Dream Ride Recap
When I first got into road biking a few years ago, I read an article that ranked the epic climbs of the world. The ascent up Mt. Haleakala on Maui was atop the list. Mt. Haleakala is a dormant volcano that climbs from sea level to 10,027 ft in 36 miles.
I was somewhat familiar with Mt. Haleakala having ridden down it several years before. On our honeymoon, my wife and I had shuttled to the top and flew down the road on bomb proof mountain bikes and with full-face moto helmets. We didn't have to pedal once! However, the ride was so long I remember being exhausted by the end. It was the first and only time I have uttered, "that descent was too long."
I was amazed the article rated Haleakala as the world's best climb, simply because I thought it was an impossible feat. Riding down it was so grueling, I couldn't stomach the thought of riding up it. But, as I got into road biking, I began to appreciate what a great climb (and challenge) Haleakala would be.
Well, last Monday I had the chance to test my mettle against the world's greatest climb.
As evidence that I really did it, below are (literally, of course) the lows and highs of my journey. The Dennings will attest that you can't really claim to have climbed Haleakala unless you start with one foot in the ocean. So the first shot was taken on the beach in Paia, with a wet foot at 7:30 AM. The second was taken at 10,000 feet (27 feet below the summit) at 11:20. You'll have to trust me that I made those last 27 feet, although for you doubters I have plenty of those pictures too. I was also excited to upload my route from my garmin, but the airline managed to suck all battery life from my cycling computer (which is not unlike the cash it sucked out of my wallet for various baggage fees and fuel surcharges. That's a different story).
I also got to do the descent again. . . this time on the right kind of bike! My membership in the "there's no such thing as a descent that's too long" club has been restored.
Thanks for letting me share my memories with you!
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Awesome!
That is such a beast of a climb. Is Mauna Kea next? ;)
Amazing!
Yeah, I'm jealous...
Very cool
Congrats bro., that is way cool. Someday!
Very cool!
Makes me feel even more guilty for not exercising since October.. That sounds like a very cool climb and experience though! The first photo makes me want to go surfing again
Ahhh yeeeeah!
Excellent recap! Boy, you were burning it up that thing Matt. I just checked mine & Nate's time from 2007 and we clocked 4:27:33 of actual ride time with 5:00:17 actual elapsed. You beat us by over an hour! I remember we were going hard and I was cramping by the time we hit the summit. Then I show 1:06 just to get back down to the town of Makawao, where we ate and loaded our bikes to skip the final couple thousand feet of descending. What a ride! Here are a few shots of what it looked like 4 years ago. So when are we going to schedule a Team Reel group ride up this baby??
Great Pics!
Thanks for the pics, Eric. It doesn't look like the mountain has changed much since 2007! And it looks like you had the same kind of weather I did. Truth be told, I may have given myself the benefit of the doubt on my 7:30 start-time - and since my garmin was dead we'll never really know when I got started! But I only made two brief re-fill stops and since my rental only came with a double, I kept a pretty good clip.
Those pics of the "downhillers" are priceless. That's just what Paula and I looked like on our honeymoon. It was fun blowing past those groups this time on the descent.
I agree, we need to do this as a team. I was wishing the whole way up that I would have had someone there to share the experience with! I'll bet you and Nate had a great time riding it together. Paula was a great sport to listen to my play-by-plays afterwards though. She put in as much effort listening to me as I did riding it, so we're telling people she rode it too.
What a beast!
You are officially my hero! Congrats! That is way cool. Looks like a blast and the weather looks a little nicer than it does here!
Nice Work!
Great job Matt. That looks absolutely awesome. Unfortunately for me I would probably puke just from the walk from the water to the rode I am so out of shape. : ) However, I did my first P90X workout today so it's go time for getting back in shape. If the weather clears up this afternoon I may even get a rode ride in. Anyway, what better excuse do we all need to go to Hawaii than this? Thanks for sharing.
Speechless
You need to donate you stones to science! That is awesome! I knew you could climb, but that is ridiculous!
Nice Work
As Matt knows, I was on vacation on Maui a couple of weeks before Matt went. All I can say is that the sum total of my exercise for the trip was getting off of my lounge chair every few minutes to grab another handful of chocolate covered macadamia nuts. I drove in a car to Paia only to eat at the Fish Market and watch the surfers and then up to Macawoa and to eat 2 doughnuts on a stick at the local bakery (don't even ask - they are too awesome for a description). I won't even drive in my car up that crazy mountain anymore. I've driven it 4 times and I don't know if I'll ever ride it!
Nice work!!
Way to go Matt!
Yea that climb is a beast! On that same climb that Nate and Eric did, Bob, James and Charise did it also but didn't do the dip the tire in the ocean thing. They started further up the mountain and Eric and Nate still beat them. Jamie and I cruised by in a rental car....our style. It was so stinking cold and windy at the top but very cool to be up there with all of them after that climb. Matt I was so proud to see the Team Reel jersey on Haleakala....that rules! Yep....team ride next time!