Saturday, September 7, 2024

Maunakea | Journey Complete!

Start of this Crazy Dream
In November of 2016, we were enjoying our favorite resort on the North Shore of O'ahu when we got the idea to take a day trip to the Island of Hawai'i to see the eruption of Kīlauea. As our plane approached the Hilo airport, we both marveled at the massive mountains out the window. And I first shared that I'd read about folks biking to the summit of Maunakea, the biggest climb you can do with a bike on the planet. Our trip that year was an epic journey in one day, exploring the Big Island, finding places that we've come back to visit again and again, this is an exceptionally special place! The trip included renting some cheap bikes to ride out and see the Kīlauea lava hose ... 'cause I'm gonna find a bike everywhere I go LOL! I really should make a blog on that day, seriously it was that memorable! 
Lava hose from the 2016 Kīlauea eruption ... BREATHTAKING

First Attempt | I Was Not Ready for That! 
In February 2023, I made my first attempt to bike to the summit of Maunakea, link to my blog post on this ride ... Spoiler Alert: I stopped at the Visitors Information Center at 9,200 ft.
Feeling the magnitude of this challenge

Second Attempt | Never Got Off the Ground
August 2023, we had a trip booked to return to Hawai'i, a vacation with the goal to make a second attempt. Lisa had a business trip right before our flight to Kona, she'd only be home for 24 hours before our flight. We were all packed to leave, but Lisa got home to find she had COVID, and it was seriously kicking her butt. I caught COVID too, but somehow, I was asymptomatic, I only knew I had COVID because I was self-testing since I was sharing the house with Lisa. Obviously, we had to cancel the trip, and less than 24 hours before our flight ... it was really hard on both of us. But we had travel credits from the cancelled trip, so we decided to book a return the following August.

Third Attempt | Third Time's the Charm! 
We flew into Kona on Thursday, August 22 and left late on the following Thursday, August 29. Leading up to this trip, we were watching the weather and there was a major tropical storm forming in the Pacific with Hawai'i looking to be impacted, this became Hurricane Hone. Our ideal plan was travel on Thursday; settle in and assemble my bike on Friday; and ride on Saturday. But the forecast showed that the storms would start impacting the island on Saturday. So, we agreed to make a push to get the bike assembled on our travel day and attempt my ride on Friday. 
It was after sunset and the bathroom in our room had the best lighting LOL
This plan worked out well, my bike was reassembled, all the needed food and support equipment was packed in our Jeep right after we checked into the hotel. Less than 12 hours after we landed and with less than 6 hours sleep, thanks to jet leg we were both wide awake before 4:00 AM, we had some coffee and light breakfast before making the short drive to Waikōloa Beach. I was on my bike and riding before 6:00 AM, it was nearly perfect! I felt great, the bike was perfect, and the weather was amazing! 
The Waikōloa Beach public beach access ramp
There was that black cat that crossed my path leaving the beach. I'm not into this kinda thing, but the storms winds got started earlier than forecasted. About 25 miles into my ride, I was getting hit with 25-30 mph crosswinds and having a hard time controlling my bike in gusting conditions with heavy highway traffic right next to me. I was very happy to see Lisa stopped just a couple miles later. I didn't want to say it, but I knew that was the end of the ride for the day. And to be clear, I don't shy away from windy conditions, I'll happily ride in the wind when I have space to recover from a gust ... but with the busy highway and winds pushing be towards the traffic, it wasn't safe to continue the ride. We agreed to head back to the resort, get some food, drinks, rest, and look for a day when the weather would be safer.
We were staying at The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort and were very fortunate that Hurricane Hone wasn't a serious impact in this area. We had a rainy day on Sunday, but that didn't stop us from enjoying the beach and resort pool. It was a good chill day for both of us. 

Because I'd used some of my nutrition and hydration mix, we were looking for a place on the island to find my preferred products. We found Bikeworks Beach & Sports in Waikōloa Beach, they had the products I was looking for, and they were the best bike folks. We had so much fun talking with the staff! They introduced us to their favorite products from locals on the island, HIDrate Electolytes, and we shared our favorite local nutrition, Embark Maple ... one of the shop staff decided to order some Embark while we were in the shop. 

