Bride being cool and understanding enough to take the pictures and provide you with support! I hope you appreciated it, and i hope she enjoyed it enough so you both try it next year!!! : )

Drag

Congrats! Not a trivial achievement. I so need to do this too.

PatrickGSR94

Wowzers climbing for nearly 6 hours straight, I can't even imagine... And then it took barely 2 hours to get back down haha

fa63

I was there last week but didn't have time to do Haleakala I did the West Maui Loop instead, which wasn't too shabby either. I even rented the exact same bike as you (Trek 4.5 with a triple), from South Maui bicycles.

robble

If you don't "know" that you are ready for it, there is a good chance you aren't. It's a helluva climb even in a car lol.

ericm979

Congratulations on the wedding and the ride. I'd love to do that ride one of these days.

Sprocket Man

Congratulations! I did the climb in 2009 and again in 2010. It was an epic ride. Like you, I had my wife meet me at a couple predetermined checkpoints - the Sunrise Market, then the Visitor Center just inside the entrance - so I didn't have to carry all of my food and water. In 2009, I wasn't able to ride down for more than a couple miles because the fog was really thick, and I was completely exhausted. In 2010, I rode all the way down and it was one hell of a ride.

By the way, nice big ring/small sprocket gearing on that final picture. You did ride all the way up in that gear, right?

The weather here in Honolulu was a bit blustery yesterday. Hopefully the winds were calm there on Maui. Congratulations again on completing this ride.

alexaschwanden

Great job.

caloso

Epic ride. Did you have any issues with the cruiser bikes on the way down?

Jobiensis

I've never found that saying to be very accurate though. You never "know" if you were ready until you actually do it.

cbresciani

Very cool! Quite an accomplishment.

Bostic

** Long report. If your motto is to just hop on the bike and wing it, this will be way overkill for you. **


Thanks all, it really is a unique ride. I have to thank my wife again for the support as it made things much easier from a mental standpoint. Knowing that I would have supplies at checkpoints helped me think of the ride as a double century without the 200 miles 10+ hours of saddle time part.

"Where should we go on our honeymoon"
"Maui"
"How come"
"I need to climb Mt. Haleakala by bike."

Training:

What training? We just got married last week. Dinners, Thanksgiving Dinners and yet more dinners with much food. I'm up 5 lbs from where I would like to be. I did get in two rides of 5000' each, Friday and Saturday. I've ridden enough long rides to know pacing and to not toss all the cookies in the first hour. I've had a cold since late last week and have taken enough DayQuil to be glowing Vicks Orange on the inside.

Pre-ride course drive through:

We drove the rental car along the route so I could see what I was in for. I mentally noted the steep sections, areas of bad pavement, how bad the switchbacks were, etc. My wife did not let me go up to the sign at the very top, I had to earn that photo. I also talked to a couple cyclists that happened to finish right around the time we got to the top in the car. Both were friendly and helpful.

Bike:

Rental Trek 4.5 from South Maui Cycles. I called various places, most had compact doubles with 12-30 cassettes. Since I prefer triples I picked the shop that had one in a 52cm. I haven't been on a Trek since I sold an '04 5200 in 2007 so it would be interesting to see how the Madone felt compared to my Volagi and Pedal Force bikes. It did the job great. Smooth, predictable, kept my mind on spinning and not about the quality of the bike.

It looked like a rental. Shifters (10 speed Ultegra 6603) scratched everywhere, rust inside bolts, mismatched crank arms 172.5 on the left, 170 on the right. Brake pads worn way down but still had plenty of grab. The shop mounted the saddle and pedals I provided and set the saddle height. I gave the bike a 10 minute spin up and down a nearby hill a few times. Brakes were fine and shifting was flawless throughout the 12-27 cassette. 39x27 ran quiet and the front derailleur trim points were fine. Instead of the shop provided one, I used my own saddle bag with two tubes, multi-tool,levers, patch kit. I also brought front and rear lights. A frame pump was mounted under the front bottle cage. Tires were in good shape, the rear had a cut in the center tread but nothing to be concerned about. Since helmets take up space in luggage I rented one as well. Also bought two basic water bottles.

