Monument Man

Hey all, Thanks to some great advice on these message boards I enjoyed a great ride ascending over 10,000 feet to the top of Haleakala crater on Maui. The ride is billed as "one of the highest ascents in the shortest distances in the world" and I even got a certificate at the top applauding me for surviving "the drive" to the top!

I rented a very nice bike (and shoes - I left mine at home!) from Go Cycling Maui. I can not recommend these guys enough, they were extremely helpful, had top equipment, fully tuned the bike for me before I left the store, and had tons of useful information. A very good bike shop which anybody would want to use even at home. I picked up a shirt (see pic), shorts, gloves, and food for the ride. https://www.gocyclingmaui.com/

I also called South Maui Bicycles in Kihei (I was staying in Wailea so it was much more convenient to pick up the bike) and they really turned me off on the phone. They told me not to do the ride, and that I would need somebody at the top to pick me up because I'd never make it down. "Trust me, you will need somebody to pick you up at the top", was what they told me just before they lost a sale.

I was lucky that it was fairly sunny the entire 37 miles up, although it was very windy at times. What a great ride with lots of drivers cheering me on and giving honks of encouragement (yes, they weren't honking at me to get out of the way ha) I was also a big hit with the tourists at the summit who were taking photos and video of me on the very last part of the climb. The ride down was freezing since a front moved in and the sun went away.

The hardest part was dealing with the altitude from 9-10k feet. Coming directly from sea level leavs no time for acclimation, and after such a long and greuling ascent it was a challenge. I wasn't sure how to manage such a long and steady climb, but in the end all worked out very well.

Water stops at 3k feet, 7k feet (visitors center at the entrance to the park), and the summit were perfectly spaced to allow me two bottles of water for each segment of the ride.

Check out the pic from the summit, taken by a friendly Japanese tourist. Yes that is Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa (Big Island of Hawaii) visible in the distance. I went to gmap pedometer.com and it's around 100-110 miles away!



Maui.jpg

Nachoman

I am sooooo doing that before I die. Thanks for sharing.

blandin

Must have been an amazing experience!

ken cummings

Time up and time down ?? What would you change? Problems during the descent? I'll be over there in 5-10 years and will do that ride as well as looping the Big Island.

wtex

My 2 cents: I was a teenage triathlete when I did it, did not wear socks. Wear socks, wear socks, wear socks. When you hit that tarmac at the top, your feet will literally broil.

Smells like chicken. Mmm.

Congrats on a great ride. You, sir, are a hard man. I did it when I was 20 pounds lighter and it was serious work.

tomatl411

Wow, sounds like a great ride. I bet that altitude was a killer. This is now a dream ride of mine thanks for sharing.

roadfix

Very nice!

Monument Man

**Time up and time down ?? What would you change? Problems during the descent? I'll be over there in 5-10 years and will do that ride as well as looping the Big Island.**

The only thing I wish that I'd done differently was pack a windbreaker for the descent. I only had a midweight fleece which helped a bit with the warmth but not at all with the wind. My back had been bothering me (in a big way) before the trip and I wasn't planning on riding so I didn't pack for cycling. Once I got to the island, there was no way I wasn't doing it, so I did it on the last day I was there (allowing back max time to heal), and boarded a plane home that night. Slept great on the plane btw! Wish I brought my own shoes, but Go Cycles Maui rented shoes which was a godsend. I was resigned to riding up in running shoes and toe clips.

Time up/down...no clue. Sad but true. I was so focused on preparation and logistics (where to park, how to change and clean myself for the flight home, check out of hotel, etc) that I forgot to check the clock before I left. Without a cyclocomputer on the rental I was not sure how fast I was going. The ride took a long time, start early in the morning, at or near sunup.

and i'm very proud to have remembered to remove my fleece and put the chain in the big ring before the picture at the summit.

i'm also thankful for remembering to generously apply sunscreen.

Looping the big island sounds amazing. Can you ride to the summit on Hawaii as well? That must be unreal...