Our next target date for my ride was Tuesday, the weather looked amazing as Hone moved away from the island and that was the day we planned to move to Volcano Rainforest Retreat, so it was kinda perfect to have our Jeep packed and we needed to drive to the Hilo side of the island. However, the Manua Kea Access Rd above the Visitor Information Center (VIC) was washed out from the storm and was closed for repairs. Midday on Monday, we decided we'd move the ride back to our last day on Hawai'i. Funny enough, the Access Road was reported back open late on Monday, but we made the decision and stuck with it. 

https://hilo.hawaii.edu/maunakea/
We truly loved our time at the Volcano Rainforest Retreat, so peaceful and restful! The staff was very interested and excited to learn more about my ride. 
May Peace Prevail On Earth
Starting from Volcano meant riding up the mountain from the Hilo side because Hilo is only 45 minutes from Volcano versus 2 hours to get to Waikōloa Beach. I had looked at the Hilo route to Maunakea but had not planned on it. So there was a ton of last minute planning, loading the route on my Garmin, and a route for Lisa to follow me in the Jeep. Riding from Hilo meant avoiding Mamalahoa Hwy, I never want to ride this road ever again, this is an extremely stressful 3-mile section of road on the Waikōloa Beach route. The Hilo route looked like it had less stressful roads. The beach starting point in Hilo was a little tough to get to, with the Hawai'i Belt Rd cutting off the path to the Coconut Point Lighthouse in Kaipaloao Landing Park. We agreed to just roll with it and figure it out real time when we saw the park and adapt as needed.
 
Sea to Sky | The Full Ride
The Jeep was nearly fully packed before we went to bed, ready to roll early the next morning. We were both up before 4:00 AM, neither of us totally acclimated to the 5-hour time difference on Hawai'i. After a light breakfast and coffee, we rolled out for the 45-minute drive to Hilo. 
Seeing Maunakea from the shoreline in Hilo
There were a couple challenges getting to the starting point at the Coconut Point Lighthouse, there's no parking at the park, but there's lots of parking across Hawai'i Belt Rd. I walked down to the lowest point and started my Garmin, while Lisa moved the Jeep and found a place to put the Jeep for just a minute (in a no parking zone) for a couple pictures as I prepared to start this epic journey.
Coconut Point Lighthouse
I couldn't have been happier with the roads from the lighthouse to the Saddle Rd, they were low speed limits (30-35 mph) with very light traffic. On the other hand, the roads out of Hilo are straight onto the climb. You do not get to warm up, you see 6% grades, and more, in the first couple miles! I was challenged with the grades, and the road surfaces were rough, but I was so much happier than the first miles out of Waikōloa Beach.
 
There were very few places for a nature break on this route, and it had been a long time since leaving Volcano, so I was very happy to find a public rest area at the Kaumana Caves. At this point, I got stressed out to find that my Garmin map was not working correctly, it was stuck on one point. I was both stressed out but also had some hope since I'd had issues like this in the past ... I was challenged to trust the Garmin to work it all out at the end of the day. That said, the Garmin wasn't giving me turn-by-turn directions, thankfully I was past any complicated roads. After fiddling with some tricks that had fixed this map issue in the past, I gave up knowing that all the data fields were correctly updating ... and randomly, a ways up Saddle Rd, it worked itself out and the map on my Garmin was working correctly. 

The Google Maps route I shared with Lisa didn't work, she didn't find me until I made the turn onto Daniel K. Inouye Highway, commonly called the Saddle Rd. I turned right onto Saddle Rd, and BOOM, there was Lisa shouting out the window of her Jeep, she found me! Happily, I was all good up to that point with all the food and hydration I needed. But we both had our challenges with the last-minute change to the Hilo route. 

After that, Lisa would drive roughly 5 miles up the road, find a safe turn out and wait for me. In addition to avoiding the hateful Mamalahoa Hwy, you spend a lot less time on the Saddle Rd. The Saddle Rd has a wide shoulder, but you've got semis and tons of traffic passing you at 60+ mph, I can't help but think it's stressful for anybody, but I know I can't relax in that environment. Add that the shoulder has a lot of little chip rocks and other debris. Additionally, when the road curves to the left, the road bevel is kinda stressfully, at a low speeds on a bike, it feels like it's pulling you toward the traffic lane. 
Enjoying a Coke on Saddle Rd
After 20 miles, the road flattened out notably, allowing me to get into the big chainring for a while and even freewheel for just a minute. The climb mellowed out for nearly 7 miles, mostly staying between 1% and 3%, allowing me to get the Mauna Kea Access Rd quicker than I expected.
Shortly after turning up Mauna Kea Access Rd, you get a very real warning
I let out a little cheer as I made the turn onto the Access Rd. There was very little traffic on the Access Rd, but I did take note of the ubiquitous white rental vehicles that really struggled to offer safe passing distances on an empty road. Later, at the Visitor Information Center (VIC), I loudly shared my feeling on these thoughtless drivers while talking with Lisa, knowing that a couple of those rental drivers were withing earshot.
 