Night before ride prep:

I more or less brought everything from a clothing standpoint since I had no clue on what to predict regarding the weather. Sugoi zero bib knickers, 2 Jerseys, 2 Craft Base Layers, one regular, one with windstop. Two pairs of wool arm warmers. Shower's Pass rain jacket. Buff to go around the neck/face in case of miserable descent conditions. Craft Beanie to cover ears, Halo Beanie if it got too hot. Neoprene booties, Vinyl booties, toe covers. A few packs of chemical toe and hand warmers. Asos Early Winter gloves, Castelli neoprene gloves, Specialized BG full finger summer gloves, PI glove liners. Two pairs sunglasses. New Keo Grey cleats. Fully charged Garmin 500 and front Lezyne light. New 2032 batteries in the rear blinkies and the HRM strap. There was no way I was going to let the ride get screwed up because of an over site of clothing. Everything put in a small suitcase so I would have access to it during the pit stops.

It was at night that I looked over the bike to see what the cassette was and noted the mis-matched crank lengths. One of my bikes has 172.5's so I am used to either length and would just put that out of my head during the ride.

Nutrition:
For the water bottles, GU Brew packets with 2x Sodium. I also packed GU Gels, Stinger Waffles and a few Cliff Bars. At the grocery store we picked up a 6 pack of the 350 calorie Ensures, some Salami, bread, cheese and a regular Pepsi. We stopped by Starbucks in the morning to get a few pastries for later.

Day of Ride:
Up by 5am to drive over from the west side of Island where the Condo is. The start was the parking lot right after Paia Mini-Bypass Road. A lot of the ride reports mention you should begin at the beach with a picture of your feet touching the ocean, I skipped that in the name of dry feet. I picked the Craft regular Zero base layer for the ride up to save the Windstop for the descent. The forecast called for rain at the lower elevations so I chose the vinyl shoe covers. I stick the toe warmers on top of the shoes and not inside, keeps the feet warm without perspiring as much. Packed the rain jacket, Assos gloves, gels/waffles, phone, ID. Fired up the Garmin to verify satellite, elevation, blinkie tail lights and it was time to hit the road.

Paia to HW 377:

The start of the ride on Baldwin Ave was uneventful for about 10 minutes until the rain dumped on me. I slugged through it, keeping tabs on what the Garmin displayed for temps. If it got to 60 I would stop to put on the rain jacket. It never did. The Trade Winds were noticeable but not really bad. This part of the ride is annoying because you want to get to the main event without overdoing it so early on. My wife snapped a couple pics as I reached the intersection of Baldwin and Makawao. The next block is 13% but not a factor so early on. I spun up it in the low 30x27. What *is* important is making the right turn at Olinda and Hanamu so you don't continue up Olinda to a dead end.

Hanamu has some rolling sections and speed bumps, one of the very spots on the ride where you can coast and stretch the legs. Still raining quite a bit, temps in lower 60's.

HW 377 to Crater Road:

The wind picked up more here and I found myself downshifting to one lower gear. 30x19 and a lot of 30x21, going to 30x24 for anything above 9% while sitting. Rain stopped by this point and the Sun was out. I was almost done with one water bottle but not hungry yet. I saw a few of the tourists on BMX bikes with full helmets descending. Since I started right before 7am I didn't think I would have to ride around any when it was time to descend in the early afternoon (I didn't). My wife was waiting for me near the Kula lodge and Restaurant, somewhere around 3000'. Bottle filled up, a second Ensure gulped down and a quick bathroom break. I also put on the thicker wool arm warmers. I wasn't cold but it made sense from a fighting a cold perspective.

Crater road to Park entrance Toll Booth:

The main event finally. This was the hardest part of the ride for me, all the shorter switchbacks. There were a lot of sections with sustained 9% grades. I kept it in 30x24 and spun but mentally cursing the ride reports of "Oh it's just 6% for 35 miles." Right. More riders on BMX bikes descending on the other side but all in a controlled manner. Elevation marks are painted on the road, 3000', 4000', etc. and they matched very closely to what my Garmin was displaying. Other motivators such as "Breathe" & "Feed" for the Cycle to the Sun race are painted too. My motto is never look too far up, the switchbacks are bad enough on climbs such as Mt. Rose and Carson grade (both 16 miles). I paced this ride by elevation marks every 1000'. I figured this middle section would be like a Mt. Hamilton in San Jose equivalent in feet gained. Somewhere around the 5000' mark I had to stop and rest. Only long enough to down a gel but that brief period helped. A 35 mile climb is unique in that the recovery sections totaled maybe 10 minutes max. Nothing I've done double century, Everest Challenge, Death Ride, etc. compare because everyone of those has sustained coasting sections where the body gets a chance to recover and recharge.

My wife was parked at the 6500' pullout and snapped a few pics. I wasn't expecting to stop here but higher up at the Lower Visitor's Center (7000'). Bottles filled again and downed another Ensure and a waffle. More liquids than solids for this ride to keep the stomach in check. I also packed some Tums but didn't need them.