Will G

How long did the climb/descent take?

kdogkodiak

Talk to me about the gearing on the bike you rode. I will be there in August when there is an organized ride up this climb. It sounds fantastic!!! Just wondering if the 12-27 cassette will be enough??? (39/53 in the front).

dogpound

man, you had MUCH better weather than I did a few weeks ago!
Congrats!

here's my ride:
https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycling/265675-up-haleakala.html

USAZorro

Congratulations on your monumental accomplishment.

You can ride to the summit on Mauna Kea, but not Mauna Loa. I saw a report on someone here on BikeForums who did that a year or so ago. I recall he said there were a couple stretches of road that were not advised for someone on a road bike unless it has really wide tires.

MDcatV

Sweet ride, yeah? I did it in 9/2005 with Donnie and support crew from go cycling maui, was really glad to have done it with his crew as the weather changes were dramatic, 90 deg. F. and humid/raining in Haiku where we started, 40 deg F. with howling wind (the type that could blow you over) and spitting rain at 6500 feet, and even colder at the top. The clothing they provided was essential for me.

The ascent was "epic", but honestly I remember bombing the descent even more. I didnt write it down, but I think it took us a hair under 4 hrs. to go up and a little over an hour to come down. It was quite a day.

Velo Vol 

Cool. Looks like an epic ride.

tbdean

This and PBP and are on my list.

jschen

Congrats. Awesome ride.

Monument Man

Gearing: I had a triple, and wouldn't have even attempted it with a double. Not sure of the exact config on the rented bike.

Weather: Despite the sunny picture, it was about 45 degrees and very windy at the summit. I took off my fleece (and put the chain on the big ring!) for the picture. The worst wind occured from around 5000-7000 feet however, with crazy gusts that blew my lightweight bike all over the place. THe ride down was super cold wiht the wind.

Time: Not sure. Too much going on that day (had to catch a plane that night, change, shower, check out of hotel). 4+ hours going up for sure, but that included stops, and I'm not exactly sure how long I stopped nor how long the ascent took - could have taken much longer. just not sure.

When I got to my car after the ride I sat down in the drivers seat to take off my shoes, and immediately fell asleep. It was a very unique experience and also contributed to me having no idea how long the ride took.

pde

Congratulations!
I know three people who have been up that hill; by all accounts it's a monster.

oujeep1

Doesn't go cycling maui offer a supported organized trip up haleakala, with a van carrying water, food, and clothing? I think they are the one i am thinking of, i have not done it(yet!) but have seen their web sight. If you are on the big island the climb from kawihae up to waimea, up over the kohala mountains and back down to hawi, then down the coast back to kawihae is a great ride if its not too windy, and you might get rained on so bring a windbreaker.

Psydotek

I'm planning on doing this in July.

oujeep1

Can you summit mauna kea? yea, but not in a road bike. Will you summit mauna kea- not likely. Remember the summit of mauna kea is almost 14k feet, 4k feet higher than haleakala. If you want to summit mauna kea do it in a tour van, which btw i highly recommend. They take you up to the summit for sunset, then back down to the visitors center at 10k feet, where they have telescopes set up for stargazing. amazing.

ken cummings

In response to comments about a loop around the Big Island I went to Bikely.com and drew a basic loop. Hilo to Hilo is a bit over 210 miles. If the west side of the island is where the original Ironman Triathalon is done be prepared for some serious heat.

I checked Topozone and their older contour maps. There are jeep trails to near the tops of both peaks. Unfortunately both peaks are types of park land and I doubt the nature lovers running the parks will let you ride up there.

Monument Man

most likely taken around 6500 feet. Notice the "ice on road" sign. Good for a chuckle on tropical Maui.


8000 feet. What a view....West Maui, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, etc etc...tops of the islands poking thru the clouds.


Lava Rock. Probably somewhere around 9000 feet.


Haleakala crater. Photo taken from the visitors center just below the summit, probably around 9700 or 9800 feet. Notice the different colors on the cinder cones, which are essentially piles of debris left from the different volcanic tubes. It's a BIG crater.


My pic from the summit. That's Mauna Kea and Loa (Big Island) in the distance. About 100-110 miles away.

ovoleg

Real men will ride through Hana highway...

ccdisce

+1x The plan is for July also after a visit with family who live in Aiea. Skip over to Maui for a ride up after more conditioning in Aiea and Maui.