Just before the VIC, you'll hit the steepest mile of the whole ride, the road goes up 757 ft in one mile! Back home in Minnesota, 100 ft per mile is big ... this is massive, with one mile at an average of 13.2% grade. I walked this part of the road during my first attempt in 2023, and I was fully prepared to walk it again this year. It is a BEAST, holding 16-17% and kicking to 18% grades ... I can only think of one short path in the Twin Cities that briefly gets this steep, but the Access Road just holds this grade! 
That last mile getting to the VIC
Getting up to the VIC, I met Lisa and talked with the park rangers. I shared my hiker/biker form with one of the rangers as we arrived and letting them know my plans. I took time with Lisa to get food, The Fox (flour tortilla with humus wrapped around a pickle) and Coke. I added some layers to stay warm with the cool winds and added sunscreen ... the sun close to the equator and above 10,000 ft is nothing to mess around with! I enjoyed a ton of conversations with other visitors interested in my adventure, including many fellow cyclists that knew what I was doing was an epic effort.
Enjoying my Fox wrap at the VIC, I grew up using tailgates for seating ... felt like home!
After nearly an hour at the VIC, I was already to start my ride again, with my USWE hydration pack for easy access to my sports drink. I got to the rangers to find out the ranger I talked with when we arrived was no longer at this post and the current rangers had no idea what happened to my form. So I ran over to the box at the VIC doors to grab a new form and Lisa was great helping me get if filled out right away. I shared the form with the ranger and he asked me many tough questions, and I respect him for challenging me, this ride is massive and these rangers see too many folks like me that think they're badass, but not prepared for what is ahead of them. I'd love to say I knew what was ahead of me, but I was overly confident too.
Waiting in the que to go above the VIC
I rolled up the first ramp of the unpaved section above the VIC. To call this road surface "gravel" is too kind, this is a combination of beach sand texture silt with massive rocks. I've seen some crazy gravel road conditions on a wide variety of events over many years, and the road above the VIC is nothing I've biked before! I was able to ride to the first switchback and half the way to the second before getting off and walking. I was pleased to be able to ride the first real kick on this unpaved road, getting over 16% grade. But then I hit some deep and soft sand that'd require much wider tires to ride through (or a much better bike handler than me).
A little on bike climbing in the 'gravel' section
After this point, I was walking about half the distance to the summit and slowly biking the other half. Any time the grade dropped below 10%, and the road wasn't too tough to ride, I'd get on and peddle as far as I could. My walking speed was about 2.5 to 3 mph and while biking with all my power to get up to 6-8 mph. This is the part of the effort that turned into a major mental challenge, my body was ready to call it, but I was too close to finishing this massive goal to give up. As an experienced rider, it is demoralizing to walk, but it's more demoralizing to quit!

Lisa would park the Jeep in a safe space half a mile up the road and it looked like a marathon distance to get to her. I'd just have to stop walking to simply breathe, I was getting light-headed and the starts of tunnel vision. Happily, I was listening to my body and would not push past these signs ... I'd take a break to get the oxygen my body it was demanding. 
This is where the mental game was EVERYTHING!
When I was able to ride, I was a little surprised that I was more comfortable riding than walking! But the grades needed to be lower, and there was no getting out of the saddle at this point, I did not have that kinda strength with the limited oxygen.

A fair number of rangers and other mountain staff stopped to encourage me on my way up, I can't say enough how much they meant to me. I had a brave and happy face on, but I was fighting to stay out of a deep and dark hole. I was also enjoying hearing encouragement from other visitors, we talked with many of them at the VIC and they knew what I was doing, it meant so much to have their support on this very remote and exposed mountain. 

When I turned a corner and saw the first observatories, it was the light at the end of the tunnel. I was so so close to the summit. And I was determined to cross the summit on my bike, and not simply pushing it! That was not easy, and I only rode the last quarter mile, but I did it! It had been 9 hours since I started at the Coconut Point Lighthouse. 
Lisa gave me a big hug and we celebrated with some pictures to remember this moment, as well as simply taking in this amazing place.
Summit selfie
It was important to me to remember that Maunakea is a sacred place. It was my goal to bring only good energy and be grateful. While looking at the sacred summit a short distance away and shared a quiet prayer of gratitude to the spirits of this magnificent place.
The Center for Maunakea Stewardship works to achieve harmony, balance and trust in the sustainable management and stewardship of the Maunakea Science Reserve through extending Native Hawaiian and community involvement and programs that protect, preserve and enhance the cultural, natural, educational and scientific resources of Maunakea in a manner that integrates traditional Indigenous knowledge and modern science. [source https://hilo.hawaii.edu/maunakea/]
I had always planned to get a ride back down the mountain, I do not like descending (and yes that's very odd for a biker). And that road is stressful coming down in a 4WD Jeep! Getting back down to the VIC, the rangers will use a FLIR temp gauge to check your brake rotor temp before letting you drive below the VIC. Lisa challenged the ranger to see if her brake temps were lower than Shea's - Shea (our son-in-law) drove us down from the summit back in February 2023. Lisa did great, but Shea won ... it wasn't a fair comparison, it was much colder the day Shea drove us down the mountain (HA!)