The section up to the Toll Booth was shaded but temps were rising, in the 70's now. I paid the $5 entrance fee and climbed another mile to the Lower Visitor Center. It was packed with tourists but fortunately I didn't have to wait for the rest rooms. More sunscreen applied and I packed a third bottle of water for the last 3000'. Just a Mt. Diablo left I was telling myself. Back was fine, arms fine, a bit of discomfort on the saddle from so much seated climbing.

LVC to Summit:

The longer switch backs started now and they are demoralizing to look at, so I didn't. The grade here was steady at 6 and 7% so I ran 39x27 for a while switching to 39x24 to stand. 39x27 is a touch harder than 39x21 and I also welcome the change in feel of the larger chain ring from time to time. I didn't have a cadence sensor mounted but I knew it was in the low 60's. At the small parking area right before the Leieiwi Overlook Trail I had to stop again to have a couple gels and get a breather. I was drinking enough to not get light-headed at the higher altitude. Emptied the bottle from the jersey back pocket so I had two full left for the rest of the climb. By this point I was cutting the climb into 300' chunks. A local, miserable 13% 1/2 mile climb, Moody Road, is 312'. "Just three more Moody's and I'll be at 9000."

At some point when the larger switch backs end you can see the finish but it's still far away. The surrounding area looks like another planet and there is precious little vegetation. I was back in the 30t ring and moving all around the cassette trying to find something my legs liked. Eventually the Upper Visitor's center came into view to my left. I was supposed to stop again to meet my Wife and gulp down some Pepsi but decided not too. I managed to speak out loud to meet me at the top before shifting to the 30x27 for the final push. I hadn't touched the lowest gear since Olinda road and was saving it for this last steep bit. 12 and 13%, a steady stream of cars passing me. I think the pics do a good job of showing how done I was with the climb. From the parking lot to the 10,023' sign I was giddy as it was finally done. Shift the bike to 52x12, throw up a Shaka and get the pictures taken. We spent a few minutes at the summit before going to the car to get some real food in me.

Descent back to Paia:

After eating some Salami, bread, pastries and drinking non-diet Pepsi it was time to ride down to the Upper Visitors Center to put on dry clothes for the trip back. On went the Craft Wind stop base layer, Showers Pass jacket, glove liners, Assos gloves, Buff, and new Toe Warmers. I hate being cold, I'll take a 95 degree ride any day over 40 and freezing. All bundled up I started down with my wife following back a bit in the Rental Car. I kept the speed in check, doing my best to keep it at 30 and under (Honeymoon after all). The ride down was long, coasting, not much on the brakes. A few cars past me but otherwise I had the road to myself. Switchbacks were uneventful from bringing the speed way down prior to them. I would pedal from time to time but in 52x12 it was still spinning. A few sections at 6000' I had to pedal as they were slight descents on the way up. Some ride reports have mentioned how bad the descent was. I was fortunate to have fairly nice weather in the upper elevations, no real wind to speak of until under 3000'. Then it was non-stop headwind and heat until back at Paia.

Other cyclists:
The previous day I spoke to the two at the summit. Both way faster than me. On my way up I past one cyclist who stopped somewhere on the first switchbacks. His saddle bag had Up! written on it. Rental bike maybe? On the way down I saw several cyclists headed up.

Sure was nice to cross this off the bucket list.

mpath

Awesome and congrats! Your wife is equally awesome to provide support duties - driver, chef, medic, photographer, and maybe even masseuse post ride. I was on the Big Island last week and admiring Haleakala from my vantage point....still on my bucket list.

hyhuu

Congratulation! But where is the smile?

ThermionicScott 

Great report! Sounds like you've got a keeper, too.

Jobiensis

Did this yesterday.



https://app.strava.com/activities/31390863#

I'm not sure I can add anything to what Bostic said, as mentioned the 4k to 6k was the toughest part. Overall I don't think it was all that difficult (considering what I expected), there is a real benefit for the ride to be mostly done in 35 miles. I found the descent to be great fun, I love descents that require you to get out of the saddle and pedal, rather than tucking. There were a lot of cyclists, Maui cycling had a camp doing it the same day. I now need to come back to try and get a sub 5 hour ascent.

Thanks Bostic for your report, I found it helpful.

coasting 

Great pics. Honeymoon ride...great idea. Good of the mrs to indulge you.

Tiremaniacs

Awesome guys and congrats. I am schedule to hit it during the tire testing week at the end of January. Cannot wait

Tiremaniacs

Did it just 4 days ago. Awesome ascent and bombing descent. Star was from Paia.