Hi all. I decided a few years ago that I want to ride up Haleakala for my 50th birthday. I still have that goal but I'm up against a few challenges:

1. I'm about 60 lbs heavier than I should be for this effort.
2. I don't really have an appropriate bike.
3. I'm out of shape and have knee and back problems.
4. With 2 young kids (1 and 4), it's tricky to find time to train.
5. The clock is ticking - I've got about a year and a half to get this done.

The good news:

1. I can cut 60 lbs in 6 months if I'm serious about it.
2. I have 2 bikes that can be made workable for training, and I can rent something ideal for the climb when I'm there.
3. Cutting the weight and doing more training will definitely help my back problems, hopefully the knees don't get in the way too much.
4. My wife is 100% supportive of this goal and is willing to incorporate some fun activities for the kids into my plans for long training ride days.
5. 75 weeks is definitely enough to make a bunch of positive changes at a manageable rate so I can make this happen.

My intent is to use this thread as a log of my training and weight loss, and cover a bit about bike choice & prep, too.

Right now, I'm a 240 lbs dad of 2 who uses a Tern GSD with electric assist for dropping my kids at daycare and commuting to and from work. The assist means that I can work just about as little or as much as I want on the bike, and I'd characterize my normal commuting effort as about 3-5 hours per week at an easy tempo pace. I'm on a bike and moving, but not pushing hard.

In terms of other bikes, I have a Surly 1x1 26er with an Alfine 8 IGH and 2" Schwalbe Kojak slicks. My plan is to start with that bike for fitness rides, as it's comfy, and my gut gets in the way when riding my other machines.

Once I get a bit more fit, I'll probably alternate between my '88 Gios Compact and my Jamis Sputnik.

For weight loss, the approach will be to just focus on reducing caloric intake - I've had good luck with intermittent fasting and similar approaches in the past, and will likely go this route again.

For training, whatever else I do, I want to work up to doing 1 weekend century ride per month sometime next spring, and then keep doing that every month until the big day in Jan 2021. 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.