We took a few minutes at the VIC for me to change into something less stinky while Lisa did some souvenir shopping. I was sure to find my hiking/biking form, the ranger had put both forms together, he apologized for the confusion, but it was honestly no big deal. As we made our way down the mountain, Lisa felt bad that achieving this massive goal wasn't celebrated with a big meal and beer, but we had a flight to catch! 

We went straight to the Kona airport to pack my bike and tons of crap. I had to laugh at our sh..show!! Lisa dropped me off at the curb, so she could do the return process for the Turo Jeep. I was happy with myself, as tired as I was after that effort, and starting the day at 4:00AM, it only took me 45 minutes to get the bike fully packed, as well as a ton of our gear from the day's big adventure. We had a few security staffers keeping an eye on us HA! The best was a bike cop that stopped to talk and he shared his ride on the gravel route from Waimea to the VIC, that sounds so cool!!
The KOA yard sale LOL!!
We had enough time to grab a very basic dinner at the airport, for reference, Kona Airport is very small with simple restaurant. We got a couple beers, and shared a chicken finger basket with fries. After boarding the plane, I only lasted a few minutes before sleep took me over. Lisa reported she kept checking on me, a little worried about me, and that I was hard asleep nearly the full flight to LAX. After our LAX to MSP flight, it was great to get home, after picking up the dogs from boarding, and we all slept for nearly 12 hours comfortable to be back home!

THANK YOU!
There's an entire blog post on all the amazing things Lisa does to support me with my crazy bike adventures. She has her own endurance event following and supporting me, along with navigational challenges, the thin air at nearly 14,000 ft, managing marketing with pictures & updates during the ride, challenges with busy traffic, and "weather girl". She is my hero, because I could never do this without her efforts before, during, and after these adventures! 
Lisa with trusty Turo 4WD Jeep Gladiator with the North Gemini Observatory

WARNING!! The following is nerdy bike details! 

THE BIKE: 
I made the choice to change bikes this time, in 2023 I rode my gravel bike, a steel frame Breezer Radar Pro. This time I brought my carbon fiber Bianchi Infinito. This shave 10 lbs off the bike weight, but limited me to 32 mm tires, where the Breezer had 50 mm tires. My calculation was that having a lighter bike and narrower tires would save me energy and time on the lower parts of the ride, and I'd have to walk a good part of the highest elevations of the mountain, no matter what tires I had. 
My 2021 Bianchi Infinito
I know some riders will bring two bikes, road bike to get the VIC, and a mountain bike or gravel bike with wide tires for the rest. It wasn't an option for me, but this seems like a great way to go if you can have access to two bikes for the ride.
 
If you're thinking about this challenge, here are things to think about, especially above the VIC: 
The Tires: as a very experienced gravel rider, the 32 mm Panaracer GravelKing SK tires worked very well. I've ridden gravel roads with everything from 28 mm tires to 4" fatbike tires, and I'd say the 32 mm tires were the least of the limiting factors for me on the unpaved section of the road. I don't think many tires would have been able to get me through the sandy sections. 

The Drivetrain: this was a bigger limiting factor, my smallest gearing was 33x36, and I was bumping into the lowest gear with anything over 12% grade. For most of my riding, I will just get out of the saddle and mash up the steep ramps, but around my area, these ramps do not last very long. I'd like something more like 38x50 or 36x50 to get me up nearly all of this climb. But I wasn't interested in rebuilding the entire drivetrain for one ride, so I maxed out the gearing I could with the current drivetrain. 

