Week 4

Date
January 28, 2018

Distance
103 miles

Strava Link
Week 4

Route Map/Profile

Weather

Ride Video

Ride Report
I spent a week in Hawaii towards the end of January and just so happened to ride my weekly century on my 35th birthday. Getting old isn't fun, but this ride was.

I went to Maui mainly to ride the Haleakala climb. You can learn more about the ups and downs of that adventure here. However, I was surprised at how good the riding is on the island as a whole. This week's video is from a modified version of the West Maui Loop, which is the 2nd most popular ride to do. As you can see, the scenery is spectacular and the traffic was pretty low on the northwest shore there. Most of the main highways have plenty of shoulder and are good to ride on. You could ride the road to Hana, but I wouldn't recommend it if you're not fearless in traffic. The road is narrow and there are tons of sightseeing tourists out there. It is an awesome road, though. It all depends on your tolerance levels.

Maui may have topped Tenerife as my favorite island for cycling. Haleakala vs. Teide is a tossup. Haleakala is longer, but Teide is steeper and has some very difficult sections. Both will wear you out and have awesome volcanic scenery, which I absolutely love. When it comes to riding on the rest of the island, I would have to give that victory to Maui. I feel like there was a wider variety of scenery on Maui and I love how the main roads have shoulders. However, Maui is way more expensive than Tenerife as far as lodging and food are concerned. Both islands have tons of bike rental options and great winter weather. You can't really go wrong either way.

I had a great trip. I climbed Haleakala, which is the longest paved climb and is a must-do for all road cyclists. I did a century in my 31st state. I got to ride in just shorts and a jersey, which is always a treat in January. Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come in 2018.