The Cyclist: living at 950 ft above sea level, I knew I'd will be challenged above 9,000 ft. But, I've successfully biked steep gravel roads above 9,000 ft - like Old Fall River Rd in Rocky Mountain National Park. But there's no way for me to acclimate to these elevations at home, I simply focused on VO2 Max efforts and very long rides.
One big change, prior to leaving for Hawai'i in 2023, I was just above 170 lbs; a year and half later I've dropped below 160 lbs. And I was in the best condition I'd been in for 10 years. Plus my year included three ultra endurance efforts: The Arrowhead 135, The Wolf, and The DAMn.
There is 42% less oxygen at 14,000 ft compared with sea level. We have a medical grade pulse oximeter, it was interesting but not a major data point. Lisa, AKA the mountain goat, was maintaining her pulse ox on the way up, and I was getting readings in the upper 70s at the summit, as we drove down, my numbers came up very quickly and I was back to 97% 
at the VIC.

The Routes:
Starting in Hilo:
This route is 42 miles with an average grade of 6.1%. The one con for this route is that Hilo is typically rainy (as in 275 rainy days a year), which wouldn't be a great way to start this long ride. I was fortunate to have sunny conditions and was able to see the summit from Hilo... both motivating and intimidating! I found everything else better from Hilo. The first 8.5 miles of this route are much calmer roads, mostly 30-35 mph zones, plus much lighter traffic. The Hilo route spends much less time on Saddle Rd, about 19 miles. The Hilo route is just over 27 miles from the ocean to the Mauna Kea Access Rd. The trade winds on Hawai'i are going to be a tailwind from Hilo. Tech advantage, I had cell connectivity nearly the whole way. The only debatable difference is the grade of the climb from Hilo, it's going to be steeper with basically no descending. Plus the road kicks straight to 4% to 6% in the first mile, there is no warming up to the effort. Link to Strava segment: https://www.strava.com/segments/20849873
Starting in Waikōloa Beach: 
This route is 53 miles with an average grade of 4.9%. Riding out from Waikōloa Beach is fun, being able to walk down to the sandy beach and start from actual sea level. It's nearly always clear skies on the part of the island and can see your goal from the beach. You'll have 2.5 miles of flat roads before the first ramps start. This route is over 40 miles from the ocean to the Mauna Kea Access Rd. You enjoy some very quiet resort roads for the first mile, before you get onto the first highway, Queen Kaahumanu Hwy, and it's all highways until you get to the Access Rd. This route includes 3 miles on Mamalahoa Hwy, connecting Waikōloa Rd to Saddle Rd, this is an extremely stressful section of road with little-to-no shoulder and 50+ mph traffic - I never plan to ride on this road again! There will be some descending on Mamalahoa Rd, and again after mile 30 on Saddle Rd. I got no joy from the descents on Saddle Rd during my 2023 ride, there was a strong trade wind that forced me to keep peddling on this little descent. On the tech side, there are large areas on Saddle Rd without cell service. Link to Strava segment: https://www.strava.com/segments/10729084
Other Considerations:
Most riders will need support, either a friend or paid service, there is virtually no places to refresh hydration & nutrition, and you'll almost certainly need additional layers with the massive temp swing from sea level to summit.
If your support driver is going with you to the summit, they will need a vehicle with locking differential 4WD, this is required for all vehicles going above the VIC. The Jeep Wrangler, and it's variants, are the standard, but there are some other options like a couple Toyota models. Your support crew will be questioned about using the locking differential and engine braking by the rangers before being allowed to drive above the VIC. We have used Turo to rent our vehicles, standard rental companies do not allow you to bring your vehicle to the summit. We have gotten explicit and written agreements with the Turo vehicle owner to drive to the summit.
You will want to think about sunscreen or other sun protection, the sun is powerful near the equator and that is compounded by getting up to nearly 14,000 ft. I went with Pearl Izumi sun sleeves, legs, and buff, plus sunscreen for my face and other exposed skin.
An odd little comfort detail, saddle angle. In 2023, I was training with my Breezer on Zwift, added blocks to replicate the 6% average grade and adjusted my saddle angle down 5% to be comfortable. I didn't get the Bianchi set up on the trainer, and didn't adjust the saddle angle. It wasn't a gamechanger, but I did notice it was less comfortable with the saddle closer to 0% while constantly climbing.
Breathing techniques at altitude, there are a different options, do some testing for what will work for you. We both found that a large draw in through your mouth and slow exhale through your nose help us when feeling the need for more oxygen. This was critical for me on the final miles when my body was starving for oxygen.
Walking shoes, nearly everyone walks on this climb, including the KOM Phil Gaiman. You'll want shoes that you can comfortably walk in. And they should be good for walking in the sandy gravel, No matter what, you'll definitely not want pure road bike shoes above the VIC.
Additional Media:
Here are some links to resources about this ride and Hawai'i that I recommend to anyone planning on this ride or simply visiting the amazing Hawaiian Islands:
Strava screenshot of my route

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